OK, here it is.
Use 10 heaping “table spoons” of your fresh stove wood ash into a plastic bowl of some kind that has a snap on lid.
Then add some type of hand soap, brand does not matter, add and stir with large spoon until it becomes like a paste or similar to tooth paste.
Then get an old tooth brush or some type of “stiff bristle” brush. (the bigger the brush area the quicker it works)
Keep this mixture in a place where you can easily get to it and just simply do this,
Open stove door.
Put a couple paper towels down on floor under door just in case the paste drops off your tooth brush. No big deal if it does since it’s just soap and ashes.
Dip brush into paste and then apply to stove glass in tight circular motions (gently press, not much pressure needed), cleaning an inch or two with each dip into paste.
Continue dipping and brushing, using a back and forth motion on top, bottom, and sides of glass. The trick is to let the bristles do the work, using the ash content to break through the hardened film on glass.
When you get it clean, wipe off excess soap and ash with paper towels.
You will be surprised how simple and quick this method is.
Most of the time, if you have hot fires, it will clean 90% off the stain off the glass any way. Usually I just have to clean the edges of my glass. Keep the lid closed on your mix and it will keep good until you run out, you may need to add a couple drops of water and mix it up with brush occasionally just to keep it workable.
This mixture works like magic, once you get the right mixture of soap and ash, it’s a breeze. You don’t want it too wet or it drips off brush onto floor (paper towels). You don’t want it too dry or it just rolls off glass in little balls of ash. You want it to be a paste, and make sure you have plenty of ash, this is what cleans.
I never use water on my glass after I’m done, just wipe glass clean with paper towels.
When you get your ash for your mix, get fine ash and try not to get small chunks of coals.
This mix really does clean well and much faster than any other method I tried.
We are talking brilliant clean glass, with very little effort, I used this method all last winter and it worked great.
Robbie