How to Clean Dirty Woodstove Glass (and Keep it Clean)

Autumn is now officially in full swing, and it’s time to start preparing your woodstove for regular use. If you left your woodstove glass dirty from the last burning season, you’ll want to clean the glass so you can enjoy beautiful fires throughout the season.

Cleaning Wood Stove Glass

Cleaning dirty woodstove glass is actually easier than you might think, and should require no chemicals or abrasive scrubs. All you’ll need is a damp cloth or newspaper, the ash leftover from your last wood burn, a clean, moist towel and lastly, a dry cloth to polish it off.

• Safety first – never attempt to clean hot woodstove glass because you could burn yourself.
• Use a moist cloth or newspaper, and dip it into cold ash leftover from your last wood burn. Use the ashen cloth or newspaper to gently scrub the woodstove glass. This works well because ash contains a natural liming agent – calcium carbonate, which helps aid in removing stains from the ceramic glass. Tip: This is messy. This works best if you can remove the door for this step and clean it outdoors or on a covered surface.
• Use another clean, damp cloth to remove what you’ve loosened.
• Polish the surface clean with a soft, dry towel. For more difficult stains, repeat the process until clean.

(If your woodstove glass is old and you’re looking to replace the glass altogether, One Day Glass can help!)

Tips to Help Keep Your Woodstove Glass Cleaner, Longer

• Choose harder woods over softer woods, such as maple or oak. The harder woods produce less smoke and burn longer.
• Use only well-seasoned, dry wood. Never use damp wood.
• Only open the woodstove glass door when adding wood and keep it closed as much as possible.
• Regularly clear out the ashes your burns produce to keep optimal air flowing through your woodstove.