How to clean stove glass?

CJhaughey wrote: »

Take an old rag rip it in half and dampen it in water.
It doesn't have to be dripping just damp, dip it in the ash tray and use it to wipe the creosote off the glass, you need a good coating of ash to perform the cleaning properly.
Use the other half of the rag to polish it dry.
I don't burn coal so I can't say what that ash does for cleaning but wood ash has a lot of silica in it which is a great cleaner for the creosote.
What moisture content is the wood? has it been cut and split long?
You really want to be burning dry timber in a stove to avoid excessive buildup in the flue.
I would aim for 15-20%MC as a good figure.

+ 1
You just need to take your time with it and it will come off.

emg74 wrote: »

Totally agree with this

Use the LIDL Cream Cleaner on a damp "knitted" cloth - Rub all over the glass. Rinse out the cloth and clean glass again. Dry off with a kitchen towel.

The glass has never been cleaner... Shame it took me almost 10yrs to find this out.

I do it every day before I light the fire - takes no length and I love looking at the fire through the clean glass:)

If you do this for a prolonged period of time, the glass seal will disintergrate.

Can be expensive to replace.

Brown Vinegar LIFTED the dirt for me. I couldn't believe how quick it came off, smelly but quick an and easy!

Hob Cleaner is is my new found friend when it comes to cleaning the stove glass!!

+1 for baby wipes. Hope they are not causing harm to the glass and rope!. Infact I find baby wipes are great for cleaning most things around the house. It gets all the grease and grime off things and then just give what ever you are cleaning a wipe with a clean cloth afterwards and its clean.

I have a Nestor Martin kerosine stove for the past few years and no bother, always kept it a 1 as it got too warm otherwise.

Lately the glass get black after a while and when it goes cold i remove cinders from the bowl, i don't know whats wrong, i haven't cleaned the chimney flue since i put it in and was wondering if i should brush it , is this is the cause. Please Help.

CJhaughey wrote: »

Take an old rag rip it in half and dampen it in water.
It doesn't have to be dripping just damp, dip it in the ash tray and use it to wipe the creosote off the glass, you need a good coating of ash to perform the cleaning properly.
Use the other half of the rag to polish it dry.
I don't burn coal so I can't say what that ash does for cleaning but wood ash has a lot of silica in it which is a great cleaner for the creosote.
What moisture content is the wood? has it been cut and split long?
You really want to be burning dry timber in a stove to avoid excessive buildup in the flue.
I would aim for 15-20%MC as a good figure.

This works and i find is the best way to clean it. Was going to post it but said id have a bit of a read first.

I would be inclined to tell you all to change your stove to a double glazed stove that does exactly what it says on the tin, and give you the "clearview" you are aspiring to have, but that would be in the ideal world ;-)

The problem you are all facing here is that the single glazed stove manufacturers claim to have an AIRWASH system designed to "help" to keep the glass clean, and as you are finding this technology is very much a hit and miss. As the cooling effect of your room acts on the outer of the glass, any moisture left in the fuel will condense on the inner side of the glass, which causes the tars and creosote to build up. The airwash system will help to burn this off, but only when you are blazing the back side off the stove, which means when you run the stove slow, as it is designed to do, the glass blackens again quickly. We have three Clearviews burning at our showroom and they never need anything more than dusting, in over 3 years.

As a registered chimney technician and instructor for almost 23 years here in the North, I have been repeatedly asked how to keep glass clean on other stove brands. The simple answer is to make sure the fuel you use is VERY dry, and it also helps to load the fresh fuel to the back of the fire, away from the door glass. Stove gloves help with this, by physically puling the burning fuel to the front of the firebox, to allow fuel to be loaded to the back. Make sure if you are putting logs on the stove that the core of the wood is facing the two side tiles. If there is moisture coming out of the core of wood, then if this is coming out towards the glass you have no chance of keeping it clean. This is the reason manufacturers normally tell you what log length the appliance takes. Also try blazing the stove for a minute before introducing fresh fuel to heat the glass, and then continue to run the stove high for about two minutes after loading the fire with fresh fuel which will help evaporate dampness out and drive it up the chimney, so it doesn't get a chance to condense on the window.

Wood ash is the only type of ash you can use successfully without damaging the surface of the window. If you are using scouring pads, or chemicals with abrasive properties, or coal ash, you will destroy the surface of the glass, which will make it porous and you will be heart broken with it. When you burn wood, you are left with a product called potash, which gets its name from the high levels of potassium in it. When this is activated with water you get Potassium Hydroxide which is an alkaline cleaning agent, ironically the same product that many commercial glass cleaner has in it. The ash is almost like a talcum powder which is not as abrasive. Anything that attacks the surface of the glass is your enemy, such as glass or chemical cleaners. Just a little common sense on how to fuel the fire, what you are burning and how you care for the stove will prove to be beneficial. Wood ash can also be used for many other cleaning jobs such as bathrooms, sinks, taps, floors, getting sticky residue off…try it from now on before reaching for chemicals and you will be staggered. People used to use it for making soap and cleaning their teeth. It is also brilliant for pulling oil drips out of tarmac drives.

Our showroom DOES NOT sell glass cleaner. Clients would be advised properly on how to deal with the problem if they have Stovax, Charnwood, Jotul, Stanley, Mulberry, Morso, Horseflame, Olymbrol to name but a few when people have become disillusioned with all this AIRWASH story. Often when they see how a beautifully a Clearview stove burns, which is all we sell, they elect to choose one when it comes time to replace their appliance.

Who said you can't learn something every day. Our website www.cdsf.co.uk has lots of information on stoves and flue systems etc.

Have a good one.

Doctor DooM wrote: »

Once again I would recommend you give astonish cream a shot, it tends to be rather good in situations like this. Did you already give it a shot?

I have a stove the glass blackens on one side the opening side what would cause this