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How to use fireplace tools

Updated: 22 October 2026

The fire is lit, the companion set is already on the hearth, and the open question is which tool you pick up while there is still flame. How to use fireplace tools is a sequence, not a shopping list: gloves and a poker, and tongs if you have them, while the fire is in; the shovel and the brush only once you are moving ash that has cooled; a sealable metal can for anything that leaves the firebox. The set you bought is compared on the [fireplace tool set comparison](/hub/fireplaces-and-stoves/fireplace-tool-set). There is no minute count below for cooling, because HETAS does not publish one for your appliance. If you buy through a link to amazon.co.uk from the comparison, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The fire is lit, the companion set is already on the hearth, and the open question is which tool you pick up while there is still flame.

Our top picks

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass

Best overall

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass
9.2/10about £21.99
View offer
Valiant Valiant concealed 3-piece

Rank 2

Valiant Valiant concealed 3-piece
9.0/10about £29.99
View offer
JVL JVL Lambeth arch set

Best value

JVL JVL Lambeth arch set
8.8/10about £11.19
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Poker and tongs while the fire is in
  2. 2.Shovel and brush when the ash has cooled
  3. 3.The can is not the companion set
  4. 4.Before you start, check the joints

Poker and tongs while the fire is in

HETAS tells you to refuel on glowing embers, crack the door, and then open it slowly. You use the poker to pull fuel together, to open a gap so air can reach what is still burning, and to keep your glove back from the firebox. Zip Fires puts the guard in place before you rely on technique. Tongs are for lifting a log or a piece of coal that the poker can only roll. Wear gloves before the door opens. If the shaft is so short that the glove is inside the opening, stop. Do not throw water into the stove. Water in a hot firebox is a way to crack the appliance, and it is outside this routine.

Shovel and brush when the ash has cooled

Leave the door shut while the ash cools. Move it only when you are satisfied it is cool, with gloves on, and with no glow left that you can see. coals2u says not to tip hot ash into a combustible bin. Where that differs from HETAS, follow HETAS: a sealable metal container, taken outside, and not stored in the house. On wood, Charnwood's Island manual says to leave about 1 cm of ash. If your own manual gives a different depth, or tells you to clear to the grate because you burn coal or a mineral fuel, the manual wins. The brush follows the shovel along the hearth and the front lip. The shovel fills the can. It does not replace the can.
Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass

Testsieger

Fire Vida Fire Vida Buxton black and brass
9.2/10about £21.99
View offer

The can is not the companion set

HETAS treats hot ash as a fire risk and a carbon monoxide risk. Put it in a sealable metal can, take the can outside, and do not store that can indoors. A companion shovel left full beside the stove is the indoor store HETAS tells you to avoid. BS 8423 is the domestic fireguard specification, and RoSPA points carers to a guard made to that standard. A companion set does not replace the guard, and it does not replace a carbon monoxide alarm. Landlords in England have a separate duty to fit an alarm where a living room has a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker. If ash has scorched the room, or someone has poured water into the stove, stop using the appliance and have it checked. A sweep and a service belong with a HETAS-registered engineer.

Before you start, check the joints

Several listings in the comparison draw the same review: a screwed handle loosens, and on some sets it spins. Individual reviews also describe a failed spot weld. If the handle already turns before you begin, do not use that tool on a live fire. Tighten what you can while the metal is cold. If the nut will not hold, or the weld has opened, that tool is out of the routine until it is repaired or replaced. The fireplace companion set buying guide is the page for that decision. If lifting the poker drops the shovel onto the hearth, put the set somewhere it cannot fall into the fireplace before you open the door. Length, if the glove still ends up in the opening, is the companion set for a log burner page, not a harder push with a short poker.

Common questions

What is the poker for, and what are tongs for?
The poker rakes, separates and settles fuel while you refuel on glowing embers. You crack the door and open it slowly, with gloves on, and you keep the shaft between your hand and the firebox. Tongs lift a log or a piece of coal that needs to come out or move as a piece. A poker rolls fuel. It does not grip it. If you have no tongs, leave any lift that would put the glove in the opening.
Should I leave ash in a wood burner?
For wood on the Charnwood Island, yes: about 1 cm, because that bed is part of how the next fire lights. Do not scrape the firebox to bare metal just because the shovel fits. Coal and other mineral fuels can need a clearer grate, and only the appliance manual can tell you which case you are in. A shop article about open grates is a weaker source than that manual.
Can the shovel live indoors full of ash?
No. HETAS says to use a sealable metal can, take it outside, and not to store the can indoors. Ash that looks grey can still be a fire and a carbon monoxide hazard. The companion shovel is the scoop that fills the can. Leaving it loaded beside the stove is the indoor store the guidance tells you to avoid. A plastic bin or a cardboard box is not a substitute can.
Where does a fireguard fit in this routine?
The guard is in place before you start, and it stays there as a barrier against sparks and children. BS 8423 is the domestic specification RoSPA points to. You may move a guard briefly to reach the hearth, and you put it back before you leave the fire. A brush, a stand or a row of tools is not that barrier. Parents and carers should treat the guard as a separate product from the companion set.
What if the handles are already loose before I start?
Do not use a spinning handle on a live fire. Tighten the joint while the tool is cold, and leave the tool out of service if the nut will not hold or a weld has opened. Reviewers of several sets in the comparison describe screwed handles that undo. That is a reason to fix or replace the tool before the evening fire, which is a buying question rather than a bolder technique with the same shaft.

Related pages

Best fireplace tool set UK

4 piece or 5 piece fireplace set

Fireplace tool set

Fireplace companion set buying guide: length first

Companion set for a log burner: shaft length first

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts were taken from the listings on 19 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK, Smoke control areas (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK, Domestic solid fuels rules (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms booklet (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HETAS, Safe disposal of stove ash (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HETAS, Top tips for your stove (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Charnwood Island instructions (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. RoSPA, Burns and scalds (retrieved 19 October 2026)