chimney sweeps

Soot removal workers

Chimney sweeps are workers who clean soot and creosote from chimneys to prevent fires and improve draft.

The occupation dates to when coal and wood fires were universal, and chimney sweeps became iconic figures in Victorian England—often young boys small enough to climb inside flues.

Today the work uses brushes and vacuums rather than climbing.

A chimney sweep is also considered good luck in some European traditions, especially at weddings.

Related
  • sootCarbon from incomplete burning
  • flueChimney's inner passage
  • brushBristled cleaning tool
  • damperDevice reducing vibration or flow
  • creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation

soot stains · hearth · fireplace · Mary Poppins · step in time · cleaner · good luck charm · folklore · climbing · climbing boys · superstition · smokestack · carbon · child labor · Dickensian · trade · industrial revolution · rooftop

Categories
Opposites
occupational function

chimney sweepsmasons

Workers in stone

stokers · bricklayers · arsonists · roofers

cleanliness and material association

chimney sweepslaundresses

Women who wash clothes

dry cleaners · washerwomen · maids · housekeepers · window washers

Family

sweep, chimney, sweeping, swept, sweeper, sweeps, chimneys, sweepings, chimney sweep

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G