How to clean a wood burning stove

Key steps

1. Make sure the stove is completely cool

2. Sweep out the ash pan and interior

3. Wipe down the external surfaces

4. Polish the wood burner glass

5. Scrub the chimney or plaster surrounds

6. Call an expert to clean the flue

There’s nothing quite like snuggling up in front of a fire, and once you know how to clean a wood burner properly, you’ll be able to enjoy it for years. Here’s how to clean a wood burning stove exterior, flue and chimney.

One great trick for how to clean the outside of a wood burning stove is to use the internal ash. Simply dab the wood ash onto a damp cloth, wipe away the soot and give the surface a final clean with a fresh cloth.

Why learn how to clean a log burner at home?

It’s well worth learning how to clean a log burner, as regular maintenance will help its performance immensely. That means more cosy benefits for the same fuel and effort, and more chances to curl up in front of the fire. From sweeping out the inside to how to clean a wood burning stove chimney and flue, here are our top tips.

How to clean a wood burner interior

It makes sense to start with the inside, as you’ll be kicking up plenty of soot and dust as you go along.

1. Start by emptying the ash pan.

2. Next, clear out as much loose ash, dust and grime from the interior as you can.

3. Finish by using a stiff brush to remove what’s left.

How to clean the outside of a wood burning stove

The outside of your wood burner can easily get mucky, but once we’ve shown you how to clean a wood burning stove exterior you can keep it looking great.

1. To start with, brush away soot and debris from the glass, surfaces and surrounds of your log burner with a stiff brush.

2. Once you’re happy that you’ve got all the grime away, you can move onto sprucing up the glass so you can see that beautiful glow.

3. Use a specialist cleaning spray and wipe on to the window. Leave for around five minutes and then wipe off with a damp cloth.

Cleaning the glass may be a little tricky the first time you do it, especially if there is a lot of build up. However, with regular cleaning that task becomes easier.

How to clean a wood burning stove chimney

When cleaning your log burner, you’ll probably notice a very sooty chimney, especially close to your burner. Brick surrounds look beautiful, as long as they’re well maintained, and that task requires a couple of key steps.

1. Brush down sooty areas to remove as much as you can.

2. Apply a coat of stain block to stop soot penetrating and staining the brick/plaster surrounds in the long term.

How to clean a log burner flue

Knowing how to clean a log burner flue is best left to the professionals. Cleaning the outside of the chimney and the surrounds is relatively easy, but getting inside the chimney should be left to someone with the right knowledge and tools. Give your local expert a call and they’ll be more than happy to help.

Cleaning your wood burning stove is a bit of a dusty process, but the more often you do it, the easier it becomes. And the more care you put into looking after your log burner, the more you’ll benefit and enjoy the warmth.