Chimney/ fireplace cleaning and upkeep-

Since autumn is here and the air is getting cooler every day, I am starting to think about using my fireplace again.  Our sad secret is that although we have a beautiful tiled fireplace, we NEVER used it.  In front of our beautiful blue and green tiled fireplace are massive amounts of our son's toys.  Yet, this year I vow to once again use the fireplace as it really is the heart of the home!  We actually stopped using it a few years ago when my son developed signs of pre-asthma with a constant runny nose and frequent cough.  Plus, we had been told our fireplace had a crack in it, which he said was common in old homes, and creates more of a fire risk.   My son's  symptoms have decreased as he's aged these past few years so I am willing to try it again.    First step, we need to find someone to clean out the fireplace and look at the crack in the fireplace we identified a few years ago.  At that time, the fireplace chimney sweep said that we could use logs such as duraflame (I have since discovered the logs  made with coffee grounds from our summer camping experiences,  they are  more environmentally, smell better,  and family healthy.)  My goal is to have a coffee log fire by November 1st!