How To Spring Clean Your Woodburning Stove

Spring has sprung, and it’s regretfully about time to put your stove to bed for the year. Having worked hard all winter keeping your home warm and cosy, your wood burning stove is probably now in need of some attention before it becomes dormant throughout the summer months. In order to prepare for its upcoming hibernation, it’s vital that you carry out some essential maintenance to ensure that, come autumn, your stove will be in optimum condition to begin warming your home again.

By cleaning, you will not only have a better view of the flames, but your fire is likely to burn more efficiently. Introducing a regular maintenance system helps to extend the life of your stove and ensures that it looks good and performs well all year around.


Farringdon Eco (chestnut colour) freestanding wood burning stove

A qualified installer is best served to carry this process out, but our handy hints and tips in this blog post will also help you to spring clean your stove.

Exterior Clean: The way your stove looks aesthetically is important, as even when not in use, it still provides a focal centrepiece all year around. Make sure you keep the exterior of your stove clean and fresh by using a lint-free cloth or a clean shoe brush to wipe away any soot or dust. Avoid using water or a damp cloth to clean your stove.

Internal Clean: Don’t forget to give the internal elements a good clean too, to avoid clogging and build up. To start with, clean the roof of the firebox and then vacuum away any ashes or soot. Small wire brushes are useful for the more fiddly areas of your stove.

Clear Glass: Our innovative airwash system will help ensure your glass stays clean when used properly. However, if it blackens over time, dip a damp cloth into the wood ash and use it to clean your fire door glass. Stove glass cleaners also work well.

Summer Breeze: In the summertime, remove the throat plate and leave the air inlets open to allow a flow of air through the stove to prevent rust.

Paint Job: Your stove may need repainting so, after cleaning, our stove touch up spray paint is simple and easy to use. Ensure you have masked off adjacent areas and door glass before spraying in a well-ventilated area. After painting, leave the appliance for up to eight hours to dry and then burn a slow and steady fire to allow the paint to cure.

Sweep Your Chimney: We recommend sweeping our chimney on a yearly basis; springtime is the perfect opportunity to do so, whilst the stove is not in use. A chimney ‘health check’ will ensure that your flue pipe or chimney is clear and safe for when you re-light your appliance in the colder months.

Ongoing TLC: Make sure your door rope still maintains a tight seal and lubricate latches and or any sliders where possible with a high temperature lubricant such as copper grease. Ensure your riddling grate moves freely and check over your grate bars for damage. It is also useful to check for cracks in your glass, check all clips and seals to ensure they remain intact and check your stove liners for any signs of cracking or crumbling.

Hardy 4 stove, with summer floral decoration

We hope our guide helps you to spring clean your stove and prepare for the upcoming summer months. Let us know if you have any questions or want to chat further about the maintenance of your wood burning stove!