Yes, you call a sweep to do it from the roof.
I clean my stove chimney every year. I go up on the roof and use the brush and fiberglass rods and clean any creosote.
But I burn only seasoned wood and burn it hot, so there's never much creosote to clean.

Same here for me. Not sure why anyone would want to do it the way it was described to you. Way too messy.

Thanks for the input. If the seller had only disclosed the whole truth, I'd have re-considered getting a wood stove.

All he said is that it can be done from inside. He knew I was female and alone, yet didn't explain the whole truth - how hard it would be for someone like me to do.

I really only got it in the event of SHTF, which actually seems quite likely now.

So - how may I ask - am I supposed to find a chimney sweep during such a worst case scenario?

If it's never been used then it won't have any creosote build up. It will need to be checked for dirt dauber and bird nests; obstructions like that. Do you have a chimney cap? If so, is it screened? Is there some kid living nearby that can climb up on the roof and peer down into the chimney with a flashlight? Chances are it's good to go. I'd try this before calling a chimney sweep.

Thanks for the info - I believe there is supposed to be a screen at the top. As for a helpful kid nearby - how I wish [sigh]

I guess you could put several pieces of newspaper in it and light it to see how the stove draws. If it burns rapidly and doesn't smoke the room then chances are it's OK. I wouldn't load it with firewood though until I tested the draw.

OK, time for a little tutorial on wood stoves. I live in Vermont and my stove is the main heat source in our home, with oil as backup. Follow a few simple basics and your stove will give you years of warmth.

First, your wood.
Wood is sold in cords. A cord of wood is 4 feet deep, by 4 feet high, by 8 feet long. You want to burn only seasoned wood, never something just cut down.

Seasoned means the trees were cut at a minimum of one year ago. This gives the wood the chance to dry, because trees retain water in the wood and it needs to evaporate before you burn it, or it will create creosote.

You want hard wood, not pine. I use pine to start the fire, but oak, maple, beech and at times birch are good woods to burn as they last in the stove.

If you need to find a wood dealer, just call a local fireplace or woodstove dealer and ask. Prices can vary, but here in Vermont we pay about $175 to $200 per cord, and will use 2 cords in the winter.

Next, get a little magnetic stove thermometer. They're about 3 inches round and you put it on the top of the stove. When you're using the stove, the surface temperature should be between 500 and 600 degrees. That's the best temperature to almost eliminate creosote buildup in the chimney.

It's a start, ok?

Thanks for the tip about pre-testing so the room should not smoke. As for firewood, I've just approx. 1/2 cord (or less) stored the past few years in basement.

At that time, I had ordered a stop-check due to wormy wood. Upon hassle, the guy finally agreed to accept just $100 because lots of his wood was either rotten, wormy or too big to fit my tiny stove. He had dumped it hapharzardly & when I asked him whether the wood is the right size (since many of the pieces looked way longer than 18") - he jumped on his truck and zoomed off despite my calling after him.

Following that, I needed to spend nearly a week brushing off each piece painstakingly and separating the really bad ones from the 1/2 way decent shorter ones. It's the latter which are stored in the basement. The rest I kept piled outside - which he never came back to pick up. Thankfully, some handymen types who were in the area, rid me of them since they just wanted the pile for outdoor campfires at their summer camp.

For days after that, I suffered extreme charlie horse.
I told myself NEVER again.
So I then got a reference from the wood stove guy and from a roofer I used.

The reference given by the wood stove store was expensive. As for the landscaper referred by the roofer - he was supposed to get back to me, but never did get back despite followups.

I can't begin to say how much well meaning advice i've received over the decades. But just because many people have smooth sailing throughout their lives - don't assume that's the way it is for everyone.