How to clean wood-burning stove glass and inserts of soot

Always clean the glass of a stove only after the stove has cooled down completely. Dampen a cloth or crumpled paper, dip it in cold, fine ash and rub the sooty glass. Then finish with dry paper or a dry cloth. The stove manufacturer Romotop in its cleaning and maintenance instructions does not recommend chemical cleaners for its products. For other stoves, follow the manual from their manufacturer.

Why stove glass gets sooty

Soot on the glass usually reveals how the stove is being used. In its answer to the question of why the glass in the firebox door gets sooty, Romotop gives the causes as unsuitable fuel, incorrectly set combustion, insufficient or temporarily poor chimney draught and leaking firebox doors.

Damp wood is a common reason. According to Romotop's instructions for operating stoves, firewood should have a moisture content below 20%. The same limit is given by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its guidelines for burning wood. Damp wood burns worse and produces more smoke.

The way you add fuel can also help reduce soot build-up:

• add only one layer of fuel and spread it evenly,
• place the logs as far from the glass as possible,
• ensure sufficient combustion air as set out in the stove's manual,
• burn only dry wood, not waste, chipboard, plastics or painted wood.

If the glass gets dirty while the stove is burning, Romotop recommends increasing the intensity of the fire by opening the air regulator. This usually cleans the glass by itself. If the glass quickly gets sooty again even though you burn dry wood, have the door seals and the chimney draught checked.

What to prepare

• gloves (ash dries out your hands and soot is hard to wash off),
• old newspapers or paper towels,
• a cotton cloth and a bowl of water,
• a small shovel and a brush for the ash,
• a metal ash container with a lid,
• a vacuum cleaner designed for ash, with a filter, if you have one,
• a soft dry cloth for the outer surface of the stove,
• an old blanket or sheet of plastic under the door so that the floor does not get dirty.

Cleaning the glass with ash step by step

The principle is the same as for a window: first loosen the coarse dirt, then finish off dry. The difference is that fine ash does the work here instead of detergent. Romotop warns that the ash must not contain small stones or other impurities, as they could scratch the glass.

1. Let the stove cool down completely. Romotop states that all maintenance must be carried out only when the stove is completely cold. Touch the door and the glass; they must be cold.
2. Spread a blanket or newspapers under the door and open it.
3. Dampen a cloth or a crumpled piece of newspaper. It should be damp, not wet, so that water does not run down to the seal.
4. Dip it lightly into fine, cold ash from the firebox.
5. Wipe the inside of the glass in circular movements. Do not press hard; the ash does the work itself.
6. Wipe off the grey film with dry paper or a clean dry cloth.
7. If any stains remain, repeat the process. Be careful at the edges of the glass so that you do not soak the seal.
8. Wipe the outer side of the glass, which tends to have fingerprints, with a damp and then a dry cloth.

You can find advice on streaks on ordinary windows in the article how to wash windows without streaks. However, do not use window cleaning products on stove glass unless the manufacturer of your stove expressly allows them.

What not to clean the glass with

Romotop does not recommend chemical cleaners for its products. According to its instructions, they can permanently damage the seals, the surface finish of the glass and other parts of the stove, and the manufacturer is not liable for such damage. Other manufacturers may have different instructions, so read the manual for your particular stove.

If the manual does allow a cleaner for fireplace glass, follow these rules:

• read the label and keep to the recommended dosage,
• clean only cold glass, ventilate the room and work in gloves,
• spray the cleaner onto the cloth, not directly onto the glass, so that it does not run onto the seal and paint,
• try it first on a small spot near the edge,
• never mix products containing chlorine with acids or with ammonia.

Why the last point is so important is explained in the article which cleaning products you should never mix. Do not use sharp scrapers, wire wool or abrasive powders on the glass unless the manual expressly permits them.

Ash pan and grate: when and how to remove ash

Romotop gives as a basic rule that only cooled ash should be removed from the grate and firebox. It recommends emptying the ash pan when it is about half full, so that the cone of ash does not grow too close to the grate.

1. Wait until both the stove and the ash have cooled down completely.
2. Sweep the ash from the grate into the ash pan with a shovel; the fine residue can be removed with an ash vacuum cleaner with a filter. Use an ordinary household vacuum cleaner only if its manual allows it.
3. Carefully slide out the ash pan and empty its contents into a metal container with a lid.
4. You can keep a little fine ash for the next time you clean the glass.
5. Take the container outside. The EPA recommends storing ash in a covered metal container and keeping it outdoors on a non-flammable surface.

Do not tip ash into a plastic bin or a paper bag. Even ash that looks cool is better left in the metal container than thrown away.

The inside of the firebox, seals and outer surface

Firebox lining

The firebox is usually lined with fireclay or a similar heat-resistant material. Romotop states that cracked fireclay does not affect the function of the stove as long as pieces do not fall out of it. It should be replaced only when it is missing or completely crumbled. The joints between the slabs serve as expansion gaps and must not be filled with anything. So do not scrub or wash the lining; it is enough to sweep loose ash off it.

Door seal

When cleaning, look at the seal around the door and the glass. Romotop recommends replacing it according to its condition, ideally every second season. A frayed or flattened seal can be one of the reasons why the glass gets sooty quickly.

Painted surface of the stove

The outer plates usually have a heat-resistant paint. According to Romotop, this surface finish does not protect against corrosion, so it should be protected from water, solvents and abrasives. Wipe the stove only with a soft dry cloth. Damaged paint is repaired with an original spray from the retailer, not with ordinary paint.

What to leave to the chimney sweep and the service technician

Cleaning around the stove is not the same as maintaining the flue system. This is governed by Decree No. 34/2016 Coll., on cleaning, inspection and examination of the flue system. According to its annex, for a solid-fuel appliance of up to 50 kW in seasonal use, the flue system is cleaned twice a year and inspected once a year; in year-round use it is cleaned three times a year. Chimney burn-out may be carried out only by an authorised person.

Also call a chimney sweep or a stove service technician if:

• the stove smokes into the room or draws poorly,
• the glass gets sooty quickly even though you burn dry wood,
• the door glass is cracked or the door leaks,
• pieces of the firebox lining fall out.

This summary is not legal advice. Check the obligations for your house or flat with a chimney sweep or in the text of the decree.

Cleaning around the stove during the heating season

Fine ash and wood dust settle around the stove. Vacuum and wipe the floor in front of the door more often than in the rest of the flat; shelves and window sills nearby only need wiping with a damp cloth. Store firewood at the safe distance from the stove given in its manual.

If you are planning a bigger clean before the holidays, add glass cleaning and ash removal to your pre-Christmas cleaning plan. If you would like help with cleaning your flat, Úklid 1-2-3 offers deep cleaning, and you can find an indicative scope on the page how much deep cleaning costs. Leave the maintenance of the stove itself and the chimney to the chimney sweep and the service technician.