5 tips for cleaning and maintaining your wood burning stove

Spring's is in the air and once the sun is out, many wood burning stove owners reduce the use of their wood burning stoves. When the wood burning stove is cold, it's a good idea to clean and maintain it so it's ready for use when the weather starts cooling down again.

Below, you’ll find 5 pieces of advice which will make your wood burning stove shine during the summer months.

1. Remove soot on the glass

Sooty glass is a result of using moist firewood, of lighting the fire incorrectly or bad draft in the flue. One of the oldest tricks for cleaning the glass window is to use the ashes from the stove. Dip a moist cloth in cold ashes and rub the soot off the glass. There are also products specifically for cleaning wood-burning stoves. You could for example try Aduro Easy Clean, which is an efficient sponge which is used to clean the glass. The sponge requires neither water nor cleanser.

2. Dust the stove

The wood burning stove’s exterior is most easily cleaned by using a vacuum cleaner with a mouthpiece with soft brushes. Alternately, a soft dry cloth can be used. Never use a moist cloth as it might cause rust. Find Aduro ash cleaner here.

3. Repair scratches in the paint

If there are scratches in the paint, it can easily be fixed. Most wood burning stoves have been painted with a heat-resistant spray paint, which you can typically buy where you bought your stove. Make sure that the surface of your stove is clean, dry and greaseless before you paint it. You can sand the surface gently if there is still rust and old paint on it. Find Aduro Spray here.

This is an example of a stove being painted with Senotherm spray. Keep in mind that not all stoves are painted with the same type of paint, so find the paint that suits your particular stove.

4. Check gaskets

Inspect the gaskets and change them if necessary. They are worn over time, and if they are not tight, they should be changed, so the stove remains tight. Buy new gaskets here.

5. Empty the ash pan

It can be a good idea to empty the ash pan and the firebox completely so it’s empty during the summer. But remember that in the wood burning stove season, a layer of ashes makes it easier to light a fire because it insulates.