glass vs razor blade?

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I've used a razor blade, windex, caustic soda for the last 10 years and my glass never hated me for it. Ceramic glass is pretty hard stuff.. at least as hard or harder than steel. That hardness, while making it more brittle, means that it would be difficult to impossible to scratch it with a softer material like stainless steel (razor blade). I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Trktrd said:
Before firing up last night I decided to clean my glass. A real PITA being it's a side loader. Usually just clean what I can reach easily and call it good. This practice has led to some nasty build-up around the edges and at the far end. Anyway, I grab a rag and start rooting around for some non-ammonia cleaning stuff and notice a bottle of hydrogen peroxide sitting on the table. What the heck, I'll give it a whirl. OMG, I've never seen anything work like this. Took off even the old really black stuff with barely any elbow grease. Don't know if this is bad for the ceramic or not, just thought I'd share my discovery.
Click to expand...

I have had good luck with Easy Off Oven cleaner. I also don't know if this is bad for the ceramic either. Works great, but is messy.
 
Soundchasm said:
My old 70's Nashua accumulates creosote on the window like nobody's business. If the stove hasn't been that hot, it's really tough. If the stove gets up to temperature, then it's much easier to get off. I tried the Rutland and it worked, but was not as aggressive as I might like. And I'd have to do it every other day if I needed "clean".

I finally started using one of those heavy duty painter-tool-scrapers, and after a hot fire, I can get 65% of the window visible in two minutes. Once or twice a year I clean it with the Rutland, and I can't find any scratches. Maybe I don't know what I'm looking for, but I can't see the harm after 4-5 years of scraping it. A buddy of mine speculated that the glass is harder than the scraper.

Honestly, I can see every swirl mark when I wax my car or polish a guitar, but I can't detect making the window any worse than it was when I got it. Plus side is no fumes... ;-)
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___________________________________
I had the same problem with my Nashua, first I replaced the glass with new Robax...that made it easier to clean, then found that a little oven cleaner every morning before I got the fire going made it really easy to remove the soot. But it wasn't until I modified the door to include an airwash (see my post on Nashua Restoration) that I solved the problem. Now my Nashua operates much cleaner and more efficient.
 
I generally use some damp paper towels with a tiny bit of dish soap followed by a damp paper towel with no soap. This does a decent job.
 
Trktrd said:
Before firing up last night I decided to clean my glass. A real PITA being it's a side loader. Usually just clean what I can reach easily and call it good. This practice has led to some nasty build-up around the edges and at the far end. Anyway, I grab a rag and start rooting around for some non-ammonia cleaning stuff and notice a bottle of hydrogen peroxide sitting on the table. What the heck, I'll give it a whirl. OMG, I've never seen anything work like this. Took off even the old really black stuff with barely any elbow grease. Don't know if this is bad for the ceramic or not, just thought I'd share my discovery.
Click to expand...


BRILLIANT DISCOVERY!!!

This so works, everybody! I actually let a bit of mess build up because I wanted to try this. The HP just wiped off the sticky brown buildup like it was nothing. I had a few spots left that I figured I'd have to scrub with Rutland, but it just came right off with the Rutland. You've changed the way I do windows, and I thank you for it.

I went ahead with the Rutland wipedown afterwards because it leaves some kind of film that makes it easier to clean and less prone to buildup, so I won't be tossing the Rutland, but I'll be using a lot less of it from here on out. Thank you for sharing this tip!
 
Trktrd said:
I would stay away from the Windex. I've read here numerous times that anything with ammonia in it is bad for the ceramic .
Click to expand...

No ammonia in Windex, so I mix some in, about 1:4. Ammonia really gets it done quickly.
Light spritz on warm/cold ceramic window, and the "dry deposits" (NOT creosote-like condensate) are quickly gone.
Couple of normal-hot fires and any hard black crud from cold, moist deposits are soft or gone. (Not a problem lately.)
 
eyefish2 said:
Trktrd said:
Before firing up last night I decided to clean my glass. A real PITA being it's a side loader. Usually just clean what I can reach easily and call it good. This practice has led to some nasty build-up around the edges and at the far end. Anyway, I grab a rag and start rooting around for some non-ammonia cleaning stuff and notice a bottle of hydrogen peroxide sitting on the table. What the heck, I'll give it a whirl. OMG, I've never seen anything work like this. Took off even the old really black stuff with barely any elbow grease. Don't know if this is bad for the ceramic or not, just thought I'd share my discovery.
Click to expand...

I have had good luck with Easy Off Oven cleaner. I also don't know if this is bad for the ceramic either. Works great, but is messy.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Another little secret you can try for stubborn areas is to use aluminum foil. Cut a piece or peices big enough to cover the door and wrap around so you can close the door with it on the outside ( shiny side facing in.) Burn the stove hot. The foil reflects the heat back into the stove and bakes the junk off from the glass. Hope this helps.
 
Great tips all around! I tried 2 more hot fires, and some more did burn off, but not all. I havent been to a store to buy the Rutland, but I do have HP in the house! Definitely going to give that a try tonite!!! Thanks again!
 
Oooo. What's up with ammonia and the ceramic glass? I've been using it for a while now to finish after using the Rutland cleaner (which works very well, BTW - I've tried using Ash but after scratching up my glass decided to quit).
 
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