Loading…
20
Drop cloth trick with a cheap canvas tarp cut my post-sweep cleanup in half
Swept a 1920s brick colonial near Albany last Tuesday and the soot dust got into every crack of the homeowner's hardwood. I started laying down an old canvas tarp folded double under the firebox opening before I even pull the rods, and I tuck the edges up against the baseboard with tape. The tarp catches 90% of what falls and I just fold it dirty-side-in and shake it out in the yard. Cleanup went from about 40 minutes of wiping to 15. Anyone else using canvas instead of plastic drop cloths, or am I missing a reason this is a bad idea?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
parker18312d ago
That soot getting into the cracks of old hardwood is the worst, especially on a 1920s place where the gaps are wide enough to swallow a dime. Been there way too many times and the wiping never really gets it all out, you just push gray streaks around until you give up. The canvas tarp move makes total sense to me, way better than plastic that slides around and tears on the firebox lip. Only thing I would watch is the tarp holding moisture if the flue is damp, so maybe let it dry flat before you fold it back up for next time. Sounds like you already cut your cleanup way down, which is the whole point.
8