Wood Stoves:
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Keeping your wood stove clean isn't only a matter of cleanliness. It's also a vital matter of Safety. Every year wood stoves are responsible for fires that destroy homes and kill people. One common cause is improper disposal of ashes.
To dispose of ashes safely, remove them with a metal ash shovel and place them in a lightly covered metal bucket. No plastic shovels, no proper bags, no cardboard boxes--no susbstitutions! Then take
the bucket outside and let it sit for ac couple of days to ensure that the harmless-lookiing ashes aren't
harboring any embers. For final disposal, add to garden soil or sprinkle on the lawn to use the potassium and other materials. This is the cleaning chore that needs to be done most often during the heating season, whenever the ashes are 3 to 4 inches deep.
To clean a stove pipe, another chore you may have to perform several times during a season, disconnect it from the chimney and from the stove when the fire is out. Take the stovepipe outside and shake it into a metal bucket to remove the soot and creosote. If there are stubborn clumps of residue, use a stiff-bristled brush.
To ensure the cleanest operation of your stove, burn hardwood (maple, ash, oak, beech, birch, and hickory, for example) that has been seasoned for a year. Burn a hot fire for at least half an hour every week during the heating season. If you are an inexperienced wood burner, you can buy a stovepipe
thermometer from a hearth shop or wood stove dealer to tell you the meaning of hot in this context.
To clean the outside of the stove, vacuum when there is no fire, using the small brush attachment.
For dirt that vacuuming won't remove, wipe the surface of enameled stoves with a damp sponge.
Use stove polish, available at hardware stores and hearth shops, on stoves made of cast iron, plate steel, sheet metal, or a combination of these materials. Balled-up waxed paper, used on a warm
stove also shines those finishes. Rust or other heavy dirt may be cleaned from a cold stove with fine
steel wool and WD-40, available in hardware stores.
OOPS!
No Easy Way Out >
Don't rely on chemical cleaners such as cleaning logs, to clean your stove and chimney. According to Mark McSweeney, executive director of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), it's OK
to use those cleaners. They might reduce some of the soot and creosote, causing it to flake and fall.
However, they won't get rid of it. "They can give a false sense of security," McSweeney says.
The only way to get rid of soot and creosote is by mechanically brushing and scraping. Have an annual inspection and cleaning if necessary by a CSIA-certified chimney sweep. To find one, visit
www.cisa.org or call (800) 536-0118.
To clean glass doors, follow the directions in your owner's manual. A mixture of water and a little
ammonia work well to remove smoke, but check your manual first to make sure the glass doesn't have a special protective coating, which might be harmed by the ammonia.
Other stove parts that need periodic cleaning are baffles, smoke shelves, and catalytic combustors. These gizmos increase the efficiency of your stove and reduce pollution. They're often located near
the spot where the stovepipe meets the stove. Your owner's manual will tell you if your stove has one
or more of these parts and will explain how to clean them.
Woodwork
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Woodwork usually gets dirty faster than walls because it's the edging around doors and windows that most often comes into contact with little hands and dirty fingers. Woodwork will probably need cleaning more often than walls, but fortunately it take up a lot less area.
For routine cleaning, vacuum baseboards, chair rails (the waist-level molding on walls that prevents
chairs from marking the walls), wainscoting, and casings (the framework around doors and windows) with the small brush attachment. Dust the top surfaces of this woodwork periodically with a microfiber cloth.
To wash woodwork, use a solution of a little dish-washing liquid in warm water. Apply with a
wrung-out sponge or rag and then rinse with plain water. If the gloss has been dulled, follow by rubbing with a cloth that has a tiny amount of furniture polish on it. This works on both painted and
urethane surfaces.
To clean heavily soiled areas, apply a little undiluted dish-washing liquid directly to the sponge or cloth. Rub the dirty area and rinse with plain water.
To prepare the surface for new paint, wash with a solution of 1 cup of trisodium phosphate in 1 gallon of water. Wear rubber gloves and rinse afterward.
To clean woodwork with a varnish or shellac finish, use a solvent-based (not water-based) wood cleaner, available at home improvement stores and hardware stores. It is both a cleaner and wax in one product. Apply it with a cloth and buff afterward.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Keeping your wood stove clean isn't only a matter of cleanliness. It's also a vital matter of Safety. Every year wood stoves are responsible for fires that destroy homes and kill people. One common cause is improper disposal of ashes.
To dispose of ashes safely, remove them with a metal ash shovel and place them in a lightly covered metal bucket. No plastic shovels, no proper bags, no cardboard boxes--no susbstitutions! Then take
the bucket outside and let it sit for ac couple of days to ensure that the harmless-lookiing ashes aren't
harboring any embers. For final disposal, add to garden soil or sprinkle on the lawn to use the potassium and other materials. This is the cleaning chore that needs to be done most often during the heating season, whenever the ashes are 3 to 4 inches deep.
To clean a stove pipe, another chore you may have to perform several times during a season, disconnect it from the chimney and from the stove when the fire is out. Take the stovepipe outside and shake it into a metal bucket to remove the soot and creosote. If there are stubborn clumps of residue, use a stiff-bristled brush.
To ensure the cleanest operation of your stove, burn hardwood (maple, ash, oak, beech, birch, and hickory, for example) that has been seasoned for a year. Burn a hot fire for at least half an hour every week during the heating season. If you are an inexperienced wood burner, you can buy a stovepipe
thermometer from a hearth shop or wood stove dealer to tell you the meaning of hot in this context.
To clean the outside of the stove, vacuum when there is no fire, using the small brush attachment.
For dirt that vacuuming won't remove, wipe the surface of enameled stoves with a damp sponge.
Use stove polish, available at hardware stores and hearth shops, on stoves made of cast iron, plate steel, sheet metal, or a combination of these materials. Balled-up waxed paper, used on a warm
stove also shines those finishes. Rust or other heavy dirt may be cleaned from a cold stove with fine
steel wool and WD-40, available in hardware stores.
OOPS!
No Easy Way Out >
Don't rely on chemical cleaners such as cleaning logs, to clean your stove and chimney. According to Mark McSweeney, executive director of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), it's OK
to use those cleaners. They might reduce some of the soot and creosote, causing it to flake and fall.
However, they won't get rid of it. "They can give a false sense of security," McSweeney says.
The only way to get rid of soot and creosote is by mechanically brushing and scraping. Have an annual inspection and cleaning if necessary by a CSIA-certified chimney sweep. To find one, visit
www.cisa.org or call (800) 536-0118.
To clean glass doors, follow the directions in your owner's manual. A mixture of water and a little
ammonia work well to remove smoke, but check your manual first to make sure the glass doesn't have a special protective coating, which might be harmed by the ammonia.
Other stove parts that need periodic cleaning are baffles, smoke shelves, and catalytic combustors. These gizmos increase the efficiency of your stove and reduce pollution. They're often located near
the spot where the stovepipe meets the stove. Your owner's manual will tell you if your stove has one
or more of these parts and will explain how to clean them.
Woodwork
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Woodwork usually gets dirty faster than walls because it's the edging around doors and windows that most often comes into contact with little hands and dirty fingers. Woodwork will probably need cleaning more often than walls, but fortunately it take up a lot less area.
For routine cleaning, vacuum baseboards, chair rails (the waist-level molding on walls that prevents
chairs from marking the walls), wainscoting, and casings (the framework around doors and windows) with the small brush attachment. Dust the top surfaces of this woodwork periodically with a microfiber cloth.
To wash woodwork, use a solution of a little dish-washing liquid in warm water. Apply with a
wrung-out sponge or rag and then rinse with plain water. If the gloss has been dulled, follow by rubbing with a cloth that has a tiny amount of furniture polish on it. This works on both painted and
urethane surfaces.
To clean heavily soiled areas, apply a little undiluted dish-washing liquid directly to the sponge or cloth. Rub the dirty area and rinse with plain water.
To prepare the surface for new paint, wash with a solution of 1 cup of trisodium phosphate in 1 gallon of water. Wear rubber gloves and rinse afterward.
To clean woodwork with a varnish or shellac finish, use a solvent-based (not water-based) wood cleaner, available at home improvement stores and hardware stores. It is both a cleaner and wax in one product. Apply it with a cloth and buff afterward.
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