Q. We just want to ask you to remind people to clean their chimney every year.

I’ll admit that I was stubborn when my wife kept harping on me to get it done. Well we had a chimney fire and if we hadn’t been home at the time we could have lost the house.

A. I’m happy to remind folks about this important issue. Congratulations on being a big enough person that you were willing to admit you were wrong. Many people fail to have their chimneys cleaned regularly. Creosol builds up quickly. Using green wood makes it worse. Using it for garbage and paper also is a bad idea.

I might also make a pitch for converting to gas, propane or pellet stoves if you can possibly afford it. It’s much cleaner and causes less pollution in the air outside and much less pollution inside your home. Also, at the cost of wood these days it can even be cheaper. Last, many insurance companies no longer write new policies on houses that have wood stoves. In some cases your insurance company can deny a claim based on a fire started by a wood stove.

Another important reminder this time of year is to clean your gutters. Water flowing out of control causes rot. I see this often in homes I sell. Even newer homes can have wood destroying bugs that are attracted to wet and rotted wood. Basements flood or seep, causing mold and mildew. Roofs can rot as water wicks up into the wood under the roofing material because drains are backed up. It ends up costing thousands of dollars to fix what could have been avoided just by cleaning the gutters. Hire someone else if you aren’t able to do it yourself.