Wow - had a chimney and had a stiff wire brush that went up and down but first we had a grey cement block that was lowered down (carefully) to do an initial clean followed by the brush Was always a once a year chore.
I was going to guess for raking up nuts of some kind, but chimney cleaning makes sense. Chimneys need to be cleaned about once or twice a year, and NEVER use pines, cedars or evergreens in an indoor fireplace or stove. I need to get mine repaired (water comes in) before I can use it again. God keeps sending me more trees to cut up for firewood, so I am waiting for the chimney to get fixed.
I would go for a re-burn insert. They wont suck warm air out of the house, are efficient, and wash the glass with air so the doors stay fairly clean.
