Chimney sweep is this usual?

[Coffeesnob11]

I am currently renting the house I am buying. The owner agreed to get the chimney swept (used to be oil boiler, changed to gas last year but soot coming through vent today. Ll arranged a chimney sweep who cane today. I was not prepared for the left over mess. The flu is in the kitchen diner but I thought he would clean up but I have washed the floors 3 times, its all Iver the doors, downstairs toilet, hallways etc where he has walked through and touched things. It's impossible to clean no matter how many times I do it. Is this normal? Are they meant to clean the area after so it looks relatively the same? Should it be all over the house like this? Any tips for getting it clean. I have hoovered, mopped twice and scrubbed on my hands and knees and it still isn't completly clean.

It definitely wasn't the landlords mate. I put a post on the local Facebook group asking for recommendations and the landlord sorted it from there. He wouldn't give the certificate until the Ll pays but LL is going to complain about mess first.

We've used 3 sweeps in 2 different areas over 7 years and never had any mess left - literally nothing. There's no way I'd pay for that - it'll cost a fortune in cleaning product and probably still won't come out.

OMG! My sweep comes every year and leaves my fireplace spotless. As for the rest of the house, you'd never even know he'd crossed the threshold.

Are you sure this person is a genuine sweep? This really isn't normal.

But you saw him fill in the certificate pad? It just doesn't sound right for a professional at all.

FB can be a bit dodgy for recommendations - some are genuine, some are family members or friends posing as happy customers. You got really unlucky, chimney sweeping is normally so straightforward.

That is a terrible, terrible chimney sweep. I don't actually think he knows what he is doing. They don't usually leave any mess at all.

That's taking the piss.

That's so wrong. Our chimney sweep covers everything with dust sheets and leaves no mess at all.

Once I had a chimney fire and even the fire fighters that came, put dust sheets down and put covers over their boots so as not to name a mess.

Soot is a nightmare to clean, not sure what you could use.

Don't they usually put the brush head in the chimney then cover most of the chimney entrance and put the rods through a small hole so most of the soot just comes down in the fireplace. Also put down dust sheets around the fireplace to catch any that escapes. Never seen a mess like that, I could do better myself.

Yes they have always covered the fireplace when I've had my chimney swept.

Absolutely not normal - we have had fires/burners for the last 20 years and no never leaves a spec for me to sort.

The grey residue is the oils in the soot. I would get hold of some sugar soap (used to clean walls before decorating) and try that, or add some bicarb into your hot soapy water before mopping etc. I would def let LL see the mess and report the attitude as well, make sure he doesn't use him again

Bloody hell, no, that is not normal at all. There should be no sign the sweep has been.

I had one and he used a sheet contraption to prevent all this mess. You've been robbed.

I think you can tell by now that this is not normal. Our sweep is brilliant, no trace of him ever being here.
Your photo is appalling - I’ve never seen or known anyone to be left with a mess like that. Sorry, can’t think what else might be an effective way to clean it that you haven’t already tried 🥴

I remember when we had a similar issue at my old place. The chimney sweep left soot tracks all over, just like you described. It was frustrating, to say the least. While some sweeps do clean up after themselves, it's not always guaranteed. One thing that helped me tackle the mess was investing in air duct cleaning shortly after. Not only did it clear out any lingering soot, but it also improved the overall air quality in the house. Might be worth considering, especially if you're still finding residue everywhere despite your efforts.

Zombie thread, people.

Ta.

And FFS.