What are some tips for cleaning fireplace glass?

Wood Stove Glass Needs Frequent Cleaning

     If you have wood stove glass on your stove at home, then you probably already know that it looks gorgeous when the glass is clean. You’ve also probably learned that it looks pretty bad when the glass gets coated with soot. Unfortunately, this can happen fast. Owners of wood stoves with glass doors report having to use wood stove glass cleaner once a week at minimum to make it possible to see the fire inside their woodstove. If you burn softwood or set the draft too tight, you can easily smoke up the glass within hours after you clean it, which can be frustrating, to say the least.

Here are some tips for cleaning wood stove glass the best way.

     *Practice good burning techniques to minimize soot buildup on your wood stove glass. Avoid burning softwoods like pine and birch, because they not only put soot on the glass, but they build up creosote in your chimney, which increases the risk of a chimney fire. Poplar seems safer as long as it’s properly seasoned and burned hot. Avoid burning wet or freshly cut firewood of any type for the same reason. Give your fire plenty of air when you first add a log to the firebox. Let it burn at full draft until the fresh log is on fire and burning by itself. Only then should you choke down the draft to slow the fire down.

     *Try using wet ashes to scrub your glass wood stove doors. Woodstove owners report that this works like a charm. They’re cheap and there’s no lack of supply. Use a dampened newspaper as a scrubber so you can just throw it away afterward.

     *A glass cleaner with a silicone additive will help you go longer between cleaning your wood stove glass doors. Users also report that it makes cleanup faster and easier.

     *Although some users report good results with ammonia-based window cleaners, others report that it leaves a rainbow sheen on the glass that’s difficult if not impossible to remove. If you try this technique, test the cleaner in a non-conspicuous area of your woodstove glass before you do the whole thing.

     *Other stove owners have had good results scraping the wood stove glass gently with a single edge razor blade. This can indeed leave scratches on the glass, so proceed with caution.

     *The safest cleaning medium for wood stove glass is the one recommended by the manufacturer: good old dish soap and water with white vinegar added.

     *Jotul wood stoves have a built-in airflow glass cleaner that minimizes the need for cleaning. If you don’t mind paying for a top-of-the-line stove, this is probably the best solution to the problem. A wood stove with a glass viewing window is a beautiful as well as a functional addition to a room. Burning wood, however, creates a build-up of black soot on the inside of the glass, which must be cleaned to keep your stove looking nice. Although it might seem that this soot would be "baked on" and difficult to remove, it comes off easily with no scrubbing needed. You should never use harsh abrasives, as this will scratch the glass and create grooves that will make future cleaning difficult. Keep the glass in your wood stove clean.

     Step 1 Pour about 1/2 cup of ammonia into a shallow container. Do not dilute.

     Step 2 Dip a sheet of balled-up newspaper into the ammonia. Wipe the wet newspaper lightly across the glass to take off the bulk of the soot.

     Step 3 After the heavy soot is removed, dip a clean sheet of newspaper into the ammonia and rub it lightly across the glass to remove the remainder of the soot.

     Step 4 When all black soot is removed, spray window cleaner onto the glass and rub with a paper towel to remove any streaks.