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?

5 HELPFUL TIPS FOR SPRING CLEANING

Spring is coming and you surely have a lot of cleaning up to do! In order to catch up with your cleaning task, here are five helpful tips you can try:

1.       Clean your window panes.  

Have you noticed how hard it is to remove dust and dirt on your windows during spring when you use an ordinary cloth or paper? Well, you have to use squeegees with rubber edges or any material with rubbery texture so that dirt and dust will be easily removed. To begin, simply dip a sponge in warm water and a few drops of soap. Wipe the dirt and dust on your window until these are partly removed. Next, wet the squeegee and then clean your window starting with the upper portion going down. Repeat the process and wipe the window sills with dry cloth thereafter.

2.       Clean your carpets, rugs, and mats.

Another spring cleaning tip is to clean your carpet, rugs and mats at home. For those made of cotton and other washable materials, you can simply wash them up using detergent and let them dry outdoors. For carpets made of wool, you can ask the help of a dry cleaner or professional cleaner so that the material won’t be easily destroyed. Those with carpets made of synthetic materials; you can use an extractor to clean the traces of soap and fiber.

3.       Clean up the blinds or curtains.  

You can remove dirt on your curtains by having them dry cleaned or vacuumed. Make sure that you clean those heavy curtains before keeping them in time for spring. Otherwise, the dirt and dust would stain your curtains. In the case of wooden blinds, you can apply some wood cleaner on them. Those who use blinds made of aluminum; you can just wash them with water and cleaner outdoors. Make sure you wipe them with dry cloth afterwards though.

4.       Remove stains on your household fabrics.  

During the cold months, you can’t avoid spilling some wine, candle wax and even hot chocolate on your household fabrics like tablecloths. As spring comes, wash those stains away using a mild detergent or bleach solution. Water soluble stains like wine and hot chocolate are easier to remove. For wax, you can apply a special cleaning solution to remove them.

5.       Change your bed linens.  

Finally, make sure that you are able to change your linens. Have those heavy and thick bed linens dry cleaned. You can have the other ones washed in the laundry, those made of cotton. Use lighter fabrics during spring since it will get a bit warmer.

These are just some of the things you can do when spring comes. Cleaning up would be easier if you follow these simple tips.

MyGetRidOfGuide.com, a website that can offer several solutions to your most unwanted problems.  Guest Post by Lauren T.

Once An Eyesore, Now A Beautiful Centerpiece

We just bought our house a year ago, and we never liked the heavy red brick fireplace in the family room.  After exploring many different options, I had decided on a design that was going to cost me about $1500.  THEN, I stumbled across this blog. We viewed all the information and we decided to give it a try.  It took a weekend to complete, and was actually fun to do, we were very impressed with the results.  All our friends comment on how nice it looks, especially those who saw it before.  We're very pleased, and have already referred several friends and coworkers to the product.  We wanted to share with you our photo's because you are the reason we found this amazing paint!

If you have a masonry style fireplace or brick walls that you consider an eyesore, I would highly recommend trying this before trying to tear out your old brick or just using plain old paint.

Notes: 

Spend some good time taping all edges off

Clean the surfaces very well (vacuum, wet rag, etc) I recommend brick cleaner

Consider existing design elements when deciding what kind of look you’re after.  

Three paint themed colors (matte finish so it looks just like brick) to choose from.

I linked up this post at the following blogs: Please check them out. Thanks so much

DIY Project Parade - Every Monday

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Create & Share at - The Trendy Treehouse - Every Wednesday

Catch A Glimpse Thursday - A Glimpse Inside - Every Thursday

Inspire Me Fridays - Joyful Stamper - Every Friday

Flaunt it Friday - at Chick on a Shoestring Decorating - Every Friday

Show and Tell Saturday - at Be Different Act Normal - Every Saturday

Whatever Weekend - Your Thriving Family - Every Weekend

Guest Comment by Home Inspector Websites

Chimneys, Inside and Out

Whether it is an extension of a fireplace or a furnace, you should have your chimney cleaned or "swept" at least once a year, for several reasons.

 First, creosote often adheres to the inside of the fireplace chimney. Because of its chemical nature, creosote can actually ignite, rapidly causing a chimney fire and potential damage to the rest of the home.

Burning wood at a relatively low temperature (your cooking stove flame is actually hotter than a fireplace) causes incomplete combustion of the oils found naturally in the wood. When the smoke from a fire rises into a chimney, the residual chemicals may stick to the inside of the chimney liner. This residue becomes creosote.

Second, soot and dust build-up can clog a chimney and diminish heat output. A furnace flue may accumulate a layer of sulfuric acid or chlorine, which can cause erosion and big problems down the road.

A good rule of thumb is to not ever assume your chimney is functioning properly, even if you rarely use it. Animals, leaves and moisture from a buildup of snow or rain need to be taken care of before safe use of your fireplace.

A thorough check for any shifting of the chimnye that may have occurred over the years is also recommended. Years ago, chimneys were built with a section near the top made of terracotta, over time, these sections sometime move, causing the potential for leaks of carbon monoxide through the seams and even a backdraft.

In addition to a good cleaning, chimney inspection includes checking for leaks in the flashing around the chimney, which can cause wood rot and condensation. This, in turn, can damage electrical wiring and present a fire hazard.

by  Joseph Coupal

Heloise...No!

Fireplace cleaning requires more than elbow grease.

Who doesn’t love Heloise?

Here at the Fireplace Decorating blogspot, the first edition of the original Hints from Heloise anthology has occupied the same coveted spot on the living room bookcase since my mother-in-law’s first visit. And don’t tell the guys in my fantasy football league, but I’ve pulled it down more than once when I needed to get out a nacho cheese spill before the wife got home. But sometimes the tried and true just doesn’t do, as I was disappointed to discover this morning reading Heloise’s column in the Washington Post.

Yes, you can use cold ashes to clean your fireplace doors, and yes vinegar will eventually get out minor soot stains, but c’mon, Heloise. Nine times out of ten, the smudge don’t budge and the stubborn stains remain. I’m all for home remedies, but sometimes you have to bring in the big guns. Sometimes, nothing but a commercial fireplace cleaner will do.