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Your priority this winter is giving your fireplace a good cleaning so that it runs smoothly and safely. After a while, the glass gets dirty and it isn’t as nice to look at while sitting around the fireplace.
You can use a glass cleaner that’s made to remove soot and mineral residue. Simply apply the lotion with a damp cleaning towel. Then, scrub it until the glass looks clean. Finally, wipe off all the extra lotion with another clean towel.
Moreover, if you’re buying or selling a home, a wood-burning fireplace is a great selling point. But when the glass door is all covered in soot and deposited buildup, how will you have fun watching a fire crackle? Providing a safe environment for wood-burning fireplaces requires routine cleaning and maintenance. Follow these steps to make cleaning the fireplace glass a snap.
How to Clean Fireplace Glass
Preparatory method for fireplace glass cleaning
1. To keep the area clean, remove all the glass from your fireplace window before you begin.
2. Cleaning soot and ash are time-consuming and messy. A garage or backyard is a good option for cleaning fireplace glass.
3. Wherever you choose to do to clean the glass, make sure to cover it with a disposable towel or drop cloth to prevent spills.
4. It is a good idea to burn fire to clean your fireplace glass door. The heat dissolves stains, making cleaning easier. You can burn one or two fires to remove the soot. Keep burning until your fire cools down. Follow the cleaning methods after that.
Method 1: Commercial cleaner for fireplace glass
A glass cleaner that removes soot, carbon, and other fireplace mineral residues will work well. It can give you good results without much additional preparation work.
What you’ll need
- Cleaner for glass and fireplace glass
- Water
- Cloth / Sponge
Steps
1. Allow the fireplace to cool. You’ll be cleaning cold glass. Then, test a small spot first. The cleaner works on glass, so avoid any plastic parts.
2. With a clean, damp paper towel, apply the glass fireplace cleaner to the cool glass.
3. Rub soiled areas vigorously cleaning the fireplace glass with a paper towel, microfiber cloth, or sponge .
4. Remove the cleaner with a dry paper towel. Without letting it dry on the glass.
Safety Note
The use of multiple cleaning products together can lead to a chemical reaction.
It’s best to follow the cleaning instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Method 2: Vinegar solution for fireplace glass cleaning
Vinegar is a cheap cleaner that homeowners often have on hand. Glass doors that are really dirty might require more than one pass with this product to restore a shine.
What you’ll need
- Vinegar
- Water
- Cleaning cloth
- Optional: ammonia, corn starch, rubbing alcohol
Steps
1. Cleaning with vinegar is not limited to adding vinegar to the water to dilute it. You can boost the effectiveness of vinegar by adding solvents to it.
2. Spray a solution of vinegar, hot water, and ammonia containing one cup of vinegar, three cups of water, and one tablespoon of ammonia to clean the fireplace glass.
3. Make sure the solution sits on the glass for 30 seconds before cleaning.
4. Use one tablespoon of cornstarch or one-quarter cup of rubbing alcohol with two cups of vinegar to make an abrasive cleaner that can easily get rid of thick soot residue.
Safety Note
It is safe and effective to use vinegar solutions. Be careful not to get vinegar in your eyes or on your skin. Vinegar can form toxic chlorine gas if it is mixed with other cleaning solutions, such as bleach.
Method 3: Baking soda for glass door cleaning
Baking soda is often an excellent cleaning agent, and that’s only one of the many uses of baking soda. It’s particularly useful when cleaning pellet stoves.
What you’ll need
Baking soda
Lukewarm water
Clean cloth
Steps
1. Combine the baking soda with water to create a thick paste.
2. With a wet, clean cloth, wipe the paste on the glass.
3. For tough stains, leave the paste for at least 10 minutes before wiping.
4. After you have removed the soot, try rubbing with either a damp paper or cloth in circular motions. Immediately after the worst has passed, clean the glass with a clean cloth to make it sparkle.
Safety note
If you use baking soda or bicarbonate soda, you will need to rinse thoroughly. Even though this mixture is effective in removing stains, it leaves a white residue behind.
Method 4: Razor Blade for glass cleaning
Is your fireplace door particularly filthy? Your best bet to make rapid progress is, to begin with, a razor blade.
What you’ll need
- Razorblade
- Cloth
- Water
Steps
1. Peel up the black residue while holding the blade at a 45-degree angle.
2. Press gently so that you don’t scratch the glass.
3. You only need to remove the top layer of soot.
4. Once the majority of the residue has been removed, switch to another method listed here to remove the remaining discoloration.
Safety Note
Razor blades are extremely sharp. Make sure you wear safety gloves when handling them. The relatively thin nature of standard cleaning gloves leaves them unfit to protect against cuts, so take care in handling.
Method 5: Wet newspaper and ash for glass cleaning
Cleaning up soot residue with ash and newspaper is an easy, convenient, and cost-effective method. If you want to remove soot from a fireplace or polish antique furniture, ash will do the trick easily.
What you’ll need
- Ash from your fireplace
- Water
- Newspaper, cloth, or paper towels
Steps
To clean your fireplace glass using this age-old method, simply:
1. Make a paste by mixing white ash with water. Stir until the mixture becomes paste-like.
2. Adjust with more ash or water as necessary.
3. Microfiber cloths are ideal for this cleaning task.
4. Put a thin layer of your newly made paste on your fingertip and use it to wipe any soot that may have come in contact with the glass. As with wiping, rinse the microfiber cloth with water before reapplying the paste.
How does ash work in cleaning?
The composition and texture of ash make it ideal for use on the glass as a cleaner.
It can act like a Brillo pad in removing soot in a similar manner. Ash contains calcium carbonate which isn’t hard enough to scratch the glass, so it acts as a buffer to enhance the final shine of the glass. Adding water to raw ash creates a weaker version of this alkali cleaner that is still safe to use.
Safety Note
Inhaling ash is dangerous, so wear a mask. N95 masks are recommended to remove tiny particles effectively.
How to burn fire – The correct way
After you’ve done all the work cleaning the glass door in your fireplace, make sure you’re burning clean fires.
1. Burning coal, garbage, a mass of papers, or wood that has been treated shouldn’t be done in your fireplace.
2. Soot can accumulate in your fireplace from smoldering fires. To avoid this from happening, open the vents to add more air.
3. Never burn wood directly on glass, because this may cause burn stains to reappear fast.
4. Do not overstock your fireplace with wood.
FAQs about How To Clean Fireplace Glass
How to remove white film from fireplace glass?
It is not uncommon to see a white film build-up on the inside of the glass. This is usually soot. Use a glass cleaner that removes soot and mineral residue to get this while film off your fireplace glass. You can apply the lotion with a damp paper towel. Scrub it until it looks clean. Then remove any leftover lotion with another clean towel.
Can you clean the fireplace glass when it’s hot?
You should never attempt to clean wood burner glass when it’s hot and dirty. You should always wait until the wood stove glass is cool before cleaning it. Cool glass is safe to clean, while it is never advisable to clean a burning hot glass.
Takeaway
Cleaning fireplace glass can be an easy task. If you have the right tools and approach, you can easily restore the beauty of wood or gas fireplaces. Follow one of the methods mentioned above, and you are good to enjoy your fireplace this winter.
When you find it difficult to clean your fireplace but use it frequently, you might consider upgrading to an electric fireplace. Keeping the units looking beautiful is easy and costs little to maintain.
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