How to Clean Fireplace Glass - Removing Burnt On Soot From Glass 

Yes, ash is an abrasive. However, what is happening here is that when you add water to wood ash your create caustic lye, caustic soda, or sometimes called toxic alkalies, which consume the hydro-carbons staining the glass by breaking the bonds holding them together. This is a great trick and works very well but WEAR GLOVES. Please! Over time you will end up with nerve damage in your fingers, hand, and or arm. Simple leather gloves will work, just protect your skin from that stuff. Seriously. Thank you for the video.

Perfect solution, thanks for posting. TOok me less tan 15 minutes to clean my glass to crystral clear condition.

AMAZING! Just watched this and cleaned my yucky glass in about 4 minutes! THANK YOU!

Thank you for posting this! I had tried everything to clean the church glass votive candle holders. Nothing worked until I watched this video, went to the fireplace, scooped up a cup of ash, and cleaned them!! Thank you!! Ash is used to make soap. YES!

Thank you. My mom always used oven cleaner. The chem smell was awful. I heard about using the ash, but didn't believe it. You proved it works!

Holy cow this is legit. I hate the smell of vinegar. This is so easy thanks for sharing. Just bought my house with a wood fireplace and know nothing about them this definitely helped!

Thank you from Romania! You just made our job so much easier! 😀

Amazing!, worked exactly like you claimed. Thank you so much!

One guy online uses straight ammonia. I've used both the ash and ammonia, and it doesn't get any easier than the ammonia. You spray it on, let it sit about 20 seconds, then simply wipe it clean. Repeat as needed. Way less scrubbing, but a little more stinky.

Thank you for this great tip. We just had a wood burning insert installed in our fireplace and have used it about three times -- the glass sure does get sooty. We will give the ash and water or vinegar a try -- I liked the video -- the glass seemed to clean up well. I also like the fact that is a natural remedy. Thanks for sharing.

Tried this on my gas fireplace. Worked a bit with water but not enough... so I tried vinegar and holy smokes, it works!! Thanks for the tip!

Thank you so much. This is the best ever. I've been using the water/vinager for several years but having problem getting the glass in the back of the fireplace cleaned. I added the ashes & it's coming right off! Plus makes a difference using paper towels over cloth, use paper towels!

Pinesol and ash with newspaper or paper towels works well too. I use a razor scraper for the really thick stuff

Do the same thing in the video but use a piece of loosely crumpled newspaper instead of the paper towel and it cleans it in half the time.

Thank you so much !!!! Been driving me crazy and tried your way worked in less than a minute !!!! Thank you so much for sharing this video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀

Using 0000 steel wool is great for cleaning soot and other things off glass. Very quick, less labor intensive and won't scratch the glass.

Genius! Thanks for posting

Use wet scrunched up newspaper works like a treat.

Beautiful fireplace and thanks to you Rick, we can keep them looking that way! Thank you so much for helping us in so many different ways.

Tried it today and it worked great.

Lifesaver! Great tip, thanks for sharing.

Thank you for this!! I have tie dye glass on my fireplace! Brown, dark brown, black, reddish....

Thank you man! It worked just like magic!

This worked for me too. Thanks a lot for the tip!!!

Great. Really worked well, and was so easy! I’m really glad I watched this. Thank you for sharing.

Way to go, man! Thanks for putting out the video!

Thank you. just did this on my fireplace glass. Worked like a charm!

Not saying you are incorrect, because this method does work! I found this was far too much elbow-grease for me.... and I’m a big guy that doesn’t mind hard work lol! But I tell you what, I found Easy-Off under my sink, sprayed it on the glass and it literally falls off!!!! I used a paper-towel to wipe it down and it took like 2 minutes. Give it a try. One pass and you’ll be happy you tried it lol

Hey "think like a horse" guy! I learned something similar by adding water to ash in a bowl and making a paste. Instead of a paper towel use crumpled up newspaper you don't have to scrub so hard, dip in the paste, and scrub!

I posted a month ago that I use water and paper towels, which works. Using the ash made the heavier soot much easier to remove.

I find in the particularly bad areas to carefully use a razor blade, this will very quickly remove stubborn burnt on residues

Thanks I will try it

Great tip! Works very well! Thanks!

This works really well!

Thanks for this 👍🏻

Been doing it this way for years. The commercially available cleaners are expensive and stink, and don't work any better than this method. I like to do it when the glass is still fairly warm, just enough to make the paper towel steam a little. The steam cuts some of the heavier stuff a little quicker.

Best thing I have found is CLR GRILL cleaner. It instantly runs off like water.

This works pretty good it came right off except for a line that will take a little elbow grease lol

Tried brake clean and goof off, this worked better !

Thank you for this tip!!

That really helped me a lot. Thanks!!!

Yep. Water, ash and a little elbow grease is all you need.

Worked like a breeze. Thanks. 😃

it works real good just did mine thanks for the help

Magic eraser works perfect

It did the job thank you!! 😁

Thanks you!

I use Pinesol. Works great. Not an abrasive.

very awesome to know this. thank you

you can also use tooth past with the crystal granules.

Thank you

👌👌👌legend

Thank you for this. You make lye by percolating water through wood ashes, IIRC. This may just relate to the cleaning effectiveness here. ;-)

Newspaper with water and soot I have found works even better than paper towels

Use sugar soap, leave 5 or 10 mins, lightly spray again, wipe off.

Wood ash is alkaline (caustic), which means it has a high pH level.

Nice trick. Thanks! I have the same stove. Have you ever replaced the glass frame gasket? It's hidden in the door frame trough beneath the removable glass frame brackets. Trying to find out what material they used. Owner's manual doesn't even identify it as a part. Stuff fell apart when I wiped it. Called the dealer because Quadrafire doesn't want to speak to its customers. We'll see how long it takes. Thanks, Paul

Thank you for sharing this

great tip. Thanks.

This is Awsome.

good bro

Thanks for the vid. Simple is always the best. Love d.i.y.'s. Inexpensive, effective and you probably have all the components on hand. Just wish I have a fireplace to try it out. Hope your feeling better.

K use a solution called super clean it does wonders 5 mins and it’s like new this product can be used for so many hard task even works wonders on rims and brake dust

Rick, Nice trick, Had the same problem and no solutions available. My Method is easier. Get the glass warm and spray with windex and just wipe it off. Start the fire small, It will had some heat to the glass, try to clean and see if it works, if not close and warm it a LITTLE MORE and try again. Not measured, but guessing it will be 125 - 175 F . windex will run down the glass pane vs boiling off on contact ( Less than 212 F ) { 212 is boiling point of water at Atmospheric Pressure } WARNING : if glass is HOT you will most-likely Thermoshock the glass. Start Cold and heat lightly with fire and find sweet spot. Been cleaning mine for 20+ years this way. As for the wood, you could do that, the wood needs to softer than the glass. If you got debris or something different story. Paper towels can scratch glass too depending on glass type, and what you call a scratch. Think about a machinist cutting metal. Tools are harder and tougher than material so you get a chip and no tool damage. Broke a threading Tap in a part the other day. After cursing and wishing I had bought a tapping head. I broke out some carbide drill bits and was able to remove the tap in slow process. Got a box of those drills off of Ebay real cheap long ago. Finally got to use them. Yes I destroyed a few drill, but saved the part. Hardened Tap softer than a carbide drill. Regular HSS drill would do nothing.

Will this work if u burn coal and wood. Will the ash contain soot?

the stuff that is burned onto the glass is creosote and you get creosote from burning 'green' wood.

Yes & also some of the glass has like some type of plastic coating that some chemical cleaners can cause them to yellow or have a rainbow effect that is permanent. My heater is about 10yrs old and the dealer had warned me about using chemicals. Also burn a chimney cleaner & when cool clean glass works really well.

has anyone ever tried silicone based nu finish car polish to facilitate things.? "the once a year car polish.."

I use either wet newspaper or wet paper towel. i dont use anything else, it comes right off.

♥

Folks, every tip listed on you tube for pellet stove glass cleaning needs to add one important point .... and none of the seem to know an important secret : Never use a cloth rag to wipe off a hot glass window. that action creates burnt fiber from the rag.... a stuck on film that requires a razerblade . Before you try any of the vinegar, razerblade, ashes in water, windex, wet towel, etc .... first try the best and easiest if you are a first time user or owner ... if the glass has never been touched before, simply use 5 or 6 wadded up napkins on the fuzzy ash covering ... it wipes off in 3 seconds flat ..nothing else needed ... then every other month, wipe the clear clean glass with 0000 steel wool which polishes it to a glassy shine ....

What if you don’t have Ash???

Sometimes I find that if the fire gets hot enough, it'll actually burn the soot off the glass.

👍🏼

Water and ash makes sodium hydroxide aka lye, aka Drano etc.

You really are amazing! Is there anything you do NOT do? How is it that you aren't married? And yes, this works great on the glass!

that is so weird and convenient lol

I burn coal in my fire. can I use the ash from that?

Hey Rick, quick gun question. Do I have to register a pistol I'm gonna buy from my brother in law if i plan to carry it? Thanks

There trying to take our m855 Rick. Lets get the word out to email our congressman.

Dat ash

And now another question, do someone know how to make it protected from getting dirty

Start another fire, close the door. Fire will clean glass. End.

I will try to do it with Stodoys plans.

You can use woodprix, it has the best handbooks and ready instructions. You can learn much from them and make it yourself.

It's not the way to go. Fine steel wool and little bit of dish soap What he's doing will scratch the glass over time

I'm in Alabama.. Not sure what the law is exactly

I am sure that you will find good way to make it on woodprix Webpage.

Listen up everyone Use bars keepers friend No questions asked Is inexpensive and last a lot. Home depot. Case Closed.