A wood-burning chimney gets dirty faster than any other chimney you might have. For you to keep your current unit clean and in top shape, you need to clean it regularly. You can do the cleaning by yourself or hire a chimney cleaning services provider.

How do you do it? Here is a guide on how to do it:

Clean the insides of the unit

Wear gloves to protect yourself. You can collect the ashes in an ash pan and place them in a metal bucket. Alternatively, you can use a shovel and a metal bucket.

Carefully gather the ashes in the shovel and gently slide them into the bucket. You should note that if you’re not careful, the ash can get into the air and cause a major mess, so move slowly. 

 Be mindful that ashes may still contain tiny embers. To be safe, allow them to cool outdoors for a few days before discarding.

It is important to note that you can do this frequently during the heating season. Even a wood-burning stove produces less ash than multi-fuel smokeless stoves.

When utilizing smokeless fuel, remove the ashes several times per day, whereas when burning wood, you can take as little as once per week. You will need a large ash pan to easily clean and remove the ashes.

Wipe the glass of your chimney.

To keep the best view of the flames, clean the glass of your wood-burning stove. To do so, apply stove glass cleaner, wait five minutes, and then remove with a moist rag. 

 Choosing the right kind of glass cleaner is important because printed glass requires a different cleaning product than plain door glass.

If the door glass is damaged, you should consider fixing it before you clean it.

Does the glass appear sooty? Be cautious that this may suggest that your chimney isn’t burning efficiently. This will happen when you don’t take good care of your chimney. It could also result from using wood with excessive moisture content (over 20%).

At the same time, it could result from a breeze or lighting the fire wrongly. Before you rush to conclusions, find out the cause of the problem and fix it.

The cool thing is that a soot-covered glass is easy to clean. You can remove soot with wood ashes in the stove, but never use coal ash since it scratches the glass.

Simply dampen a cloth and immerse it in the ashes. Rub in a circular motion; the soot should fall off easily.

Clean the outside of the chimney.

The simplest way to clean the exterior of the stove is to use a vacuum cleaner with a gentle brush attachment. As an alternative, use a dry cloth. Don’t use a damp cloth that will rust the stove. 

 When washing the exterior, be gentle. You don’t have to polish your wood-burning stove. You can remove any light dust with a lint-free cloth.

Has the outside of the stove already rusted? To remove rust patches from a wood burner, cut a pad of medium-grade steel wool and, while wearing protective gloves, work gently until the rust is gone.

Sweep up the debris with a brush and dustpan, then use a stove or clean shoe brush to remove any dirt from the surface before painting.

Before painting, cover the glass doors and metal handles with newspaper and tape. If you are painting the entire appliance, protect the walls and hearth.

To ensure proper ventilation, open all doors and windows before applying the paint. Hold the can 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 cm) away from the surface and spray the stove.

You could choose stove and BBQ paint if you want to refinish a black wood stove. The finish is heat-resistant, quick-drying, and durable. It also prevents rusting and can withstand temperatures up to 1200ºF (648ºC). Let it dry for at least an hour before heating.

Other ways to take care of your wood-burning stove

Besides cleaning the unit, you can do plenty of other things to ensure that your unit is always in top working condition. These things include:

Inspect the rope seal

Over time, the rope seal surrounding the door will flatten and lose shape, reducing the stove’s effectiveness and enabling pollutants to escape. 

 Start a small fire and close the doors and air intakes. You should move a lit candle around the door; if the flame is attracted toward it, it indicates a poor seal, and you should replace the rope.

To check the unit’s health:

1. Clean the firebox and empty the ash pan.
2. Shine a torch inside to ensure that the firebricks are not shattered.
3. Leave the air inlets open and the door ajar to allow air to circulate through the chimney, keeping it dry.

Get rid of soot and tar marks.

If soot and tar deposits have migrated through the plaster from the chimney breast, remove the filth and apply a coat of stain block. If required, add another layer two hours after the first has dried. Once dried, you can repaint the surface with any sort of paint you have.

Apply slate oil to the health.

Slate oil repels debris and ash while still enabling the slate to breathe, thus it may minimize your cleaning time without hurting the stone. 

 Some stone care products should not be used at temperatures above 77ºF (25ºC), so check the instructions carefully. 

 Protect your rugs or carpet from splashes before applying the oil evenly with a brush or sponge. Let dry for two hours.

Parting shot

These are some of the things you should do to ensure that your wood-burning stove is always in top condition.

For peace of mind that your unit won’t surprise you with fire or other dangers, make it a habit to clean and inspect it at least once before the heating season kicks off. You can do the work yourself or hire chimney contractors Upper Marlboro to help you out.

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