ISO - How do you clean soot?

[PrincessFiona60]

The glass insert on the fireplace is just coated, if I start a fire, I won't be able to see it. How do I clean that up? Never having a fireplace before, I am at a loss.

 

[Dawgluver]

Can you take it outside and spray it with oven cleaner?

 

[GotGarlic]

We can't use our fireplaces because the chimneys are original and would need liners But it's pretty easy to clean the glass: Cleaning Soot from Glass -- Heloise Hints

 

[Andy M.]

I've had a fireplace or a wood stove for years. Before you light a fire, check to be sure the chimney is clear and wide open. Critters and nests are common. If the fireplace was used a lot, you may want to have it checked for creosote build-up and possibly have it cleaned. You don't want to deal with a chimney fire.

 

[Dawgluver]

Good advice to have it checked. Sounds like it was well-used.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Can you take it outside and spray it with oven cleaner?

I don't know, will have to see if I can take the doors off.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

We can't use our fireplaces because the chimneys are original and would need liners But it's pretty easy to clean the glass: Cleaning Soot from Glass -- Heloise Hints

Thanks GG

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I've had a fireplace or a wood stove for years. Before you light a fire, check to be sure the chimney is clear and wide open. Critters and nests are common. If the fireplace was used a lot, you may want to have it checked for creosote build-up and possibly have it cleaned. You don't want to deal with a chimney fire.

Good advice to have it checked. Sounds like it was well-used.

The silly thing is, the inspector we hired took a couple of pictures of the chimney, it had recently been cleaned. But they either didn't clean the doors or the renters set off a soot bomb after the inspector had been here.

I also need to buy a set of fireplace tools, I have nothing to clean out the leftover ashes.

 

[Chef Munky]

The silly thing is, the inspector we hired took a couple of pictures of the chimney, it had recently been cleaned. But they either didn't clean the doors or the renters set off a soot bomb after the inspector had been here.

I also need to buy a set of fireplace tools, I have nothing to clean out the leftover ashes.

Hiya Princess
How I envy you.We really miss having a fireplace here.
Our next home will definitely have one.

We once had windowed doors.That needed cleaning.I just used mild soap and water.Dawn dish detergent.Soft cloth.

Living in an old home once we did have our chimney catch on fire.It hadn't been cleaned or serviced in years by the landlord.We didn't know that at the time.Luckily we had invested, and I strongly recommend that you do the same thing.Buy fire extinguishers.Keep them mounted close by.Handy to get to.

Buy the best of the best fireplace equipment.What our landlord had provided was cheap.I set them aside and used my own.Buy a metal bucket for the ashes.

 

[Addie]

My girlfriend in Tacoma took a page from the Prince William Sound Exxon Disaster. Soot consists mostly of grease. She cleaned her glass door regularly with Dawn. Her doors were like yours from the previous fireplace season. It creeps up on you fire to fire and you may not notice it. She learned her lesson. She now cleans the doors at least once a week. The last time we emailed, she was getting ready for the new season. She burns mostly dead pine wood. The aroma is heavenly. But then fir trees abound in that part of the country.

And my next door neighbor and I used to go to Ranier National Park and get a permit to pick up ground wood. If it fit on the bed of the truck, and we could lift it, into the truck it went. We made sure we got enough kindling as well as long burning pieces. Wood for next year. Her husband would cut it up and stack it for drying in the sunny part of the yard. He would keep it covered with a tarp in the winter.

Buying wood for a fireplace can become a major expense. The Federal Park Service loves when folks come in and help clear the ground of possible flammable material. Helps cut down on forest fires. A great way to spend a day outside in the fresh mountain air.

We would leave her husband home with the kids if they weren't in school. Poo loved spending time with Dave. He was the only male influence in his life at the time. He had already lost his father.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I also need to buy a set of fireplace tools, I have nothing to clean out the leftover ashes.

If money is tight the first year or you don't find a set of fireplace tools that you really like you can get by cleaning up the COLD ashes with a dustpan and broom from the Dollar General. Also check to see if the fireplace has a little metal door in the floor of the fireplace to sweep the ashes into the basement portion of the fireplace.

 

[dcSaute]

we have a natural gas fire place log.

with a glass front plate. it gets covered with a film - one could name it soot, I suppose.

the glass comes off - yours comes off I'm sure.

paper towels + Windex, no problem.

 

[Cheryl J]

If money is tight the first year or you don't find a set of fireplace tools that you really like you can get by cleaning up the COLD ashes with a dustpan and broom from the Dollar General. Also check to see if the fireplace has a little metal door in the floor of the fireplace to sweep the ashes into the basement portion of the fireplace.

In one house I had here in CA we had one of those - except it led to a little trap door outside on the back of the fireplace, where it could be opened and the ashes scraped into a metal bucket to dispose of. I've always wanted a basement but they're not common here.

 

[Bigjim68]

In one house I had here in CA we had one of those - except it led to a little trap door outside on the back of the fireplace, where it could be opened and the ashes scraped into a metal bucket to dispose of. I've always wanted a basement but they're not common here.

One rule here is always use a metal bucket and set it outside away from the house. More than one house has burned down from supposedly cold ashes in a plastic bucket.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Thanks folks! Once I get the boxes sitting in front of it unpacked, I'll put some gloves on and check it out.

I have a fire extinguisher and know about metal buckets...I have fire safety down.