Wood burning stoves can be a beautiful addition to your home, adding a cozy aesthetic, especially when we’re getting closer to those cold winter nights.
However, we need to make sure we take the time to give our stoves a proper clean. If you’ve never cleaned a wood burning stove before, it may be difficult to know where to start. This guide will give you an overview on cleaning a wood burning stove so you can clean it without causing any damage.
Table of Contents
Why is it Important to Clean your Wood Burning Stove?
- Reduces fire risk
- Improves efficiency
- Reduces the amount of chimney repairs you’ll need
How to Clean a Wood Burning Stove?
How you clean a wood burning stove will depend on what part of the stove you’re cleaning.
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to clean each part of your wood burning stove. Before you start cleaning, you should always look at your product manual because you may not be able to use certain products on your stove.
How to Clean the Exterior of your Stove
You should clean the exterior of your wood burning stove when there are any spills, dirt or dust and if it starts looking tired and worn. To clean it, use some paper towels and polish or stove paste.
- Ensure the wood stove is cold, then clean it with warm water and detergent
- Once this has dried, apply a thin layer of stove paste and rub it with a paper towel or a dry cloth
- Apply some pressure when you clean to avoid wasting products
- Rub off any excess
- Light a fire in your wood-burning stove as the heat hardens the polish. Open your windows and let some air in while you do this because the polish will smell as it heats up
How to Clean the Interior of your Stove
There are times when a wood burning stove accumulates a significant amount of ash build-up and this will need to be removed. You should clean the interior of a wood stove when this ash starts to build up. This can be done using a metal scoop plus a metal bucket or metal container.
- Wait until the stove has cooled down, and use a metal scoop to scoop out the ashes and put them into the container
- There may be heat in charcoal or coals. Leave the ash in your container for at least 24 hours and leave it in a safe place outside (where there is no risk of starting a fire)
- Dispose of the ash pile safely in your garden (if there is no danger of spreading fire). Please remember, embers can reignite in windy conditions
How to Clean the Glass Door of your Stove
Clean the glass door when it starts to blacken or darken in a significant way. Some discoloration can be expected but eventually you’ll need to clean the staining. The best way to clean this is by using a small piece of completely cold charcoal, wetting it slightly with water, and rubbing it over the blackened glass on the inside of your wood stove door. You don’t need to use multiple chemical cleaners.
- Collect a small piece of cold charcoal
- Dampen the charcoal with water
- Rub it over the blackened glass inside of your wood-burning stove’s door
- Give it a final rub-over with a paper towel
An additional option is to use ash to clean the inside class.
- Dip a scrunched-up piece of newspaper or a paper towel into the water
- Dip it in your ashes
- Use the ash to clean the glass
Once done, it should be nice and clean, so you can see through the glass once more.
How to Clean the Flue of your Stove
Not cleaning your flue or chimney can cause a build-up of creosote which is a fire risk, so it is extremely important to make sure it’s being cleaned regularly. To check whether it needs cleaning, tap the flue and listen. If you hear debris falling down, you need to clean it urgently before lighting another fire.
Creosote is flammable, and if it catches fire it burns hot. This needs to be removed from your chimney and your wood burning stove:
- Clean out the ash from the firebox.
- Place newspaper on the ground in front of the door to catch the creosote.
- Push the upper plate up inside your wood stove. This releases the pressure on the fire bricks at the side.
- Carefully remove the top fire bricks on each side, which allows the top plate to drop. As it drops, support it with your hand.
- You may need to remove additional fire bricks from the side.
- Remove all the debris.
- Push your upper plate back into position.
- Return the side fire bricks to their correct position.
We understand that it can be difficult to clean your flue/chimney if you have no experience doing so. If you’re unsure or not confident doing it yourself, we recommend hiring a professional to do this to ensure it gets cleaned properly. A poorly cleaned flue/chimney can cause many problems, including fires.
Many people make the mistake of disposing of their creosote badly. Please never feed it to animals and do not put it anywhere where it could catch on fire. Creosote is highly acidic and flammable. To dispose of this safely, you can wrap it up in old newspaper, seal it tightly in a plastic bag, and put it in your garbage waste.
We understand that cleaning a wood burning stove is a task that you may want to put off. After all, it can get messy. However, it is extremely important to make sure you clean it regularly. Develop a regular cleaning pattern, such as bi-weekly or once a month for checkups and seasonal for in-depth cleaning. If you use the stove often, naturally your cleaning schedule should match the use.
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We hope this helps you with the cleaning and maintenance of your stove, and for everything else home heating stick with CosyWarmer.com