Cleaning the stove glass

[eolian]

You guys probably have some good ways already but I wanted to mention a product my wife tipped me on.
I have a new Buck 81 although I’m not new to wood stoves.
The wife cleaned the fog off of her headlights with a Mr Clean magic eraser pad and said I should give it a try on our stove glass.
I soaked it in plain water and the brown spots that vinegar & newspapers wouldn’t remove came right off.
I haven’t seen this product used in this capacity before and it works.
E

 

[stoveliker]

be careful experimenting like this; deposits might come off, but it could also leave residue that etches the glass when it gets hot, resulting in non-removable whiteness/foggyness.

A newspapaper, wet, dipped in ashes removes deposits on the glass easily and does not introduce risky chemicals.

 

[begreen]

Rutland makes a stove glass cleaner that is safe to use. One bottle will last years.

 

[DickRussell]

Every time I see this question asked, I think the OP shouldn't be asking how to clean the gunk off the glass but instead ought to be running the stove hotter so that the gunk doesn't form on the glass in the first place. If the gunk is coating the glass, what does his chimney look like? When the stove is run at proper temperature, any stuff from before is oxidized to ash and any of that film left on the glass is easily wiped off with a damp piece of paper towel before the next fire is lit.

 

[eolian]

Every time I see this question asked, I think the OP shouldn't be asking how to clean the gunk off the glass but instead ought to be running the stove hotter so that the gunk doesn't form on the glass in the first place. If the gunk is coating the glass, what does his chimney look like? When the stove is run at proper temperature, any stuff from before is oxidized to ash and any of that film left on the glass is easily wiped off with a damp piece of paper towel before the next fire is lit.

There was a piece of burning wood fell over and ended up close to the glass and produced a brown area on the glass. I did indeed have the stove a rocking.

 

[eolian]

Rutland makes a stove glass cleaner that is safe to use. One bottle will last years.

I will probably order some but the Mr Clean magic eraser really does work.
I didn’t have any negative effect from using it.

 

[panderson03]

thanks for the suggestion and sharing your experiences. I find that a damp cloth usually does the trick. If there's a tough patch, i dip the damp cloth in ashes and the area comes clean. @DickRussell while we're sleeping we turn the stove way down so the place stays toasty all night long. the lower temps often leave residue on the stove's glass door. thanks

 

[nrc]

I've found scraping it with a razor scraper to be much faster than any kind of cleaner. It's not perfect but nothing ever is. If I wanted it cleaner I'd start with scraping and go over it with something else.

 

[stoveliker]

@DickRussell while we're sleeping we turn the stove way down so the place stays toasty all night long. the lower temps often leave residue on the stove's glass door. thanks

The point made is indeed a concern; what you see on your window could also be happening in your chimney (with a cat stove this may be different - but I don't think this one is?)

 

[PaulOinMA]

I have both Rutland cream and spray. Both work great. As mentioned, will last years.

Also, fold paper towel and wet one end slightly. Pick up a little ash with the wet end. Ash is slightly abrasive and, I think, basic chemically. Works great. Clean off and dry with dry portion of paper towel. Learned this on here.

 

[Bad LP]

On a COLD stove.
Wet a paper towel.
Dip in ash and work on the glass.
Repeat
Wipe clean.
Use paper towels to light stove.

Hardly any effort at all plus it’s free and works perfectly.

 

[marty319]

On a COLD stove.
Wet a paper towel.
Dip in ash and work on the glass.
Repeat
Wipe clean.
Use paper towels to light stove.

Hardly any effort at all plus it’s free and works perfectly.

Best way with no harsh chemicals.

 

[m159267]

On a COLD stove.
Wet a paper towel.
Dip in ash and work on the glass.
Repeat
Wipe clean.
Use paper towels to light stove.

Hardly any effort at all plus it’s free and works perfectly.

Agreed...
I use a sacrificial wash cloth - simple, easy and no chemicals. I wipe the resulting haze with a clean (sacrificial) wash cloth. The aforementioned wash cloths came from a rag bin - keeps the wife happy...

 

[GM80NY]

People keep saying cold stove, but I find that wet paper towel with ash while the stove is still warm works a lot better than the stove being stone cold. Especially when I don't clean it for a while and I get those damn little black demons in the bottom corners of the glass.

 

[stoveliker]

Warm is indeed sometimes easier, though if the water in the towel evaporates too fast, it's not working well for me. (Moreover, a half hour fire on full blast upon a reload will do the same easily...)

 

[mattie5960]

I use ammonia and a paper towel. Barely gotta use any elbow grease at all.

 

[panderson03]

@stoveliker you could be right, but we run the stove nice and hot during waking hours (we're in MN) so like to think we're keeping the system nice and clean. too our annual chimney cleaning never seems to show an alarming build up of creosote. i can appreciate your concern, though. thanks

 

[Rob_Red]

I’ve never had glass that won’t come clean easily with a wet rag and powdery white ash.