How to clean a glass fireplace or wood stove door

spring-cleaning

The main part of cleaning, the most laborious, consists in washing off the soot from the ceiling and walls. Here you will have to use a large amount of warm water with a rag. The rags and water will have to be changed constantly as they become dirty. It is necessary to carry out the work slowly, thoroughly, so that the wall after washing looks clean, without soot. Water alone is not enough here: you will need special detergents.

DIY washing liquids

Folk remedies are used to clean the sooty walls. They can be found at any housewife. But they use them according to the rules in order to get a positive result from cleaning.

Soda ash solution

Soda ash is poured into hot water. For 0.5 liters, 2 tablespoons of the product are enough. Moisten a rag or brush and move along the walls with swiping movements. You cannot rub soot into the surface, otherwise it will be difficult to wipe it off later.

Dishwashing detergent solution

Soap solutions are prepared from warm water with the addition of dishwashing liquid. In 5-7 liters, you need to dissolve 1 tablespoon of the concentrate. First, they wash the ceilings, then the walls and floor with a rag. But in the end, you should dip the brushes in the solution and rinse clean.

Toilet bowl cleaner solution

It is necessary to choose alkaline compounds, since the soot in the room becomes greasy to the touch and is difficult to deal with. If you use "Domestos", it will not only clean the contaminated surfaces, but also disinfect them, eliminate the unpleasant odor.

We remove dirt with folk remedies

The most unpleasant consequence of fuel combustion is a dense layer on the glass, which is fumes and soot... Due to the fact that the basis of this plaque is creosote, which, like a magnet, attracts soot particles to itself, a simple treatment with wet matter will not help here. We have to resort to the accumulated experience, because we have always faced similar problems.

If the glass has been smoked recently, and the soot layer did not have time to dry out in the creosote, then it is quite possible to use self-cleaning, which consists in burning dry deciduous wood with a large access of air. To do this, you need to open the blower door for the whole. At high temperatures, the soot particles are burned and the glass is freed from soot. But this method is good only if you find out in a timely manner that glass cleaning is required.
Water and vinegar are mixed in equal parts. The resulting solution is poured into a spray bottle. The fireplace door will have to be dismantled and placed on a horizontal surface. A layer of newspapers is applied to the smoked areas. With a vinegar solution, these newspapers are soaked and aged for some time. Then the glass should be treated with wet newspapers, like matter.

During work, be sure to use rubber gloves.

Sometimes ash taken from an ash pan is used to clean the glass. It is known to form an acidic environment. Under the influence of chemical reactions, carbon deposits are broken down and the surface can be washed off. For the convenience of work, use a sponge. Ash must be free of dirt, otherwise the glass may be scratched. Ash is poured onto a moistened sponge and the surface is treated with gentle movements. If necessary, wash the sponge well and add a new portion of ash again.
Another recipe for making a soot cleaner for a fireplace glass door is based on mixing ammonia, vinegar, lemon and soda. First, the carbon layer must be moistened, after which we clean the soot with ease

It is important to remember that an increased concentration of ammonia will make a more active solution, and cleaning the glass will be easier, but the ammonia will quickly evaporate, and this fact will have to be reckoned with.

Removing dirt with ammonia

For cleaning soot on glass, a solution of: ammonia, soda, vinegar and lemon will help

Ammonia does an excellent job with soot. Glass cleaning with its help takes place in several stages:

Wait for the fireplace to cool down. The door must be cold.
In a container, dilute the ammonia with water, add a little vinegar, pour the resulting product into a spray bottle.
Spray the liquid onto the glass and use paper towels to wipe off any cloudiness and soot. If the contamination is long-standing, then you have to make an effort or spray the solution on the stains and leave for 5-10 minutes. During this time, the alcohol will be absorbed into the soot, and it will be much easier to remove it.

Ammonia can not be diluted with water, but used in its pure form. But in this case, it will quickly evaporate without removing impurities. But by soaking a napkin in ammonia, and then dipping it into ash and wiping the glass, you can achieve success in a few minutes.

Glass cleaning: folk way

How to clean the chimney?

To fully clean the fireplace from the black plaque formed on its walls, this procedure should be started by cleaning the chimney. This procedure can be carried out in several ways:

mechanical cleaning;
using a special fireplace cleaner.

If the chimney is straight-through, then it can be cleaned through the firebox. If there are two, three or four elbows in the chimney, then this procedure is best done from above.

So, mechanical cleaning of the chimney of a fireplace with a direct-flow outlet should be carried out according to the following instructions:

Use a synthetic or nap brush to clean the pipe walls from the top layer of soot; to clean narrow passages, use a brush, but this does not end with cleaning the fireplace chimney.
In addition to soot, resins can accumulate on the chimney in the form of hard lamellar deposits. You can remove them with a metal spatula.
After the resins are removed, you need to take a special chimney brush, which should be several centimeters larger than the pipe in diameter, and use it to remove soot residues, making vertical movements up and down inside the pipe.

To clean the knee chimney, you must first close all the doors in it and fully open the damper. Climbing onto the roof and taking a stable position, you should use large-diameter brushes and brushes to clean the pipe from carbon deposits. It is better to clean hard-to-reach areas with transitions with a brush attached to a flexible cable, with which you can change the direction of its movement and simultaneously scroll in different directions.

If a large blockage has formed inside the chimney, a brick has fallen out, or large debris has fallen, then it is recommended to use a special core attached to the cable to eliminate them; in addition, it is not recommended to use anything else. Having climbed onto the roof, you should throw the cannonball into the pipe, which, due to the kinetic attraction, will break any blockage.

Chemical cleaning will be effective only if there are no dense oily accumulations on the inner walls of the pipe.

To reduce creazote deposits and clean the chimney, a special tool "Chimney sweep" has been developed, which destroys soot when burned. After that, you do not need to do anything else, except for cleaning the grate from soot and the glass fireplace door from soot.

Why does soot appear

If soot and soot accumulates in a short time, you need to find out the cause of the problem. Having found out and eliminated the cause, you do not have to constantly clean the glass. In a gas fireplace, such reasons are clogged burners or improper installation of the nozzles.

Hotbeds that operate on propane are contaminated faster than gas ones. This is due to low-quality fuel, clogging of burners, breakdown of the regulating tank. But wood-burning fireplaces and stoves are more susceptible to soot than others. The appearance of plaque is provoked by coniferous trees, the absence or improper functioning of air ducts and a dirty chimney.

If the glass is soiled less frequently than every two weeks, the fireplace is functioning properly. Here, soot and soot accumulate gradually. As a result, dirt appears that needs to be removed.

Cleaning the walls in the bath

Most often, the objects where the heat load is constantly observed are exposed to soot and soot. It is not so easy to wash them off. You can wash soot from wood using one of the following methods:

Mechanical. Wood perfectly absorbs odors, therefore, in order to completely remove soot or soot, you need to completely scrape it off with any hard object or sander.
Another way to remove soot from walls is to create a cleansing scrub designed for wood surfaces. It can be based on sand or crushed brick. It should be mixed with a small amount of water, and the damaged surfaces should be cleaned with the resulting gruel.
Another way to wash soot in a bath is to use ready-made products. It is required to purchase only those household chemicals that are suitable for the treatment of the internal surfaces of baths. Most often, they contain alkaline substances. They are not absorbed into the wood and will begin to affect the human respiratory system when heated.

Getting rid of soot can be difficult. In addition, during the cleaning process, walls, floors or ceilings can be damaged, and it will be almost impossible to get rid of the resulting defects. Do not allow the appearance of soot. To do this, after each visit to the bath or sauna, wipe the surfaces with soapy water.

How to care for your fireplace

Owners of a fireplace with a closed firebox have one problem that appears during its use. The glass of such a furnace is very dirty from burning, for which reason it must be washed often. Soot and soot will cling to the glass with any type of fuel (it can be gas or firewood). Very rarely it is possible to clean the glass quickly and without much effort, this spoils the mood. First you need to understand the reason for the occurrence of soot.

Gas fireplace

Often, people who do not like to waste time lighting firewood, do not want to suffer with ash cleaning and prefer gas fireplace options. It is not necessary to clean such a hearth very often, since good quality gas should not stain the door. If soot appears, then it is worth looking for the cause in the wrong proportion of gas and air that enter the combustion chamber, it is also worth checking the burners - they can get clogged, and the jets may be in the wrong position.

Fireplace burning on propane

Soot appears near the propane fireplace for only two reasons. This may be due to a violation of the proportion of air and fuel, or the use of low-quality materials for the furnace. Incorrect gas / air ratios can subsequently result from clogged gas nozzles or nozzles.

Glass near wooden hearths becomes dirty much more often. Most of the soot appears from conifers, since they contain a large amount of resin. If you systematically clean the chimney and open the valve, then the glass will not get dirty so often, but it will still be. Owners of such fireplaces should be aware that they will have to clean the glass more than once, and this process will be laborious.

When burning wood-burning fireplaces, a sticky coating appears, which consists of soot and creosote, it is he who settles on the glass, after which it attracts ash particles that have to be washed.Subsequently, the fireplace cannot cope with its main purpose, it begins to heat poorly, the appearance becomes unattractive and the glass turns from transparent to cloudy. In such a situation, it is necessary to use a cleaning agent.

Useful Tips

Fireplace glass cleaner may not always be effective. To make caring for your heating unit easier and more productive, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following tips:

After the fireplace has finished its work and has partially cooled down, wipe the door with a dry rag or paper towel;
If the glass of the fireplace turns black, give preference not to expensive formulations, but to simple soap. After the door is completely clean, apply a small layer of soapy water to the glass and set it down. In the process of heating the fireplace, self-cleaning will take place, and all stains from the soap solution will be removed in a natural way;
Not knowing how to wash the glass of the fireplace, you can think over and set up its use in advance. For example, the use of exceptionally clean and dry wood for heating makes the occurrence of plaque, soot and soot less frequent;
Effective and proven is the composition used for cars, or rather for cleaning and polishing chrome elements. Such a composition must be applied to the contaminated areas, then wipe dry with a simple napkin or cloth;
If you do not know how to clean the glass of the fireplace from soot, you can initially foresee this problem. Try a method called clean glass. To do this, during the operation of the heating unit, leave a small gap from its inner part. So, the air permeated during operation will form a kind of barrier and protection from pollution, or you can take care of this in advance and keep the glass clean in simple ways.

Give preference to products with a safe chemical composition

Oven glass covered with a thick layer of soot

Preparing for cleaning

Cleaning a fireplace from soot is a rather dusty job. Therefore, before proceeding with it, it is recommended to wear household gloves to protect the skin of your hands.

Preparing to clean the fireplace

It is recommended to carry out cleaning work no earlier than 10-12 hours after the last use of the fireplace structure.

You should first cover all interior items with cellophane wrap to protect them from dust. Old newspapers should be spread on the surface of the floor.

Prepare an old bucket or several garbage bags for soot.

After the room is fully prepared for dusty work, you can start cleaning the fireplace from soot.

First, remove all the ash from the fireplace insert using a scoop or spatula. Then you need to remove the firewood grate in order to clean the farthest corners of the hearth from ash. After that, you can start removing the soot.

Basic cleaning methods

There are many ways to clean your fireplace glass from dirt. This can be done using household chemicals or one of the folk methods. When choosing a means to combat soot, it is necessary to understand how bad the pollution is, as well as how long ago it was formed.

Cleaning agent

The household chemistry departments of stores are overflowing with a variety of fireplace cleaning products.

When choosing a cleaning agent, it is important to pay attention to the composition: it is better to refuse a product that contains components that can harm the glass surface. You can clean the glass of the fireplace using available detergents, for example, for washing dishes or kitchen utensils.

Ammonia

Easily removes ammonia soot. Cleaning the glass of the fireplace with alcohol is carried out according to the following rules:

The fireplace must cool completely.
Ammonia is diluted with water. Adding a few drops of vinegar will be effective.The resulting mixture can be poured into a spray bottle.
The solution is sprayed onto glass and then removed with paper towels. If the dirt is old and difficult to clean, you will need to wait 10-15 minutes. During this period, alcohol will penetrate into the soot particles, the removal process will be greatly facilitated.

The use of pure ammonia is not prohibited. However, this can be ineffective as the alcohol quickly evaporates from the surface.

Fire at full power

Carbon deposits on fireplace glass can be removed using strong fire. Dry firewood will be required to light the fire at full capacity. In the process of burning, particles of soot, soot, soot burn out, the glass is cleaned. At the same time, the chimney is also cleaned, which favorably affects the level of fire hazard of the fireplace.

Newspaper and ash

To clean the glass in this way, it is necessary to moisten the newspaper in water, apply ash to it. Soot will be easily removed in this way if more than 2-3 days have not passed since the formation of soot. It is necessary to carefully rub the places of contamination with a newspaper with ash, then wipe it with dry paper or a rag. Old dirt will not lend itself to this method.

Blade or sharp-tipped tool

You can resort to radical methods - removing soot with a blade or any tool with a sharp tip. With this method, you should follow the safety rules to avoid cuts. It is also worth monitoring the degree of pressure - scratches may remain on the glass. It is better to resort to such methods to remove only parts of particularly strong contamination.

Water and vinegar

You can wash off the soot with a mixture of water and vinegar. The solution is poured into a spray bottle. The fireplace door is pre-dismantled, laid out on a flat surface. Newspapers are laid out on problem areas, which are soaked on top with a solution. After a while, the glass is wiped with wet newspapers.

Ash from the ash pan

This cleaning method is one of the most popular. In addition to the ash from the ash pan, you will need a bucket of water, a sponge, paper towels. Hands must be protected with rubber gloves.

Moisten a sponge in water, squeeze out.
Apply ash to the sponge.
Wipe off the soot in a circular motion.
Rinse the sponge and glass from the remaining dirt.
Wipe dry with paper towel for full effect.

A mixture of ammonia, vinegar, lemon and soda

The mixture of the listed components perfectly fights dirt of any complexity, of any age (including old ones). The soot layer must be pre-moistened with a solution and left for 15-20 minutes to allow active substances to penetrate inside the contamination. After that, all that remains is to wipe the glass without additional effort. The higher the concentration of ammonia, the higher the activity of the solution, the easier it is to clean.

Old ways

There are several options for getting rid of soot, which are distinguished by their efficiency and laboriousness. It is necessary to use them, depending on the amount of soot on the walls of the furnace and pipe. But cleaning the fireplace should be planned in advance and not start earlier than a day after stopping the firewood burning.

Our ancestors did not know how to clean the chimney in the fireplace using chemical reactions, but they had sufficient knowledge to carry out these procedures using the available means.

During the burning of the wood, the fuel was abundantly sprinkled with salt. It should be noted that this method could not solve the problem of an excessively clogged pipe channel and was of a preventive nature. Salt was used in fireplaces and sauna stoves. Its periodic use significantly increased the period until the next mechanical cleaning.
Different types of wood for firewood contain different amounts of resins. Thus, conifers should not be used as fuel. They give a large amount of deposits and contribute to the rapid formation of blockages in the chimney.Hardwoods are more suitable for these purposes, and aspen firewood is of the quality that gives off a lot of heat. Therefore, a certain amount of aspen was burned to clean the fireplace. The high temperature burned out the soot, freeing the soot from the channels. But this method was used under close supervision, as there was a high probability that the high temperature could lead to a fire.

Potato peelings, or rather starch in their composition, have a good cleaning ability. When the cleanings were burned (usually they burned about a bucket), the released starch softened the soot, and it crumbled down to the bottom of the firebox.

Prevention measures

A fireplace is not only a stove, but also an interior solution

Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on the appearance of the glass. It should be noted right away that it is impossible to completely avoid the formation of soot, no matter what methods are taken

The operation of the kiln system is associated with the formation of soot. In this case, as a prevention of pollution, the following rules should be observed:

Fuel should be of high quality - it is not worth saving, it is better to give preference to refined, proven types.
Firewood must be loaded correctly: horizontally, ignition from above

When using firewood, it is important to take care of a good chimney, regularly monitor the operation of the chimney. It is important to regularly ventilate the room.
Sufficient air - the room where the fireplace is installed must be well ventilated, this will not only help avoid problems with oxygen, but also allow the fuel to burn better.
High-quality chimney

It may be necessary to install an additional damper. From time to time it is worth cleaning the chimney. It is better for professionals to do this.

Do not delay cleaning if soot forms on the glass. This will allow you to quickly and effortlessly deal with contamination, to avoid micro-damage to the glass surface. The sooner you take action, the less soot will get inside.

Despite the rich variety of options provided by the manufacturers for providing high-quality and inexpensive heating of premises, the fireplace not only does not give up its position in fashion, but also replenishes the circle of true connoisseurs of this aristocratic element of home furnishing. Moreover, in appearance and technical features, modern models vaguely resemble those classic fireplaces that appear in our imagination.

A mandatory negative consequence of the combustion of any fuel is the gradual appearance of soot and soot on the glass. To restore the original aesthetic appearance, it is necessary to clean the glass of the fireplace from soot. This procedure is laborious and unpleasant. But here are some tips that will smooth out all the negative impressions of fireplace maintenance.

Other methods

You can clean the glass without using additional products. Simply light the fire to full blast to burn off the resulting soot from the hot flame. This method helps not only to remove dirt, but also to keep the chimney clean.
Dampen newspaper with water and dip in the ash at the bottom of the stove. Apply to dirt and rub to remove soot and deposits. Then wipe with a dry cloth or napkin. You will have to clean it for a long time and persistently, but the result will certainly please you
If none of the products are effective at removing stains, use a razor blade or sharp tipped tool and scrub the stains until they are gone.

Please note that there is a risk of damaging or scratching the glass.

How to clean the glass of the fireplace from soot?

Cleaning the glass of the fireplace from soot and carbon deposits can be done in several ways.

The first is the use of wood ash, sponge and clean water. To do this, you need to slightly moisten a sponge in water, dip it in ash and wipe the glass of the furnace door several times.After completely removing carbon deposits, the sponge must be washed in water and the glass must be washed with it, then wipe it dry with toilet paper, a piece of newspaper or paper towel.

Another folk remedy for cleaning fireplace glass is ammonia. To use it you need:

Mix a teaspoon of ammonia with half a liter of water and a teaspoon of vinegar.
Pour the resulting solution into a spray bottle.
Wear rubber gloves.
Spray the resulting product over the entire surface of the fireplace glass and leave for a few minutes to interact with the contaminated layer of soot and soot.
Wipe down the glass door with a newspaper or paper towel.
If there are carbon residues, repeat the entire cleaning process until all impurities are removed.
Finally, wash the glass with clean water and dry it with a paper towel.

You can also use any chemical carbon-based fireplace glass cleaner designed to clean all glass surfaces. The best cleaners are:

You can also clean the glass of the fireplace from soot using a special scraper designed to remove soot, soot and soot. It's pretty simple to use. You just need to scrape off all plaque from the surface of the glass, wash it with a sponge with clean water and wipe it dry with a paper towel.

After complete cleaning of the fireplace, replace the firewood grate, wash the floor, remove the film from the interior items and you can continue to use the fireplace device for its intended purpose.

After a certain time of flawless operation of any fireplace or stove, these devices begin to deliver certain inconveniences. The fireplace becomes more and more difficult to light, the firewood constantly goes out at the beginning of the kindling, and the smoke from the firebox does not rise up, but tends to get into the room. An experienced fireplace owner will immediately note that it is time to clean the appliance.

First you need to decide why you need to clean fireplaces. Theoretically, the products of combustion of firewood are carbon dioxide and water in the form of steam, which escape through the chimney. However, this composition also contains a small proportion of solid fractions that are formed during the combustion of the resins that make up the wood. These fractions form soot, which, under the action of water vapor, acquires a dense consistency and settles on the walls of the chimney pipes.

The areas most susceptible to contamination are brick pipes with a rectangular channel, where metal pipes meet, and where the pipe narrows. But the need to clean the chimney can lead to debris trapped in it from the outside. It can be fallen leaves, a flown bird, a spider's web.