How do you clean a gas fireplace?

Answer 1

Cast iron is a very hard material, and the best way to clean it is with a stiff wire brush. These can be purchased for around one or �1 or �2 ($2.00 or $3.00).

If the fireplace is "in situ" you should be able to clean most of the visible surfaces easily.

If the fireplace is "out" and you can move it around, then get it in the best position you can and "wire brush it" until you have removed all of the rust. be careful when moving the fireplace, although cast iron is a robust material from the point of view of attacking it with a wire brush, it is prone to fracture very easily . So if you drop it, or impacted with a hammer, you are likely to fracture it right the way across, or breaking off a chunk.

It was common to coat cast iron fireplaces with a material called "black lead" I am not sure whether this actually contains lead, however I think you should take precautions, wear gloves, and a suitable breathing apparatus to protect yourself from the dust and the possibility of ingesting lead.

Using a wire brush may help, particularly if the stove is in really bad shape. A wire brush won't give you clean shiny stove though. What you want is a product called stove oil or stove blackening. This stuff works wonders and is probably all you need to restore your stove to it's original luster, unless it is really crusty in which case you may want to start with a wire brush. I haven't found the stove blackening at your big box home improvement stores but often Ace Harware carries it.

Answer 2

There are cleaning agents made to clean cast iron stove tops, but many use kosher salt to clean the tops. Let the stove go out, and on the cold top, put wet salt, and scrub with a damp cloth. Clean up all leftover salt well.

Answer 3

The question is quite broad.

As a home owner; you can clean the glass, the exterior and ensure no dust is around the the air inlets. A vacuum works quite well. Do not play with or remove the gas burner or valve. Vacuum the burners inlet and outlet. Spiders can reek havoc on fireplaces that havent been used for a season and build nests in the orifice of the burner inlet. This is a very dangerous scenario. So i recommend you hire a qualified gas technician to do the rest.

Every season check that the flu/vent/chimney has no obstructions such as birds nests, plants, etc.

Answer 4

Cast Iron Wood Burning Stoves are a classical and popular method of baking. You can clean this type of stove by using a sponge to get the dust off, and then hosing the stove with water, and then soft brushing it.