wood stove glass – Pure Sugar

Remember how I just was asking about a January thaw? Well, the last two days were it! Sure, it was wet and foggy, but temperatures were mild for this time of year and I even had a chance to air out the house a little. Since we weren’t using our wood stove, I decided to take advantage of the burn break and give it a good cleaning.

After cleaning out all the ash and soot, it looked better, but I had to do something about that glass. Ugh, what a mess!

Soot really sticks to the glass and it can be a real PITA to clean… if you don’t know the secret. That’s right. There is a simple, easy way to accomplish this task. And best of all, you already have everything you need. And it is environmentally-friendly. No harsh cleaners, no ammonia, nothing of the sort.

Please note: ONLY DO THIS WITH A COLD WOOD STOVE OR FIREPLACE!!! Do not try to do this if you still have smoldering ash. Give your stove a good 24 hours to cool down after burning, and even then check to make sure there are no more embers. You do not want to burn yourself.

Here’s what you need:

Newspaper
Water
(and the secret ingredient)… ash from your stove or fireplace

Simply wad up a sheet of newspaper and dip in a bowl of warmish water.

Then, reach into your (COLD, please!!!) stove and get a little ash on there. I know, I know… What? How on earth is spreading dirty soot on the surface of my already dirty glass going to help matters? Well, the ash is an abrasive, sort of like pumice, and really helps scrub away the residue from burning wood.

Depending upon how dirty your glass is, you’ll more than likely need to use a little elbow grease. This is just a secret… it ain’t magic, my friends. You still have to do a little work. But you should see results almost immediately.

Change sheets of newspaper and repeat the process until you achieve your desired cleanliness. Then, get yourself a spray bottle filled with water and some paper towels to rinse off the wet soot and shine it all up.