Before you start
Only clean a stove or fireplace when it's completely cold – ideally the morning after the last fire. Embers can stay hot in ash for many hours. Lay a dust sheet on the floor in front of the hearth, wear old clothes and gloves, and open a window.
Your chimney or flue should be swept by a professional chimney sweep regularly – at least once a year for smokeless fuel and up to quarterly for wood when in use, according to common industry guidance. That's a separate job from cleaning the stove and isn't something to attempt yourself.
Cleaning log burner glass
The quickest home method costs nothing. Dampen a scrunched-up piece of newspaper or kitchen paper, dip it into the fine white ash in the stove, and rub it over the inside of the glass in circles. The ash is mildly abrasive and alkaline, and it lifts soot and tar surprisingly well. Wipe off with clean damp paper and buff dry.
For stubborn brown tar, use a stove glass cleaner sold for the purpose. Spray it onto the cold glass (never onto hot glass), leave it for the time stated, and wipe off. Avoid general oven cleaners and abrasive scourers, which can damage the glass and the door seals.
Why the glass goes black
Black glass is usually a sign of how the stove is being used rather than a cleaning problem. Common causes include burning wood that isn't dry enough, closing the air vents too much so the fire smoulders, and burning at a low temperature for long periods. Many stoves have an 'airwash' system that sweeps air down the inside of the glass – it only works when the air control is open enough.
Burning wood with a moisture content below 20% – look for 'Ready to Burn' labelled wood or check with a moisture reader – keeps the glass clearer, produces less smoke and is better for air quality. Rules in England restrict the sale of wet wood for domestic burning, and many urban areas are smoke control areas, which affects what fuel and appliances you can use.
Emptying ash and cleaning the firebox
Most wood burners work best with a small bed of ash left in the base, but too much ash blocks the airflow. Empty the ash pan when it's full and the ash is completely cold, using a metal ash bucket with a lid. Ash can hold heat for a long time, so never put it straight into a plastic bin.
Brush the inside of the firebox gently with a soft brush to remove loose soot, and check the firebricks and baffle plate for cracks while you're there. Don't wash the inside of the stove with water.
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Cleaning the stove body, hearth and surround
Wipe the stove body with a dry cloth or soft brush. Cast-iron stoves can be refreshed with stove polish or a heat-resistant stove finish once a year, following the manufacturer's instructions.
How you clean the hearth and surround depends on the material:
- Slate and granite hearths: wipe with warm water and a little washing-up liquid; avoid acids
- Brick: vacuum with a brush attachment, then scrub soot marks with a stiff brush and a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water
- Natural stone such as limestone: use a stone-safe cleaner; avoid vinegar and acidic products
- Glazed tiles: wipe with warm soapy water, then dry
- Marble surrounds: see our guide to cleaning marble
Open fires
Open fireplaces need the grate and ash removed regularly, and the fireback and surround cleaned in the same way as a stove's hearth. Soot stains on the chimney breast above an open fire can be dusted off gently with a dry sponge designed for soot before wiping. If smoke comes into the room rather than up the chimney, stop using it and get it checked by a chimney sweep.
Fireplaces in a deep clean or move-out
Professional cleaners will clean hearths, surrounds and the outside of stoves, and many will clean stove glass, during a deep clean or end of tenancy clean. Few will empty a stove or clean inside the flue – that's for the chimney sweep. If you rent a home with a stove, check the tenancy agreement and inventory: landlords often require the chimney to be swept before you leave, and a receipt may be asked for.
