How To Clean Your Wood Burning Stove And The Benefits Of Maintaining It

Are you starting to think it’s time to fire up the fireplace or log burner?

As we enter thick jumpers and big blankets season, it’s completely understandable if you’re considering putting a few heat logs on the wood burning stove and snuggling in each evening until the Spring sunshine arrives.

But. before you Google ‘how to keep your wood stove burning all night’ or start throwing firewood aimlessly onto your furnace, we want to tell you the best ways to clean a log burner, ensure it is ready for Winter 2019 and give you some of the benefits good stove maintenance can provide.

Cleaning a wood burning stove

Make sure your stove or wood burner has sufficiently cooled before you begin the process of cleaning it.

Any ash you find inside the stove can be vacuumed away or, if you use Lekto’s Hardwood Heat Logs, you can recycle it as garden fertiliser. Simply sweep it up and place it on your compost heap.

The wood burner’s hearth can be cleaned by simply wiping a damp cloth across it. If you’re cleaning your wood burner with WD40, only use a small amount and bring a little sheen back to your stove by using a piece of kitchen roll to spread it across the hearth’s surface.

Cleaning log burner glass doesn’t have to be the chore it appears to be at first. It does, however, need to be done on a regular basis.

Specialist stove glass cleaner is effective, but a warm soapy cloth can work just as well.

If you have any ash left over from your hardwood heat logs, you could dip a damp piece of kitchen roll or newspaper into it and use this to wipe your stove glass clean.

Please note that, if you were to use this method, the wood you burn should be as dry as possible. With a significantly low moisture count, Lekto’s Heat Logs are perfect for this.

Cleaning a stove shouldn’t take more than an hour, but the benefits of keeping your log burning stove regularly clean are extensive.

1. It’s aesthetically pleasing

When you picture a fireplace or a stove of any kind in one’s living room, you probably don’t imagine black glass on the front. As well as blocking the view of a roaring fire, it looks shabby and unloved to any visitors.

Regular maintenance of your stove will prevent this and maintain the romantic image of a beautiful fire.

2. It’s safer for you and your family

Cleaning a stove isn’t a task most people enjoy. But, if you want you and your loved ones to enjoy the consistent warmth while the risk of soot fires is reduced, the marriage of cleaning your wood burner regularly and the application of heat logs will achieve this.                                 

3. It allows your log burner to last longer

You have spent a large amount of money on your stove and you want it to last.

We do too. That’s why we encourage regular cleaning of your wood burner and its glass door. Consistent stove maintenance throughout Autumn and Winter will ensure your burner stands the test of time.

4. It makes for a cleaner living space

If you were to let the amount of soot or ash build up inside your stove, it would inevitably be harder to clean when you do eventually get around to giving it some TLC. That hardwood ash would more than likely fall onto your living room floor, instead of being used as fertiliser or as a handy way of cleaning your wood burner’s glass door.

By cleaning it often and little, you prevent it from building up and potentially causing a real mess in your home.

5. It’ll allow for more efficient use in the future

Any ash or soot left over from the previous fire can prevent your next fire from starting, so it makes a lot of sense to get rid of it thoroughly before you start placing more hardwood logs or night briquettes into your stove.

This creates a much more cost-effective aspect to warming your home, as you will not be wasting wood fuels and, therefore, money buying more when it is not necessary.

Whether you are looking forward to autumnal/wintry evenings indoors or you require your home to stay warm overnight, your stove needs maintaining and the best way to do that is to clean it at every opportunity and use the best products.

For a high heating option that contains very little moisture, but will provide recyclable ash, buy your Hardwood Heat Logs here.