Cleaning glass inside wood-burning stoves - how?

[zebedee]

The glass is so sooty that I can't see through it and keep thinking the fire has gone out! Anyone know of any products/methods that are effective in getting the soot and grime off quickly without damaging the glass?

[pug406]

You could try a caustic soda mix. That normally shifts anything. Try on a corner before you start tho. What about an oven cleaner, it cleans the doors on my oven.

[nick_f]

zebedee said:

The glass is so sooty that I can't see through it and keep thinking the fire has gone out! Anyone know of any products/methods that are effective in getting the soot and grime off quickly without damaging the glass?

After years of experimenting with all kind of noxious chemicals I have settled on a combination of wire wool and elbow grease - the more often you do it the easier it is.

[zebedee]

cheers - where do you get wire wool from?

Would rather not use caustic soda in case I end up dissolving my living room!

[tubbystu]

zebedee said:

cheers - where do you get wire wool from?

Any hardware or decorators store or even Halfrauds. You can now get synthetic wire wool from decorators suppliers - which works well too.

You will need an agent of some sort to start the breakdown of the grime otherwise it will take forever and not be easy - a hard surface/glass cleaner should do if you don't want to go for the nastier chemicals

[tuscan_thunder]

try turps or WD40 and wire wool. make sure you wipe it off well though!

[aprisa]

Jotul do a special glass cleaner for wood stoves, I also use oven cleaner or vinegar.

HTH
Nick

[YarisSi]

You lot are soft its meant to be dirty. If you want it clean you just get it really going and it takes some of it off.
Also helps if you seasoned wood.

[zebedee]

its good to see the flames though to be fair.

Can't be bothered with seasoned wood - get it from the garden, chop it, stick it in shed to dry for a bit, put it next to the stove where it is stored and dries and then shove it in.

wire wool and WD40 it is - it will smell nice if nothing else (and should be fun lighting it next time!

[Incorrigible]

Won't wire wool scratch the glass

Personally I've always used newspaper and either WD40 or vinegar if there are any oily deposits

[bertie]

Use a bit of the ash on a wet cloth, works wonders and is free!

[manek]

Cream cleanser works fine on mine.

[cmsapms]

aprisa said:

Jotul do a special glass cleaner for wood stoves,

NO! Don't do it!

It ate my glass! I only left it on about half a minute and ended up with pitted vaguely opaque glass.

Paul

[nel]

I just buy a pump spray bottle of special cleaner for glass inserts in chimneys. Spray it on, leave it a couple of minutes, wipe it off with kitchen roll, give it a final wipe with a damp sponge - takes all of 5 minutes. Have had no problem with glass pitting.

Oh yeah, also wipe the floor underneath where the cleaning operation takes place to avoid melting children or cats' paws. By golly this is a riveting thread .

[crankedup]

Wood ash on a wet cloth, as Berti suggests, is the best cleaner of the lot.

If you are burning wet wood, that is wood which has not air dried for at least 1 year you are stoking up trouble ahead. Your chimney will tar up in no time and this tar could seep through the walls of your home staining is fearsome

[minghis]

YarisSi said:

You lot are soft its meant to be dirty. If you want it clean you just get it really going and it takes some of it off. Also helps if you seasoned wood.

Seconded - get a good hot fire going and it'll burn off. It even suggests this in the instructions with the stove I had, if I recall correctly..

[zebedee]

crankedup said:

Wood ash on a wet cloth, as Berti suggests, is the best cleaner of the lot. If you are burning wet wood, that is wood which has not air dried for at least 1 year you are stoking up trouble ahead. Your chimney will tar up in no time and this tar could seep through the walls of your home staining is fearsome

I can't dry my wood for at least a year! Surely if the flue is in good nick and given it is a substantial stone built house, as long as I get the chimney swept it will be ok won't it?

[zebedee]

minghis said:

YarisSi said: You lot are soft its meant to be dirty. If you want it clean you just get it really going and it takes some of it off. Also helps if you seasoned wood. Seconded - get a good hot fire going and it'll burn off. It even suggests this in the instructions with the stove I had, if I recall correctly..

It is a big stove and to be honest I have had it like a furnace in there but it is nearly as black as the doors now - am now a bit worried that it is tarring up rather than soot given some of the posts on here...

[caro]

The type of wood you burn affects the degree of tarring. If you burn softwood like cypress or pine you will get serious tarring, burning harder woods is much better for your chimney.

The chimney sweep should assess the condition of the chimney each year when it is swept and warn you if it is tarring up (this happened to us, we swapped woods and it is better, but the glass still smokes up gradually).

To clean the glass I wipe it with kitchen paper, damp if it's very dirty, or if really bad use a bit of cream cleanser too. Not sure if I could use the ash as I use a bit of coal too.

[wedge girl]

Baby wipes, I know it sounds silly, but I think its the baby oil in them that lifts the dirt, and the cloth is better than paper towels as it doesn't disintergrate.