Log burners

[probablynotthesame]

I’m looking for your tips on how you clean the glass on your log burner.
I have a scratch pad thingy that’s specially for the glass of a log burner but apart from that and a lot of elbow grease I have no idea how to clean it!
So any fast fix/easy cleaning tips greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Newspaper and spit - sounds disgusting but really works

I thought you could use oven cleaner on the glass. Don't quote me though.

My friend swears by newspaper with The with the dust from inside on it.

We do it the way Buster suggests - crumpled up damp newspaper with ash on it.

White wine vinegar and kitchen roll. If you burn at a high enough temperature the glass should be clean though.

Hotspot glass cleaner

Lovey thank you for your suggestions. As you can tell I’m a newbie! I will certainly try newspaper and spit

Sainsbury’s apple cleaning wipe dipped in the ash. Works a treat. Buff with a bit of plain dry kitchen paper after.

I have two and use oven cleaner, it gets the dirt off without any trouble at all.

Ours tends to self clean - never cleaned it

This is so so easy. Just wipes away the black.

HG Stove Glass Cleaner - A foam stove window cleaner for the easy removal of soot, grease and tar https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000IU3WCA/ref=cmswwrcppapi_auLwAbMJMMEXN

Our chimney cleaner has just been and used ash and a damp cloth. The glass has never been cleaner and has stayed clean for a week!

Just get it really hot and it self cleans.

I rarely clean mine. Maybe once in the summer. And it's looking pretty clean this evening.

I use bar keepers friend on ours

Thank you for all your suggestions, it puts me off using it when I know I have to clean it but it makes the living room so cosy! It’s only a small one I’m not really sure how to get it ‘really hot’?

What are you burning in it?
With the right fuel and the right fire, the glass shouldn't really be getting dirty that often.

Crumpled paper, bit water/spit and rub in ash, clean then buff with newspaper, should bring the soot/tar marks off that are usually amber in colour, depending on what your burning, done this for 10+ years, does not take long at all.

Once every couple weeks a scrub with a cloth with bar keepers friend when I take everything out for a good clean and vacuum the ropes around the window and check the back/side bricks

Another vote here for damp newspaper and ash.

Damp cloth dipped in the ash from the bottom.of the burner. Works amazingly.

We just use damp kitchen roll. You don’t need to use spit! Just a bit of water.

@probablynotthesame a small one is trickier, and not as efficient. What I'd do is after an extended period of time with it burning, add several heat logs and close the vents once they take. It'll ramp up the heat!

Or carry on cleaning it ☺️

@Cataline I’m using cardboard bit of newspaper and some kindling to get it started then add a log and let it catch.
It’s very much trial and error, whenever I start it it dies pretty quickly I had to get my Mum over to get it started tonight
She has large log burners that seem to self clean as pp have said

It shouldn't really need cleaning very often, kitchen roll and water should be enough to get any ash off. It sounds like you are burning wood which isn't properly seasoned (dried) so there is tar on the inside of the wood burner glass. This will also be building up in the flue, which can cause a fire if it ignites. If you are using green wood (i.e. wood that isn't sufficiently dry) it stops the fire from getting hot, which condenses water in the flue/fireplace and leads to the build up of tar. You need to use seasoned wood which has been air dried for at least a year, or which is kiln dried.

You also need to get the fire hot by allowing more oxygen into it. A fire needs oxygen, so when you first build the fire, build a kind of long criss-crossed stack of kindling, maybe three layers high, with plenty of space between the kindling for oxygen to get round, and open the damper. Add a couple of small logs on the top, and then light it at the bottom (I use a firestarter block). It should all light pretty quickly. The stack of kindling/smaller logs should collapse into a heap of glowing coals, then you can add a couple of bigger logs. Once they have started to burn, close the damper to reduce the oxygen slightly, which will slow the rate that the logs burn at so that they last longer.

This should prevent the build up of tar on the glass and burn off any that is there, so you can just clean it over with water and kitchen roll to clean the ash off.

Only close the damper slightly though once it is going. If you close it too much it will go out.

Use damp cloth dipped in ash on glass, follow woth clean damp cloth.

You need good dry logs-20% moisture or less.

Leave both the air intakes (or one plus door slightly ajar) on full for 5 mins to really get it going, then turn down hallway. After another 5 mins you can adjust down again slightly-you’re aiming for glow with minimal flame like when a bbq is ready to cook on.

So said our installer last week anyway! I think there’s a fair bit of trial and error involved!!