How to Clean Your Wood Burner

Liv Butler
Authored by Liv Butler
Posted Sunday, January 16, 2022 - 9:18am

Wood burners are a thing of magic. They can keep you warm for a fraction of the price you’d pay for gas or electric heating. Installing one instantly makes your home look ten times as cosy. And once you light some beautifully-burning premium Lekto firewood in it, the atmosphere becomes absolutely magical.

But if you want your wood burner to last you a long time, it is paramount that you maintain it properly. This will help your firewood burn hotter and cleaner, protect your home from combustion hazards, and prolong the lifetime of the wood burner itself.

Here’s all you need to know about wood burner cleaning and maintenance.

Why Should I Clean My Wood Burner?

Let’s face it, cleaning isn’t a task most of us enjoy. However, when it comes to your wood-burning stove, regular cleaning carries a lot of benefits.

Regular cleaning and maintenance will allow your wood burner to last a lot longer. Let’s face it, wood burners aren’t cheap. Modern models can cost thousands of pounds. So you don’t want to replace yours until you absolutely have to.

Regular (at least yearly) sweeping also helps prevent the build-up of creosote, a highly toxic, flammable substance, the buildup of which can create a combustion hazard. 

And ash and soot leftover from your previous fire can actually make starting your next fire unnecessarily difficult. So the few minutes you save on cleaning will be lost on being frustrated at not being able to light up your logs properly.

How to Clean a Wood Burner

Cleaning a wood burner isn’t rocket science. All it takes is some common sense, a few simple tools, and a little bit of elbow grease.

The entire process shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes.

Wait For Your Burner to Cool

First and foremost, make sure your wood burner has cooled sufficiently before you attempt to clean it.

Although it may be tempting to start cleaning it as soon as possible, especially if its cold outside and the burner is your only heat source, it pays to wait an adequate amount of time. 

You don’t want your stove cleaning session to end in the hospital with severe burns.

Vacuum Away All Ash

Any ash left over from your last heating session can be simply vacuumed away.

If you’re using high-quality firewood or briquettes made from 100% natural components, this ash can be reused as garden fertiliser. Simply empty the vacuum bag on your compost heap.

Clean the Hearth

For the most part, a wood burner’s hearth can be cleaned by simply wiping a damp cloth across it.

However, if you want to go a step further, a small amount of WD40 can be used a bring a little sheen back to your stove. All you have to do is put some of it on a kitchen roll and spread the WD40 evenly across the hearth.

Clean the Glass

If money isn’t an issue, you can purchase glass cleaning products that are designed specifically for wood stoves. The companies selling these products say they will give you the best results.

However, in our experience, a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water can work just as well (if not better). 
 

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