Keeping Glass clean

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Don't think you were too lazy.i think you were worn out from playing with the elephant lol
20210104_191106.jpg
We are playing bitey face as we speak! Perfectly good chew toy on the floor but here we are !!! . Funny thing is he has the softest mouth.
 
The Rutland stove glass cleaner works well. The best thing seems to be the damp paper towel dipped in ash. This gets the glass sparkling clean and it seems to stay that way longer. When I first tried this, I was amazed. It also works to clean the glass cooktop on our electric stove in the kitchen. I was reading an article about 40 different uses for wood ash.v If your interested, Google it. It's very interesting.
Thanks, I'll definately try it.
 
I'm new to using a woodburning stove, but the previous owner left some glass cleaner that I used a few times before reading I could just use ash+wet paper towel. Thats so much easier, and I don't have to wear gloves and stuff like the bottle of cleaner says I should.

I've gotta leave the air open more at the end of the night, I had been closing it down pretty low and that was probably resulting in things getting dirtier quicker than they should.
 
My F500 in my last house would get black overnight with oak sometimes. I would run it real hot for about 30 mins in the morning and that would burn off most of the gunk on the glass. Then next time it was cold I would just use wet paper towels and ash. Always worked like a charm. Never used a chemical or cleaner on it the entire time I owned the house, and never had a problem.

Old sailors would use ash paste to shine brass bells and wheels on ships. If it’ll remove corrosion and still leave a mirror finish, it’ll be fine on your glass. You can even use it to remove swirl marks from your cars paint, just make sure to sift it well first.
 
If that is a Napoleon just get a hot fire especially at the coal stage and it will pretty well clean itself. Mostly on my Lopi but occasionally on the Napoleon I will leave the door open for a while before reload to cool down then just use a damp paper towel.
 
If that is a Napoleon just get a hot fire especially at the coal stage and it will pretty well clean itself. Mostly on my Lopi but occasionally on the Napoleon I will leave the door open for a while before reload to cool down then just use a damp paper towel.
Great to know, thanks.
 
I'm new to using a woodburning stove, but the previous owner left some glass cleaner that I used a few times before reading I could just use ash+wet paper towel. Thats so much easier, and I don't have to wear gloves and stuff like the bottle of cleaner says I should.

I've gotta leave the air open more at the end of the night, I had been closing it down pretty low and that was probably resulting in things getting dirtier quicker than they should.
I think that was my problem too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: slersner
Mine has only ever been cleaned with Rutland's. It is supposed to leave a silicone coating on the glass that makes it easier to clean the next time. Seems to be true. Also, a fire close to the glass will sometimes clean mine off.
 
Light fly ash: Wet paper towel

Brown or black gunk: Wet paper towel dipped in the fly ash or Option B: nice, hot fire to burn it off

Haze: I think it was either lemon juice or vinegar that I used to remove a haze that had been annoying me for a year or so
 
I had to spend a few hours scraping the haze off my NC-30 shop stove with a razor blade scraper after neglecting it for too long. I tried everything else first. Got about 80% of it off.
I'm with you here, nothing else works for me, either.
Neither the Rutland stuff nor the paper towel with ashes.

Thinking of it, most of the black residue on the glass will be crystallized carbon (with maybe a hydrogen atom thrown in the mix). At least I get lots of shiny creosote crystals when I do that. And as a chemist I can tell you that dissolving pure carbon is close to impossible.

But the razor blade glass scraper works quite well. I don't need it to be spotless, just clean enough so I can see what's going on inside and if I have to reload...
 
Easy Off oven cleaner will work as well a Naval Jelly but wear rubba gloves.
 
I’ll second everyone’s advice here; I’d say my number one tip so far is good seasoned wood, don’t under estimate this, my wood was “seasoned” last year, it was 20% or less, each stove is different and many have spoken to this “my stove works better at 16% vs 19%” etc. I haven’t touched my glass this year once. Bake off in morning good to go. Paper towel or newspaper and ash are my next go to, works like a charm. Next ceramic stove top cleaner, but like I said I haven’t had to use cleaner once this year.
 
I just tried the Glass Stovetop cleaner and it dont take any more off than the Woodstove cleaner paste from Rutland. Looks to be about the same kind of mixture. I also added some wood ashes to it but no effect. The white haze around the edges is really baked in and isnt getting any worse though since iv been cleaning it every couple days. The takeaway is ,dont wait too long or its not coming off. Stovetop got up to 750 yesterday but even that didnt burn it off.
 
Every 2 days I'm cleaning it with vinegar and sometimes a glass scraper. I don't want to get behind on it. My wood is seasoned cherry so far. There has to be a better way.
 
I have not found one. It does not seem to happen (or it will even go away) if you burn a load at a high setting, but that will (depending on outside temperatures) bake you out of your house.
As I usually burn rather low (swoosh at 2-3 o'clock on the BK), the glass does get deposit over time (a week, maybe?) and the glass scraper it is.
 
I break out the rutland blue cream at the lightest hint of the white haze on the glass. Iv learned the hard way you cant let it go too long.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodfire2019
I have not found one. It does not seem to happen (or it will even go away) if you burn a load at a high setting, but that will (depending on outside temperatures) bake you out of your house.
As I usually burn rather low (swoosh at 2-3 o'clock on the BK), the glass does get deposit over time (a week, maybe?) and the glass scraper it is.
Using a glass scraper doesn't harm the type of glass that's used, does it? I've heard it's a ceramic glass, whether it's solid or just a coating I don't know. Ceramic is harder than a steel glass scraper blade I'm pretty sure. Every day I'm getting brown around a large area of the bottom corners .
 
I have not damaged the glass with a scraper YET, but i do believe its possible. I am very careful with it. I now use the Rutland cleaner frequently so as not to have to resort to the scraper. Only use a scraper when all else fails. Some of the haze is baked into the glass on my 30 so hard that even the scraper wont get it off.
 
I have not damaged the glass with a scraper YET, but i do believe its possible. I am very careful with it. I now use the Rutland cleaner frequently so as not to have to resort to the scraper. Only use a scraper when all else fails. Some of the haze is baked into the glass on my 30 so hard that even the scraper wont get it off.
I'm going to get some of that Rutland cleaner. Whatever fire I have going I never choke off the air too much, I keep it small but hot. It seems so far to help a bit. I have enough to do without adding cleaning the glass everyday.
 
I’ll second everyone’s advice here; I’d say my number one tip so far is good seasoned wood, don’t under estimate this, my wood was “seasoned” last year, it was 20% or less, each stove is different and many have spoken to this “my stove works better at 16% vs 19%” etc. I haven’t touched my glass this year once. Bake off in morning good to go. Paper towel or newspaper and ash are my next go to, works like a charm. Next ceramic stove top cleaner, but like I said I haven’t had to use cleaner once this year.
I think you have a good point there. My wood is seasoned but maybe I have to try to get even drier wood.
 
Jakee, you said you have burned only cherry. I like cherry firewood, it is a fine firewood. But, I do find that it is sooty. I have no problem with the glass on my furnace if I burn it hot. But if I try to damper it down, it will get the glass sooty. More than most woods that I burn. I think that is a bit inevitable with cherry.