# Again- How to keep your glass on your wood stove clean



## dswineford (Dec 16, 2008)

I have been reading these threads for years and have never heard anyone ever mention this for cleaning your black soot stained glass. This is the best ever and you all have it in your house. It literally melts the worst ever stained glass you can get. It’s Vinegar- yep use it full strength with a sponge and just watch how simple it works. I’ve been useing it for 30 years and when I was a kid at home my dad used it. I’ve blackened the glass so bad you couldn’t even see thru anywhere on the glass. Vinegar cleaned it like it was brand new. 
After you get it cleaned off with Vinegar, just rinse it with water and your done. 

, Dan 

ps; keep it clean & moderator it's not off topic


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## Adios Pantalones (Dec 16, 2008)

Aside from the other one that I mentioned (sorry it spun out of control)- a razor blade is a common method for removing black buildup.  A newspaper, water, and a little ash works as well.  Just paper and water will normally remove the white haze from clean-burning.  I have used a commercial material a while back that works well- I no longer get black soot, however, when burning dry wood.


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## struggle (Dec 16, 2008)

I found using a sock inside out dipped in ash and using a small water spray bottle works great. 

I will try vinegar the next time I wipe down the fire place doors upstairs. The Mansfield glass never seems to get dirty.


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## swestall (Dec 16, 2008)

If you just wet a paper towel, dip it in the fine ash in the stove, use that to clean the window then wet another to get the entire streaky mess of and another dry one to clean it down: you will be pleased with the result. It takes less than a minute or two. Make sure the glass has cooled enough that you can touch it.


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## JMF1 (Dec 16, 2008)

I've found that some cheap glass cleaner and a paper towel work well.


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## Yamaha_gurl (Dec 17, 2008)

I take newspaper, slightly wet it and stick it in the ash...then wipe off. And just curious, if my glass is brown and never black...is that bad?


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## Dustin (Dec 17, 2008)

If it's not black, your doing well  When I first started burning this year, with my first glass door stove, I was getting BLACK glass, so bad you couldn't see through it. 

Well, I came to this forum and found out that I was cutting the air back, and "choking it down" way too soon. 

So I burn hot, and burn clean. No black glass, but it will get a little brown and hazy after an all night burn. 

I'm burning a 1989 Osburn Insert. Aka..kinda of a smoke dragon.


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## SlyFerret (Dec 17, 2008)

Wow, my glass stays pretty clean all the time.  I never have anything that a wet paper towel won't take care of easily.

-SF


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## LLigetfa (Dec 17, 2008)

My glass is staying a lot cleaner since I replaced the door gasket.  Hotter burns with the colder weather also keep it cleaner longer.  Just get a light grey haze on it that cleans up easy.


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## kruger (Dec 17, 2008)

The glass on my old insert (Glacier Bay '79) is black in about six hours of burning.  What's the deal?  New door seal?  Just a piece of crap stove?  ???


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## Beanscoot (Dec 17, 2008)

I use scouring powder such as Old Dutch cleaner or Comet.  I like the idea of ashes, but there's a possibility of grains of sand etc. in it.
Next time I'll try the vinegar.  The powder doesn't clean it completely, so I'll follow it with vinegar.

I found that when the fire is hot, and the glass black, I can crack the door a quarter inch or so and the extra air will oxidize the soot off in under a minute.


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## stanleyjohn (Dec 19, 2008)

I have been having a problem keeping my glass clean!Looks like some of my wood isn't seasoned enough causing a smoky start.I went shopping the other day at a ace hardware store and picked up a bottle of Rutland Conditioning glass cleaner for stoves,grills and hearths and this stuff blew my mind on how good it works.Its not that cheap!but its the best stuff I've tried so far.


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## Abhoth (Dec 19, 2008)

Love all the home remedies for the glass cleaning. We have a ceramic cooktop on our oven and use a ceramic paste cleaner on that... using it on the wood stove glass works a charm.


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## 67ref (Jan 14, 2009)

ah DITTO here,
ceramic paste cleaner and the Osburn 1800i
works great!

will try the vinigar aswell and see how it does.


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## karri0n (Jan 14, 2009)

I've done vinegar, glass cleaner, and ecently tried wet paper towel dipped in ash. The wet paper towel with ash not only cleaned it off, but it has stayed clean since. It has never stayed clean so long with any of the other methods. I'm also burning wet wood.


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## slgaletzki (Jan 14, 2009)

I had such a build up once - chimney cap was full of creosote - since been cleaned out and problem resolved.  Nothing would work.    I was told to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner Fume Free - blue can - for self cleaning ovens.  It was amazing!


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## oconnor (Jan 14, 2009)

Water and ash is green - used on a rag it keeps mine clean - but I burn hot alot.


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## vtdavid (Jan 15, 2009)

Beanscoot said:
			
		

> I use scouring powder such as Old Dutch cleaner or Comet.  I like the idea of ashes, but there's a possibility of grains of sand etc. in it.
> Next time I'll try the vinegar.  The powder doesn't clean it completely, so I'll follow it with vinegar.


I would not use scouring power on my glass due the the high abrasive nature of the products.

A use an old t shirt rag and water, very damp and turned a couple of times during cleaning.  Rinse the rag and it's ready for the next cleaning in about two weeks


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## Zzyk (Jan 15, 2009)

I've ocassionally gotten some black in the corners probably from wet wood.  Its tends to burn off with a hot fire in the morning.  Other than that just a light fog after a week or so.  This comes off easily with a damp paper towel.  Guess I'm lucky, this is my first stove with glass.


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## Cedrusdeodara (Jan 15, 2009)

I prefer an environmentally friendly green method (or was it a yellow method) proposed in a recent thread on this topic.  Adios Pantalones, that was the funniest thread I've read here....


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## woody49705 (Feb 4, 2009)

Yamaha_gurl said:
			
		

> I take newspaper, slightly wet it and stick it in the ash...then wipe off. And just curious, if my glass is brown and never black...is that bad?



WOW! I would have never thought of this but told my wife to try it and she's flabbergasted at how effortless it really is. Thanks for the easy free remedy!!


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## tlingit (Feb 5, 2009)

I've been using the Rutland conditioning glass cleaner and really like it.  It cuts through anything and leaves a silicon coating behind so cleanup next time is much easier.  Bought it at Home Depot.  Might try the vinigar, but this is so easy.  I use 1 square of  paper towel and I'm done.


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## mayhem (Feb 5, 2009)

Run a hot load of really dry wood and all that black is gone!


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## daveswoodhauler (Feb 5, 2009)

mayhem said:
			
		

> Run a hot load of really dry wood and all that black is gone!



Cant agree more with this one!

Sometimes I get a tiny bit of haze on the glass, but never back soot....every moring I take a damp paper towel and some fine ash, and gets the glass like new. Just must be lucky I guess.


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## wendell (Feb 5, 2009)

I tried using the ash this morning for the first time but found that I get just as good of results (and quicker) to just use a damp paper towel in the morning. i never have any black on the glass, only a white haze in the morning which I seem to have much more of when I am burning strictly elm as opposed to oak or maple.

Any ideas why that is?


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## koavt (Feb 7, 2009)

For cleaning glass in wood stoves  Rutland makes a great product that is easy to use, and works extremely well.

http://www.rutland.com/productinfo.php?product_id=43


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