Q&A Salts and other chemicals for keeping chimney clean

Question:

A slightly odd request; I was reading a book on wood heating... awhile ago- and as I was looking over it- a chimney cleaning thing caught my eye. it was (red devil?) chimney salts. It is supposed to clean off the creosote without the scrubbing. I would like to know the name of the product and how it works. thank you-



Answer:

Nothing (except some industrial chemicals used by sweeps) can remove the glazed creosote. But there are compounds (they are catalysts) that can be added to a woodfire which help- over a period of time- to reduce the creosote and make it easier to clean. ACS (anti-creosote) is one major brand name. If you are just trying to clean it off of bricks (smoke stains)- baking soda and water paste (and a little elbow grease) can work- as can the "brick and stone cleaner" available in many Stove and Fireplace shops.