Nate Finch said:Hmm... the point about never getting black on the glass is an interesting one. We definitely get it after a couple weeks of solid burning. I can't keep the fire at the perfect temperature all the time, and occasionally the wood I've brought in has had some snowmelt on it and is a bit wet..... plus, I do shut it down a lot at night.... only way I can fill it with enough wood to keep it burning at night without burning the house down.
As for what to use to clean the door... I tried newspaper and paper towels and all that... best thing I found is just a normal scrubby sponge from the kitchen with plain water. Works like a charm.
I am spoiled because I have a large enclosed area under my deck that can store about 10 cords of firewood. Once stacked, it never sees a drop of moisture. That's part of the reason why I'm not getting any creosote on the glass.