Keeping Your Fireplace Glass Doors Spic and Span – Some Cleaning Tips

Fireplace Glass Doors: Keeping the Ashes At Bay

Keep your fireplace glass doors looking as good as new with these cleaning tips

Come winter time, everyone loves to hangout in a warm room, and there's no denying that a gas fireplace is one of the furnishings at home that can provide such a convenience. All too often, natural gas fireplaces are fitted with glass doors, which are noted for their functionality and aesthetics. These hardworking features help contain the ashes, smoke and sparks into the fireplace, prevents cold air from entering a room, and decrease the potential of fire and injury.

After enduring months or years of searing-hot blazes, however, fireplace glass doors collect stains from the ashes and soot coming from the fire. This in turn makes them look dingy and can also make the entire fireplace appear entirely shabby. So before the wood-burning season begins, you need to examine your fireplace glass doors and take an hour or two to do some elbow greasing to clean it up and refresh its look. Below are some cleaning tips you can follow to keep your fireplace glass doors spic and span.

Tackling the cleaning job with commercial cleaners

Probably the easiest solution to your fireplace glass doors' carbon or other gunk buildup is for you to use commercial cleaners. While you might want to resort to the usual glass cleaners that you see in your local store, take note that they are no-match for the soot that have collected on your fireplace doors. So it is your best bet to settle with products that are especially formulated to clean carbon-rich stains, and there are numerous brands from which you could choose from. More often than not, these commercial cleaners have a paste-like texture and work well with plain paper towels or a clean cloth. Here is a great fireplace cleaner that has everything you need. 

Before applying the cleaner, try vacuuming the glass doors' surfaces first using an ash vacuum to remove loose soot and other particles on the glasses. After which, apply the cleaner to the towel following the manufacturer's recommended amount. Depending on the cleaner that you choose, it might be necessary that you use it on a damp cloth, so make sure that you read the label before use. Rub it over the stained areas on your fireplace glass doors, especially the corners, with a gentle pressure and let it sit for awhile. When all stains are removed, wipe the glasses with a clean cloth.

Remember, when cleaning a new section on the glasses, make sure that you use a clean area of the cloth or better yet a new paper towel so that the carbon residue will not be transferred onto the surfaces that you are going to clean. It is also wise to wear rubber gloves when cleaning since some commercial cleaners contain strong properties that can be harmful to the skin.

Combating ashes with ashes

Although a commercial cleaner can be effective in removing carbon-rich soot on fireplace glass doors and does not necessarily require extraneous amount of effort on your part, the strong odor as well as its chemical properties might put you off. So if you are not too keen about using a commercial cleaner, a cheap and great alternative that you can use are several pieces of damp old newspapers dipped in ashes. Yes, you read that right, ashes. And they are truly effective in removing the build up on your fireplace glass doors, though their use may require a bit more elbow greasing.

Start by removing loose dirt on the glasses of your fireplace doors. Dampen the newspapers with water and dip them into the ashes. Gently rub the newspapers on the stained areas until the carbon deposits are removed. Then wipe the glasses with a clean cloth.

If it's taking you a little while to remove the baked soot, it might be useful if you utilize a flat razor blade to loosen up the stubborn deposits. Then, rub the ashes on the surfaces again. For a shiny finish, spray both the interior and exterior of your glass doors with a mixture of water and vinegar, then pat them with a dry cloth.

Additional cleaning tips

Take note that not all fireplace glass doors are created alike. Hence, some might be easier to clean, while other may require time and effort to completely remove the stains. However, there are a few cleaning tips that can truly make the task a bit easier regardless of the type of glass fireplace door you are using.

First is that you should regularly clean the doors so that the soot will not buildup on the glasses. During winter, it is your best bet to clean the doors at least once every two weeks to maintain the cleanliness and aesthetics of your fireplace glass doors. Another tip is for you to remove the glasses of the doors, as this will let you clean all the corners including the hidden areas in the frames. Also, do not forget to let the doors cool down before cleaning because hot glasses can be dangerous not to mention that they can burn your hands. If you are really busy, however, and you cannot spend too much time cleaning, it might be a good decision to opt for tinted fireplace glass doors which are easier to clean since the tint helps avoid soot from baking onto the glasses.

GUEST POST BY: Robert Kirk RFK Solutions Ltd 

We Do Boxes is a UK-based company that supplies high quality and affordable cardboard packing and moving boxes. This article was written by one of their regular contributors.

May I also suggest a beautiful inexpensive Fireplace Glass Door?