Many people love the sight and feel of a fireplace in their living room. While a fireplace can create wonderful ambiance, keep in mind that a certain amount of organization and maintenance is necessary for both wood and gas fireplaces.

Wood fireplaces are beautiful and cozy, but they don't burn as clean or efficiently as natural gas. With wood, you'll need to purchase high-quality fireplace implements — cheap substitutes can bend and burn and be a hazard when you're trying to adjust the position of larger, heavier logs.

Woodpiles are best kept outside, because critters (such as mice and chipmunks) love wood as much as humans do. Ideally, you'll want to bring just a few logs in at a time and place them in a bin beside your fireplace. A covered porch is an ideal spot for storing wood during the winter. If you have no porch, a tarp can help keep your wood dry and ready to burn.

In colder climates, glass doors will dramatically increase the efficiency of your fireplace, because glass doors help to decrease heat loss. Make sure that your damper is in good condition and is kept closed when the fireplace is not in use. If you use your fireplace often, you will want to take care to clear out the ashes under the logs, although if you allow a few layers of ashes to remain, your fire will be warmer and burn better.

In newer homes, gas fireplaces are becoming increasingly common. While gas fireplaces do require much less maintenance than their wood counterparts, you still want to take care to maintain your gas fireplace properly. Be sure to follow the instructions in the owner's manual. Also, take care to have your fireplace inspected annually by a qualified professional service person — gas leaks can be fatal. Although gas fireplaces do not spark, you still want to be careful not to place anything flammable (such as clothing, blankets, or pillows) near your fireplace — the heat could cause a fire. If your fireplace has a glass door and the glass breaks, do not use the unit until the glass has been replaced.

Fire Safety

Always use a screen when using a wood-burning fireplace, as hot sparks can be a hazard to your home. Likewise, keep rugs, furniture, and blankets away from your fire, as they can easily ignite. Sparks can sometimes sneak through even the best fireplace screens, so be careful not to let your fire burn unattended. Never leave children unattended near a fire, and keep matches and lighters out of reach (and sight). Also, if you use your fireplace often, you'll want to have a professional chimney sweep come at least every three years to inspect the condition of your chimney. Make sure that the top of your chimney has a screen to keep pests out.

Fireplace Efficiency

Although fireplaces do produce heat, many of them lose as much heat through drafts as they generate. But there are simple things that you can do to increase the efficiency of your fireplace. If you have a wood-burning fireplace with a damper, make sure that the damper is always kept closed when the fireplace is not in use. You can make sure that the seal on your damper is still working well by closing it and putting a tissue in the fireplace. If the tissue blows around, your damper is no longer keeping the drafts out and needs to be replaced or repaired.

Also, when using a (gas or wood) fireplace, turn down the heat in your home and, if possible, close the door to the room with the fireplace so that room will retain the heat. However, be aware that wood fireplaces can create indoor air pollution. You might want to consider keeping a window cracked to improve air quality.