Cleaning glass and how to keep clean
- Thread starter Welderman85
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Qvist
Burning Hunk
I clean it off with a wet paper towel and ashes. I also try to burn hot fires as it reduces or eliminates cresote buildup on the glass.
Ctwoodtick
Minister of Fire
Burning dry wood will help greatly. When needed, a good glass cleaner for stoves is made by Rutland.
For heavy deposits use a razor blade. Light deposits use wet towel and ashes.
I've found that it really doesn't matter what type of windex type cleaner you use. If you don't get the gasket wet use what works. I use the blue shop towels, they hold up better. Clean it in waves, leaving the toughest for last. If necessary use a razor blade, never had to do that on my morso, but did on the cheaper stoves.
Bad LP
Minister of Fire
Mech e
Feeling the Heat
I rarely have to clean the glass. I am on about a 7 to 8 hour reload cycle, never letting the wood smolder. Let the stove burn hot on secondaries once its up to temp and let it reduce to coals. As long as your wood is dry, your glass should stay pretty clean.
mpaul
Burning Hunk
Sawset
Minister of Fire
Water and a wet wash cloth. Throw the cloth in the wash or it will disintegrate - lye is made from water and ash. When I empty the ash, the glass gets wiped down. This year looks to be 6wks between so far. If the glass gets blackened over, the next hot fire burns it back off again. It does get a gray coating over time. Seems to be vapor and condensation that forms on cool glass combined with wood popping, with the airborne ash coming up and sticking to it. Easy to wipe off.
Jazzberry
Minister of Fire
Fly ash . . . just a damp paper towel.
A bit of the black . . . damp paper towel dipped in a bit of powdery ash.
Vinegar or lemon juice can also be used for cleaning purposes.
A bit of the black . . . damp paper towel dipped in a bit of powdery ash.
Vinegar or lemon juice can also be used for cleaning purposes.
Its amazing what a hot fire will do to clean up some smudges in the glass. I clean with a wet paper towel every so often, but the adages about a hot fire and seasoned wood can't be beat. I'm sure there is a direct relationship between the cleanliness of the glass and burning experience.
Woody5506
Minister of Fire
This article from MF FIRE has some of the best advice concentrated in one spot. Some causes, solutions, and products you can use to clean your glass, and keep it clean. https://mffire.com/wood-stove-101-how-to-clean-dirty-wood-stove-glass/
Interesting, the article that Woodfire2019 cited says not to use steel wool which I did and later ended up with etched glass.
- DO NOT use razor blades or steel wool: Abrasive cleaners like razor blades, steel wool, or even sand paper will take the soot off of your wood stove glass immediately, but it comes at a cost. These methods of cleaning wood burner glass will leave scratches that cause the glass to more rapidly accumulate soot the next time and can lead to glass failure in wood stoves.
That's what I use, distilled vinegar/distilled water mixed half and half. For tougher creo, spray it on a scouring pad that's safe for ceramic stove tops. No blades here.
I let the haze on my door glass too long on one of my NC-30s and now it wont come off. I normally use ruland spray which works great but if the haze is left too long it wants to stay. Even with the aid of some wood ashes. I ordered some Rutland cream cleaner ,hope this works better. The 30 glass seems to haze up much quicker then any of my others stoves. Its a white haze not creosote.
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
Purpose made stove glass cleaners say they leave a silicone film that keeps glass cleaner longer and makes clean up easier.
Can anyone who has used one of these products comment? Any truth to it?
Can anyone who has used one of these products comment? Any truth to it?
I use 2 of Rutlands products and they usually work well. But i suggest regular cleaning as im finding out glass dirty left too long is hard to clean ,similar to a glass ceramic stovetop.
I ignore it. In fact, I've considered replacing the mineral glass with a metal plate. Just a PITA to keep clean. After all, it's a stove, not a window. 
Try a brand new SOS pad and water. Just gentle circles. Dont dig hard in to the glass. The soap that comes out of the pad will lubricate it. I have used SOS pads on my wife's pyrex pans for 30 years and have not scratched yet. She has a fit when she sees me doing it but has no evidence of damage to convict me.
If you leave it on there too long, the glass will etch. I don't know how long that is, but I try to clean it every two to six weeks...two is probably safer.
Give up my main tool for starting a fresh load, my view of the fire? Uh, no, I don't think I'll be doing that.
Mineral glass is softer than Pyrex so a steel wool pad will probably scratch it. Best cleaner is some ashes and a paper towel actually. I clean mine every time I sweep it out (bio mass stove) bit I could do with a metal plate if I broke it again. I cracked it one time and bought one from the OEM and it wasn't cheap, however, I see you can now buy it aftermarket and it's less expensive. In fact, there are a couple places you can get it custom cut to size now. They do etch after a while no matter what you do. Think it has something to do with combustion heat. The Internet and a search engine is a wonderful thing, most times...
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