Am I the only one who hit 400 creosote-dusted brushes used and realized it was time to rethink my whole cleaning kit?

Paul Lewis · 2026-09-11T02:30:04.724725+00:00

I keep a tally on the inside of my van door and I hit 412 brushes used over the past 6 years. That number stopped me cold because I used to buy the cheapest poly brushes in bulk from a supply house in Akron and toss them when they got too gunked up. Last Tuesday I pulled a brush out of the bag on a job in Canton and the bristles just folded over on a flue tile. The rod spun, the brush barely scraped, and I could still smell that heavy creosote from the driveway. I ran my fingers along the tile after and there was a slick film left behind. That made me think about how many jobs I told customers were done when they maybe were not. Now I am testing stiffer nylon and even one of those wire brushes on the really bad ones, but I am worried about scratching the liner. Has anyone else tracked how many brushes they go through before they switch suppliers or switch materials entirely?

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Am I the only one who hit 400 creosote-dusted brushes used and realized it was time to rethink my whole cleaning kit? | Chimney Sweeps - Chatter Central