Before Each Use

Use a brush to collect ash in the ash pan, and empty it prior to each fire, and as needed. Ashes may contain embers for hours or days after the fire goes out, so they’re best disposed of in a fireproof ash bin. Improper disposal of ashes (i.e. tossing them in the kitchen trash can or vacuuming them with a household vacuum) is a leading cause of stove-related house fires, so treat ashes with appropriate care.

Some soot will accumulate on your stove glass. To remove it prior to starting your stove, moisten a crumpled sheet of newspaper with water and dip it in some wood ash, then use the ash to scrub the glass until the deposits are removed. There are commercially available wood stove glass cleaning products, but scrubbing the glass with wet newspaper and wood ash seems to work the best.