During the colder months there is nothing like the ambiance of a fire to add life to your home, but what about during the warm months? The fireplace usually just looks like an empty black hole in the wall and begs for some decorating attention. Your fireplace can even become a menace as the warmth and humidity of summer creates unpleasant odors in your chimney.
Fortunately, you can turn these situations around. First things first, an expert chimney sweep can clean out the creosote and put a stop to the odor. Secondly, you can decorate the fireplace to give the room a positive lift that can also raise your spirits.
What’s that Smell in My Chimney?
Whenever you burn a wood fire, flammable byproducts cling to the flue lining in the form of creosote. Even though the heat of summer can cause odors, you still wouldn’t smell anything if you had proper chimney drafting. In all likelihood, the creosote is also obstructing the needed airflow in the chimney. After removal of the creosote, there is sometimes still a lingering odor that you can detect. In that case, you may need to have a chimney cap installed to keep moisture out. If all else fails to remove the odor, a top-mounted damper could be installed to keep moisture out of the chimney and prevent further odor issues that may occur in summer months.
Ideas to Decorate Your Fireplace
With your chimney cleaned out and smells under control, you may want to also give the fireplace a good scrubbing. Then, why not brighten the area with a change of mantel displays for the season? There are many ways to make a fireplace as pleasing a centerpiece in summer as it is in winter. Check out the following ideas for decorating your fireplace for spring and summer:
- In addition to adding summery mantelpiece décor, you can place a decorative fireplace screen in front of the hearth. Numerous styles are available, and many fireplace screens are genuine works of art.
- Create true summer vibes with a seaside-themed mantel display. Seashells, plants, candles, natural wood pieces that evoke driftwood, starfish, and blue jars could beautifully evoke a beachy scene. A mirror shaped like the sun or a beach-themed painting could add the ideal finishing touch.
- In many fireplaces, an ideal way to enhance its appearance is to meticulously cut and stack firewood so that it fills the hearth perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle. Add some greenery and your favorite decorative ornaments to the mantel, to complete the look.
- If you’re a book lover, you might love the effect achieved when books are stacked artfully to fill a fireplace from top to bottom.
- Add a large candelabra and candles to the inside of your hearth and add mantel displays in colors and designs that complement the candles.
Contact Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace
You’re likely to appreciate your fireplace more than ever, when you make it a lovely feature of your home year-around. To get the most out of your fireplace and chimney, be sure to contact Fluesbrothers Chimney & Fireplace for chimney maintenance and repair. Schedule annual inspections, as recommended by the Chimney Fire Safety Institute of America (CSIA) and other leading fire safety organizations. Take care of needed repairs without delay, to minimize repair costs. Keeping your home safe and odor-free are beautiful things, like breezy summer mantelpiece décor.
