Chimney sweeping, stove installation, and flue repair generate soot, ash, and masonry dust. Older properties may include refractory materials and historic sealants. Controls must protect occupants and operatives while keeping mess to a minimum.

Contain and capture at source

Sheet the work area and install a small negative pressure using an air mover with filtration to pull air into the hearth opening. Use brush systems with tool-mounted extraction rather than dry sweeping. When raking or removing ash, use an H-Class vacuum rated for fine soot; avoid household vacuums and compressed air. RCS from mortar and clay flues is a risk when drilling or chasing—HSE’s WEL for respirable crystalline silica is 0.1 mg/m³ (8-hr TWA), so on-tool extraction and low-dust methods (wet drilling where appropriate) are essential.

Air control in occupied homes

Position a compact air scrubber to draw air away from living areas towards the hearth containment. Seal return paths around doors with simple draught excluders. Keep filter bypass tight and check performance as filters load. A portable unit from a supplier such as MAXVAC is often used to stabilise background particulate during sweeping.

Housekeeping without re-agitation

Vacuum-only cleaning for floors, skirtings, and mantels; microfibre for final wipe-down. Bag and seal ash while still within the containment. Inspect stoves and flue joints before demobilising to avoid later soot leaks. Where asbestos-containing materials are suspected in old gaskets or cements, stop and follow licensed procedures.

People and property protection

Use P3 RPE, but fit-test and keep it as a backup to good controls. Brief occupants to stay out of the work zone and to keep HVAC off. Keep a simple record of control measures and filter changes to demonstrate due diligence under COSHH.

Practical takeaways

• Create slight negative pressure into the hearth containment.
• Use on-tool extraction for sweeping and drilling; avoid dry methods.
• H-Class vacuum for soot and ash; no household vacuums.
• Vacuum-only clean-down; bag and seal waste in the work zone.
• Pause if ACMs are suspected; follow legal procedures.

A clean, contained approach protects customers’ homes and keeps exposures low, reducing call-backs and ensuring professional results.