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Order Firewood Early to Avoid Shortages

Order 2020 firewood early

Firewood Shortages Anticipated

We always advise our customers to order their Winter supply of firewood early, in order to have it properly stored and continuing to season before it’s actually needed.

However, this year we are particularly urging that your firewood is ordered and stored now, before Fall!

Due to the unusual circumstances of 2020, we have already been seeing a greater amount of firewood orders, and there is a predicted industry-wide shortage of firewood this Fall and early Winter.

To make sure your home is prepared for the first cold spell and the snow and storms to follow, we strongly recommend replenishing your firewood supply before the end of Summer. This will ensure you’re stocked and heating with quality, pre-seasoned firewood instead of hunting for green, wet wood and paying higher prices for long-distance delivery!

Order Firewood from the Best

Best Firewood and Mulch has been serving Chicagoland with seasoned firewood since 1982. We stand behind our quality firewood and mulch products and offer easy online ordering.

Check out our delivery area here.

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Building the Best Backyard Fire

Building a fire isn’t just a skill for campers or survivalists! Gathering around a backyard fire allows for hours of enjoyment with family and friends. Here’s an explanation of a few different campfire styles, how to alter the fire-building process based on the container being used, and tips and tricks to ensure you have a roaring fire in no time.

Campfire Styles for Fire Pits & Rings

There are numerous campfire styles, but here are three basic varieties that work in most circumstances.

The classic “teepee” campfire is easy to build and very effective. Simply collect small, dry pieces of kindling and lean them together to create a teepee shape. Keep the structure loose to add tinder to the center. Numerous things serve as tinder, including dry grasses, twigs, or paper. Once the materials are in place, light the tinder. Maintain good airflow and add additional larger pieces of wood as the fire starts going. This allows it to build slowly.

Build a “log cabin” fire when warmth is needed, but you don’t want to stoke the flames continuously. Gather four logs, place two parallel in the fire area, and then place the other two logs crosswise on top of those. Once all four logs are positioned, they should look like the number symbol, or “hashtag.” Place tinder in the center, stack smaller pieces atop the structure in the same pattern, and light the fire. Replace wood as needed.

Create a “platform” when you plan to cook over the fire. Place large logs horizontally in the fire area before adding small logs vertically on top of this foundation. Continue building the woodpile in this way before adding a small kindling teepee at the top. Light the fire. The wood burns down until coals are present and glowing, giving off steady, high heat perfect for cooking and roasting.

Outdoor Fireplaces & Brick Ovens

When building a fire in an outdoor fireplace, put a layer of ash or sand down first. This helps the fire continue once it gets started.

Brick ovens need a gentle, consistent fire to cook food properly once the oven’s walls and floors have been heated, which can take an hour or more. Start by creating a nice bed of embers and add a larger piece of wood once they are going. The goal is to have a steady, small flame that doesn’t die down quickly.

Use the Best Firewood

The best backyard fires need the best, pre-seasoned firewood to burn hot, clean, and long. We’ve been delivering high-quality firewood to the Chicago area since 1982. All the wood used for our firewood and mulch is purchased locally and is cut, split and stored on site!

 

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“Social Distancing” Delivery Update

Best Firewood Dump Truck

DELIVERY UPDATE
We’re delivering orders as usual, but…

Our delivery crew will be practicing “social distancing”
by limiting contact with homeowners.

Starting 3/16/20:

    • You will receive a text message update the day prior to delivery.
    • Wood will be stacked in outdoor locations only, or dumped on driveways. If you have stacking instructions, please let us know.
    • Our crew will not ring doorbells.
    • Orders may be paid by credit card online or with the office.
    • If paying by check, please put in an envelope and tape to your door.
    • Any questions, please call the office.

Thank you and stay safe!

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Locally Sourced Firewood Delivered to Naperville IL

Best Firewood Lot Picture

At Best Firewood and Mulch, we locally source our firewood, then cut, split, and store it on-site. Need firewood delivery to Naperville? We deliver and stack!

Seasoned Firewood

When wood is freshly cut, it is referred to as “green” wood. This type of wood isn’t what should be burned for heating a home. All firewood has to age, which is commonly referred to as curing or “seasoning” the wood. If you try to use logs from a freshly cut tree in your fireplace, you’ll have to deal with dangerous creosote build-up and lots of smoke, risking chimney fires. That’s why all our firewood is already aged or kiln-dried.

Firewood Delivery and Stacking

We supply the Naperville, IL area with high-quality, seasoned firewood. And we not only deliver, our team can stack firewood for you too! For an additional fee per cord, we’ll stack your firewood order at ground level. In the winter, just keep a path shoveled for us.

There are some guidelines to follow to ensure that the firewood is placed in the best locations outside your home, so that it can stay dry and continue to season for best burning results.

  • Firewood should be kept up from direct contact with the ground to keep it from drawing moisture. There are various sizes of firewood racks you can purchase from home supply stores, or you can use cement blocks, pallets, or boards to raise the firewood 2-3 inches.
  • Firewood should also be partially or fully protected from the elements. Locating your stacked firewood under an overhang is ideal, but a tarp covering the top of the pile works as well. Don’t cover the sides of the stack, as this keeps air from circulating and inhibits drying (and provides a place for critters to hide too). Keep the stack a few inches away from walls for the same reason.

Order Firewood from the Best

Best Firewood and Mulch has been serving Chicagoland with seasoned firewood since 1982! We stand behind our quality firewood and mulch products and offer easy online ordering.

Check out our delivery area here.

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What to Consider Before Buying Firewood

What to Consider Before Buying Firewood Near Aurora, IL

Few things are more welcoming than a crackling fire on a cold day, which is why many Aurora homes include wood-burning fireplaces. Long-time residents make stocking firewood look easy, but it can be challenging for those who have never purchased wood in the past. Fortunately, it is easy to get it right by following a few simple rules. As long as homeowners have enough storage, choose the right wood, and buy seasoned firewood, they’ll enjoy many cozy evenings in front of their hearths.

Create a Dry Space to Store Wood

Homeowners buying Firewood near Aurora IL for the first time are often tempted to order enough for the winter. That is a good idea if they have plenty of storage, but it could cause problems when space is short. The first thing any homeowner should do is determine how much dry space they have for wood storage. There must be enough room between stacks to allow firewood to dry, otherwise it can rot. Stacking excess wood against the house is not really an option since piles quickly become homes for rodents and insects.

Determine Which Type of Wood Is Best

Homeowners should buy the type of wood that suits their intended use. If customers buying Firewood near Aurora IL intend to cook with it, they might want to choose maples and fruitwoods that add flavor. Dense woods like oak and maple are best for indoor wood stoves and fireplaces. Soft woods such as poplar burn faster. Ash is another wood that burns well. Local suppliers are happy to help customers make the best choice.

Make Sure to Buy Seasoned Wood

Firewood needs to be seasoned, which means it has had time to dry out. Green wood is full of moisture, so it is not a good fireplace or wood stove fuel. Most established suppliers sell seasoned fireplace wood, which is easy to recognize. It has loose bark, is dry to the touch, and has cracks in the ends.

Order wood for a home fireplace or wood stove is not complicated, but there are a few rules that ensure the best results. Buyers should make sure they have adequate storage and then learn what type of wood is best for their needs. They should also choose seasoned wood because it is dry and burns well.

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4 Important Tips For Storing Firewood

Whether you have an outdoor fireplace for grilling and parties or an indoor fireplace for warmth and cozy feelings, you’ll need firewood to keep the flame going.  And if you want enough firewood for several fires, you’ll need a place to store the logs you aren’t using.  It’s not very hard to store firewood, but there are a few basic pointers and tips you should remember if you don’t want to run into any problems later on.

  1. Stack Your Firewood Carefully

A good firewood stack needs to follow a few rules.  First, there should be good air circulation throughout the stack, including the center and the bottom.  Air circulation helps the firewood dry out so it’s ready to burn and won’t attract mold or other fungi.  Second, keep the bark side down on the bottom layer to protect the wood from ground moisture.  Third, stack the wood with care so it won’t come tumbling down when you start to remove logs.

  1. Keep The Wood Dry

Wet wood is much harder to burn, plus it can quickly start to rot depending on what manages to get into it.  Both are bad for firewood since wet wood can release more carbon monoxide into the air and rotting wood will release potentially harmful spores.  To keep your wood dry, make sure the firewood pile is under a roof if you can.  If not, you should cover it with a waterproof tarp.  However, the wood still needs to dry out and circulate air, so only cover the top surface with the tarp.

  1. Keep The Wood Away From Your House

No matter where you buy your firewood, chances are the wood spent most of its existence outdoors.  You should continue that by storing your firewood outside and away from the side of your house.  This is because firewood often contains pests and parasites, including dangerous pests like carpenter ants, termites, and old house borers.  Firewood is safe enough indoors when you only bring in what you need for an evening fire, but to keep your house safe you should stack the rest of the wood outside and away from your home.

  1. Keep The Wood Off The Ground

When a tree falls in the forest, it doesn’t take long for mold, fungi, insects, and other creatures to start rotting the wood.  You don’t want that to happen to your firewood, and one important way to prevent that is by stacking your firewood on a platform.  This could be a storage box just for firewood, or it could be a spot on your stone patio away from the dirt.  By keeping your firewood away from the dirt, you’ll keep it away from the insects and other species that would start rotting it.

Of course, it’s also important to choose the right business to get your firewood from.  That’s why many people visit Best Firewood and Mulch.  We offer solid firewood from a variety of tree species that give off great heat and wood smoke when you burn them, so have a look at our online store.

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Heat Your Home This Winter With Firewood

When you live in the northern United States, winter can bring the temperature way down and make it tough to go outside.  On foot the cold will slowly seep into your bones, and in a car the snow and ice make the roads slippery and hard to avoid an accident.  That’s why many Americans spend more of their time indoors next to a roaring fire.  Not every modern home comes equipped with a real fireplace, but those who do can enjoy what it’s like to have a real wood fire keeping you cozy during a long winter night.

Enjoy The Heat

A nice wood fire at home can really heat a room up, especially if you can close a door and keep the heat concentrated.  When you spend your time by a real fire, you can turn down the thermostat for the rest of your home and still feel warm and cozy.  Doing this could even save you a few dollars on your heating bill.

Watch The Dancing Flames

 

Almost every human is fascinated by fire to one degree or another.  The way the flames dance without ever repeating themselves, the warm glow and colors they create, and even the sound of crackling and snapping wood can hold a person’s attention.  This is only natural since once upon a time humans needed fire to survive and spent a long part of the night sitting around campfires.  Because of this natural fascination, a real wood fire can entertain a family surprisingly well, and it’s much better at doing so than any fake fire or gas fire.

 

Bring The Family Together

 

Between the heat and the flames, setting a wood fire in your fireplace is a great way to bring your whole family together.  You can sit around the fire and eat dinner, talk about your days, or watch a movie together.  A married couple can curl up together under the same blanket, or your young child might like sharing a blanket with their parent after a long day.  An open fire is also a chance to teach your kids about how to safely set and maintain a wood fire.

 

Cook Something Old-Fashioned

 

Depending on the size of your fireplace, you may be able to use it to roast hotdogs or marshmallows on sticks.  Something else you can do is let the fire burn down and then put a Dutch oven on the coals and use them to slowly cook your dinner or dessert for the evening.  Dutch oven recipes include some warm and hearty meals like stew and peach cobbler, just the thing to have to warm yourself up on a cold winter night.

 

While you can find apps and videos, gas-powered fireplaces, and fake fireplaces, nothing can match the full experience of a wood fire during a winter evening.  However, first you’ll need a good supply of dried and seasoned firewood ready for your fireplace.  If you live in our service area, be sure to order your firewood from Best Firewood and Mulch and make the most of your fireplace this winter.

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How to Get the Most from Your Woodstove

Wood Stove Tips

Wood Stove Tips

Woodstoves have long been used as a heating source, and it’s easy to see why: wood is an extremely affordable and efficient fuel, and a well-managed woodstove can provide heat to a large area with very little cost. Plus, in some homes, there’s just something so comforting about gathering around a wood fire for warmth.

There’s an art to running a woodstove.  Here are a few tips we like to share with our customers to help them get the most enjoyment from their firewood.

4 Tips for Managing Your Woodstove

1 – Place it near stone

Stone of almost any sort – including brick and concrete as well as natural stonework – is excellent at capturing and radiating heat.  If you keep your woodstove near a stone wall, or better yet in a corner formed by two stone walls, they’ll act like heat reflectors and help spread the warmth around the room.

2 – Don’t try to burn fresh-cut wood

You might be tempted to save even more money by cutting your own wood, if you have a source.  However, trying to burn freshly-chopped wood is a bad idea.  It’s hard to ignite, and even if you succeed, it’ll produce more smoke than heat.

Proper firewood should be seasoned (dried out) for at least 6-12 months.  Therefore, most people today choose to buy firewood from reliable sources.

3 – Pick wood based on the weather

Experienced woodstove owners keep more than one type of firewood around, because the type of wood affects the output.  Lighter woods – like poplar and pine – burn faster and cooler than heavier woods like oak.  In fact, heavy woods can easily over-heat a room, and should be reserved for especially cold days.

4 – Don’t burn the stove 24/7

Yes, lighting a wood fire can be a pain.  However, keeping your woodstove burning unattended around-the-clock can cause more problems.  This can quickly overheat rooms.  Also, if the coals at the bottom are kept smoldering, they’ll produce a lot of smoke.  That is unpleasant by itself, but it can also cause buildup of creosote on everything nearby.

For Safe High-Quality Firewood, You Want Best Firewood! 

For over 35 years, stove-owners in the Chicagoland area have turned to Best Firewood and Mulch for all their firewood needs.  Our wood is safe, pest-free, and fully seasoned for maximum efficiency and enjoyment.  Contact us directly to learn more!

 

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Enjoy Your Fireplace in Safety and Comfort

Fireplace Safety Tips from Best Firewood and Mulch

Fireplace Safety Tips from Best Firewood and Mulch

Few things can compare to relaxing in front of your very own wood-burning fireplace, particularly during these bitterly cold winter months. By the fireplace is the perfect place to be when the wind is blowing and the snow is swirling. However, fireplaces can potentially be dangerous if they aren’t well-maintained.

At Best Firewood & Mulch, we want people throughout Chicago and the surrounding areas to enjoy their fireplaces in safety and comfort. So, we’ve prepared a quick list of the most important safety tips to follow.

4 Vital Fireplace Safety Tips

1. Never use chemical starters

You might be accustomed to using starters like kerosene to start your outdoor grill, and that’s fine for the outdoors. Indoors, these sorts of starters introduce toxic chemicals – potentially harming yourself, your family or your pets.  Likewise, never use painted wood or plywood as a starter, because they’re also full of nasty chemicals you don’t want to burn in your home.
If you need a starter, just use newspaper or pine cones.

2. Always use dry, well-seasoned wood

One of the worst things you can do to a fireplace is burning young wood or wood with greater than 20% moisture content.  When moist wood burns, it causes a chemical called creosote to be created.  Creosote is sticky and extremely flammable.  It can build up on the inside of your chimney, eventually creating a genuine fire risk.

Always get your firewood from a reputable source that ages and seasons it properly.

3. Clean your chimney at least once a year

Even if you’re burning dry seasoned wood, the inside of your chimney will still see buildup. Over time, this can start to choke off the chimney, or even cause smoke to enter your home. Be sure to call in professionals to clean it out. (Fall is usually the best time for this, prior to fireplace season.)

4. Keep branches trimmed and away from the top of your chimney

If you have trees near your home, keep an eye on their branches. If those branches are passing over the top of the chimney, they need to be trimmed back. Otherwise, they could catch fire from the heat coming off your fireplace. This is a particular danger during drier winters.

Get Firewood You Can Trust from Best Firewood & Mulch

Since 1982, Best Firewood & Mulch has been providing locally-sourced, well-aged and seasoned firewood to homes and businesses throughout the Chicago area!  Call us to keep your fireplace happy!

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Our Guide to Choosing a Local Firewood Supplier

Locally Sourced Firewood from Best Firewood and Mulch

Locally Sourced Firewood from Best Firewood and Mulch

In sourcing firewood, it’s important you know exactly where the wood came from to determine its quality and suitability. Our team at Best Firewood and Mulch takes the time to guide clients on the market and to help them choose quality products. With this goal in mind, we’re presenting our guide to choosing a local firewood supplier.

Make sure the firewood is purchased locally

One of the mistakes that some homeowners make when buying firewood from a local supplier is not considering the source of the wood. The firewood you buy should be sourced geographically nearby, as well as split on their site. This limits the potential for insects to be spread during transit and means it is exposed to the elements for a shorter time.

Visit the company’s physical site

When you have selected a local firewood supplier, take some time out of your day to visit their supply space and review their processes. You should immediately see the difference between professional companies and those with limited experience in the marketplace. The professional suppliers will be able to provide you with clear information on each piece of wood they provide. They should also be able to answer your questions about the applications for their materials.

Consider pricing carefully

Firewood can become expensive if you don’t have a clear plan for pricing out your purchase. Make sure you understand the differences between the various quality woods on the marketplace and how the quality differences can impact the price. If you’re unsure about the differences, you can call our team at Best Firewood and Mulch directly for more information. We’d be happy to explain how each wood differs and why you might use specific types of wood for each application. Read more about picking the right firewood here.

View their return policy

On some occasions, you might not be happy with the quality of the wood your local firewood supplier provides. In these circumstances, it’s imperative the company has a clear return policy that will allow you to return your wood for a full refund. Find out more about the company’s return policy before investing in their products.

Our team at Best Firewood and Mulch is trusted for our understanding of wood products and their value. To learn more about the quality options in our firewood selection, call now.

 

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