Chimney sweeps: preparing the home for a sweep
How chimney sweeps can tell clients how to prepare the home for a sweep through online booking: service descriptions, the note, calendar files and access.
5 min read
A sweep goes faster when the fire is cold, the hearth is clear and someone is home to let you in. Explaining that on every phone call takes time, and clients forget. With Book, the preparation steps sit in each service description on your own booking page, clients read them before booking, and the booking lands in their calendar with your details.
Preparation in the description
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description, all shown on your public page. Use the description for what clients must do before you arrive:
- no fire for the time you set before the visit, so the appliance is cold;
- hearth and the area around it cleared, with space for your sheets and equipment;
- ornaments and rugs moved away from the fireplace;
- pets kept in another room;
- access to the roof or loft if needed for the flue.
Services per appliance
Each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity. Separate services let you write the right steps for each appliance.
| Service | Example slot | Places | Example price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open fire sweep | 1 h | 1 | €70 |
| Wood burner or stove sweep | 1 h | 1 | €75 |
| Range cooker flue sweep | 1 h 30 | 1 | €95 |
Durations and prices are examples: set your own.
Questions in the note
The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the client's calendar file. Ask for the appliance type, any smoke problems, roof access and parking. Don't ask for key locations or door codes in the note.
The calendar file
Online bookings give the client a confirmation with a calendar file. Bookings you create yourself need only first and last name; add their email and they get the same. Book doesn't send reminders, so ask clients to read the preparation steps the evening before.
When the home isn't ready
Say in the description what happens if the fire is still warm on arrival, for example the sweep is moved to another day. Move the booking from your list and tell the client yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes.
Changes
Clients can't move or cancel online: they contact you, and you move the booking from your list. Slots repeat weekly on the weekdays you choose until an end date. Your bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars.
What Book doesn't do
Book doesn't issue certificates, take payments or send reminders. One booking page per business, no staff field. See the guide on booking sweeps before the heating season. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.
Where do I tell clients how to prepare?
Does Book send a reminder the day before?
Can I ask about roof access?
What if the fire is still warm?
- Chimney sweep booking software & round diary — €5/month
- Chimney sweeps: booking sweeps before the heating season
- Home services: booking visits when clients are out