Minimising risks of wood burning stove around young children

[Overthinkingindecisive]

Hoping for some balanced advice.
Our new home has a wood burning stove installed in the kitchen. It looked so cosy, with a sofa area around it, at the viewing and I had visions of soup bubbling on the hob while we dried out after a wet Winter’s day. But now I am so worried about particulates, etc around our three young children. Owner said it has been well serviced and chimney swept once a year.
To try and minimise risk to their lungs I’ve decided it will only be lit occasionally in the evening, once they’ve gone to bed, with windows open in the kitchen to create an airflow.
Trying to be sensible about it - currently researching HEPA filters, PM2.5 and obviously will have a carbon monoxide alarm.

Would this be safe or should I just never light it? 🙈

I would change it for something else. Seems pointless to open the window whilst you’re trying to keep the house warm. I’m usually laid back about a lot of things children-wise, but having been part of the research on this issue, it’s not something I would have in my home.

Kids aren’t young now, but we just use our wood burner occasionally because of particulates.

Opening the windows is making the problem worse. The particulates go up the chimney and into the atmosphere not into the house.

Shocked and grateful for replies so far. Everyone I know has one! This stove actually has a back burner behind it which heats the rooms upstairs and around the house!

I personally would avoid using it, but you could get an indoor air quality monitor to keep an eye on the level of PM pollution in the house if you do want it use it, and avoid opening it up and poking it too much when it’s on. Also if not in a very rural area do consider the impacts on outdoor air pollution too.

So if you lit it in the evenings when they’re in bed and only loaded it once and let it die out, would that be safer? Sorry for naïve questioning, I had no idea

Probably depends on how new it is (whether it meets newer standards), how well installed and maintained it is, and the specifics of ventilation in your house. You won’t really know unless you monitor it. You can’t judge by sight or smell of smoke alone.

If you live in an urban area though you should know that even if your kids aren’t affected significantly in your house, wood burning is terrible for urban air pollution and children and older people are more vulnerable to the health impacts.

Our two DCs grew up with a log burner and their lungs are just fine. We burn wood which has been seasoned for 2+ years in our log store and have a rotation system. We never trusted bought in logs to be properly seasoned.
Logburners are fine - it’s open fires that are the problem within a house.

We have an air quality monitor (it’s actually my work one). I often test when the wood burner has been lit for a few hours (plus candles). The readings are always very reassuring. The particle reading is always 001 (1 µg/m³) which is extremely low and generally considered very clean air.

I’d recommend you get one for peace of mind.

You could switch out the log burner for a new cleaner model, always use kiln dried wood, buy yourself a moisture tester to check the wood and only open ans close the door really slowly once it is lit so that you dont puff stuff out.

Really appreciate these balanced replies.

@OriginalPedant which monitor do you have?

@OriginalPedant what make and model is your air quality monitor please if you don't mind sharing?

I found wax melt things had a huge effect on my breathing when I tried them. I wonder how many people who are against log burners are using those?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40594781/

it’s not just lung damage that can be caused by particulate matter. Interesting to see which fuel is better, seasoned logs according to above paper. Shame because i love a fire, but as I said above we’re having fewer and using kiln dried wood but maybe seasoned wood would be better

also felt bad about all the scented candles we’d when I cleaned the walls and realised they were covered in soot

Would you mind sharing your research focus and findings @Strandas ?

Would you mind explaining what seasoned means? I keep seeing this mentioned everywhere but I don’t understand

Sorry I am unable to see the full research paper…what other damage can be caused?

Of course! The peer reviewed research has been used in various media outlets. This is probably the one I would say is most balanced and easily accessible (paywalls etc.)

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/23/wood-burners-linked-to-2500-deaths-a-year-in-the-uk-analysis-finds

People grow up in households where both parents smoke (and mothers have smoked when pregnant), and their lungs are just fine. It’s just the amount of risk you’re willing to take really.

Also, it’s whether you want to consider the release to the outside and the effect it has on others, etc.

No worse than car exhausts inhaled from the pavement.

https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/wood-burner-regulations-fines/#:~:text=heating%20your%20home.-,Are%20wood%20burners%20being%20banned%3F,burning%20in%20homes%20in%20England.

Are you in a Smoke Control Area? Also, how old is the log burner (from the buildings regs that would’ve been supplied when you bought the property).

We always made sure we used really good kiln dried wood on ours and never had any problems. Barely produced any smoke at all from the chimney and air quality in the house was fine. Always had the stove door closed.

I would either relax and enjoy it using dry wood, or, if you can't do that and you've got a gas supply close by, rip it out and replace with a gas version- I have both- wood burner downstairs and gas "wood effect" burner in my study which is upstairs. The wood one is "nicer" but the gas one is just really convenient if you just want a quick blast of heat, you don't have to clean it out, and it's a pretty good replica (Chesney's)

Just don’t use it? They should be illegal unless you can prove there’s no alternative