Sparkling Fireplace Glass
photo by Chef Tweaker
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 3
- Serves:
-
1
ingredients
- 1 cup wood ash
- 4 cups water
- window cleaner
directions
- IMPORTANT NOTE: after posting this recipe, I tried another time and was disappointed in the result. An additional important step for this to work is to do this while the glass is still warm from a fire. The creosote is softened at this point and it will wipe off easier.
- Prep: lay down newspaper if you are worried about sludge dripping on your floor. Our area is all brick or cement so it isn't an issue for me. Wear gloves! I got lazy the last time and my hands are still recovering. Use a sponge with a scrubber that is about to be thrown out since it will be black beyond repair when you are done. I have had some light scratching from the scrubber so if you are concerned, use one that has the plastic scrubber for teflon.
- Do NOT clean the inside of the fireplace first. You need the ashes that are inside!
- Fill a bowl with plain warm water. Only use plastic if you don't care about it getting dirty.
- Wet the sponge in the water. Dip the scrubber side into the whitest ashes of the fireplace. Rub the scrubber lightly over the black, baked on glass. I've noticed that it works best if you let that first application set for several seconds and then scrub it. You will see a bunch just melt off. There will be more that takes more scrubbing. Use the water to rinse the sponge occasionally and redip the sponge in the ashes as needed. I find the water has to be replaced with each pane of glass.
- After you feel that the pane of glass is clean you will have to spray it with window cleaner and wipe with a paper towel, otherwise there will be a cloudy film left behind.
- Double-check that you didn't miss anything since the cloudy film can mask some spots the first time.
- Why does this work? It turns out that lye is made from wood ashes -- hence the reason to wear gloves!
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
-
This works! I do not use a glass cleaner afterwards, I use vinegar or ammonia for shining glass. I do not recommend ammonia (the fumes are overwelming) if you do not have lots of ventilation. Vinegar is safe. The white ashes are wonderful as a cleaning product. Further they are biodegradable and give that extra boost to soil for plants, gardens or soil around trees. Ash is also used to scrub plank wood floors in many countries. Thank you for posting. In this era and economy, many people do not realize they have products right at their fingertips to use again in any way.
-
I wanted to say thank you - I use this trick with me electrical fireplace https://bestazy.com/best-electric-fireplace/ since watching this video two years ago. I also want to say that there's a chemical reason why this works. Lye is created by leaching wood ash. Lye is the main ingredient in soap... so it makes sense that wet wood ashes will clean the glass. I knew the first time I tried it that it worked, it just took me two years to figure out why this works. :) It may help the skeptics (like me) to understand there's a true scientific explanation why this works
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I am married and spend my time as a "home manager." [This is the PC way of saying that I'm a homemaker :o)] My daughter is a toddler and a joy most of the time. I'm blessed that she loves vegetables... she will even pick them over carbs!
I have always loved to cook and I like to try new things. It is hard for me to stick to a recipe though... I'm always changing things which is why I chose "Chef Tweaker".
Reviews: I follow the suggestions that are on the stars.
5 Stars = Outstanding!
4 Stars = Loved it
3 Stars = Liked it
2 Stars = OK
1 Star = Didn't Like it
No Star = Posting a comment only (I use this when I've tweaked too much!)
Pet Peeves: Recipe ingredients not written in the order required in the recipe.
<img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/PACsticker-Adopted.jpg">