# Cleaning MES Window Without Any Chemicals At All



## Bearcarver (Nov 21, 2011)

*Cleaning MES Window Without Any Chemicals*

I've been cleaning my MES window with various things over the last year.

I used Windex, with the door all the way open, so the overspray wouldn't get inside my MES 40.

Guys told me this could leave a toxic residue anyway.

Even though I buff it real good & dry, and I don't believe it unsafe, I tried other things, like Alcohol.

Alcohol worked good, but not when the coating was real thick. It got all gummed up.

So the other suggestion was the best I could come up with----Razor blade, and then Alcohol.

That works pretty good !!!!

*Then I woke up!!!*

What am I doing????

I've been cleaning the inside of my glass door on my wood stoves for 30 years, and it works great & easy & quick!!!

No chemicals at all are used. But would it work on my MES 40 glass window in the door???

I finally got around to testing it, and it works great !!!!!

All it takes is about 4 or 5 wet paper towels, One dry paper towel, and ashes from a wood stove.

The ashes are easy to come by for those of us in the North, with woodstoves & fireplaces.

And I guess guys in warmer climate could just burn some wood in a bucket or on the ground, and save some ashes (it doesn't take much) in a container, after it cools.

See below for some pics & directions:

Bear

Stop eyeing up my eggs---They're a few weeks old!!!!

My flash didn't go off on my first picture, so I substituted this old one.

The ashes inside, on the floor of the woodstove are what you want:








This flash didn't go off either, but what you want to do is get about 6 paper towels.

Take two of them, and ball them up & run water on them to get them a little less than dripping wet.

Then open your stove door, and dab one side of those two balled wet towels into the ashes.

Also individually ball 3 other paper towels, and get them less than dripping wet.

Keep the other paper towel dry.

Sorry it's hard to see below, but that is the wet paper towels with ashes on the one side.

Now meet me outside, at the smoker!!!!!







Here is a shot of the inside of my MES 40 Door.

All you do is put the wet paper towels with the ashes on, against the glass & scrub it just like you would scrub any window, until the whole thing is smeared up, like the next picture below.







Here it is all smeared up, but the dirt is no longer stuck to the glass, just like it gets with any kind of cleaner.

Then using the other wet paper towels one at a time, keep wiping the glass. It will get cleaner with each wet paper towel. How many wet paper towels it takes will depend on how dirty it was to begin with.







Then when it looks clean enough to you, buff it with the dry paper towel-----Done !







Here it is with the door closed.

There are a couple light streaks, meaning I should have used one more wet towel---I only used 2, after the ashes.

Those light colored dots are on the back wall of my smoker, just like the light circle around my heat sensor.

Also, if your glass is a lot dirtier than mine was, you could still use the razor blade first---Then this method.







For those of you who never tried this on the inside of your woodstove door glass---You really Must Try It !!!!

It works Awesome !!!!


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## chef jimmyj (Nov 21, 2011)

Great post Bear....You really know how to spread your ASH THIN!! ...JJ


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## SmokinAl (Nov 21, 2011)

Thanks Bear, we have an outdoor firepit that we use all the time, I'll give this a try next time.


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## rabbithutch (Nov 21, 2011)

Great idea!

Thanks, Bear!!


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## tjohnson (Nov 21, 2011)

Pretty simple!

I wonder is ashes from my pellet burner would work???

Guess I'll give it a try

TJ


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## plj (Nov 21, 2011)

Yes, pellet ashes should work - Hardwood ash mixed with water forms lye, which is a basic solution like ammonia. Strength (pH) depends on how much ash & how much water. Good idea to use it to clean the smoker... Doh! Why didnt I think of that!   Main use for centuries was to make lye soap, candles, & tan hides.

(I tried some of those frontier skills when I was a kid, still remember some of it - like when an egg floats, you have the right pH for tanning a deerskin. Useful trivia if society ever collapses!)


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## Bearcarver (Nov 21, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Pretty simple!
> 
> I wonder is ashes from my pellet burner would work???
> 
> ...


Not sure Todd---I would worry about maybe having some metal chips in the pellets---might scratch glass---I'm just guessing with that though.

I know the ashes from my woodstove work perfectly, and all it costs me is about 6 paper towels per cleaning.

Bear


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## roller (Nov 21, 2011)

Great idea Bear !!!!!!   I just sold a wood burner like that one...


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## hickory larry (Nov 21, 2011)

That is an awesome bit of info. Goood to know since santa doesn"t know it yet but i"m getting a MES 40 for X-mas.Thanks for all the info I love this site!


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## Bearcarver (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks Jimmy & RH !!

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Nov 22, 2011)

Thanks Al & Todd !!!

I think you'll like the way it works.

However, if it's really really thick, you might want to use a razor blade first, but that would be true with other cleaners too.

Bear


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## seenred (Nov 22, 2011)

Great post and good info!  This makes a lotta sense. 

Thanks Bear


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## Bearcarver (Nov 22, 2011)

plj said:


> Yes, pellet ashes should work - Hardwood ash mixed with water forms lye, which is a basic solution like ammonia. Strength (pH) depends on how much ash & how much water. Good idea to use it to clean the smoker... Doh! Why didnt I think of that!   Main use for centuries was to make lye soap, candles, & tan hides.
> 
> (I tried some of those frontier skills when I was a kid, still remember some of it - like when an egg floats, you have the right pH for tanning a deerskin. Useful trivia if society ever collapses!)


Thanks plj,

I never knew any of that lye stuff (very interesting), but somebody told me about it, around 30 years ago, and I couldn't believe how it cleaned my woodstove door glass. Been using it ever since.

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Nov 23, 2011)

Roller said:


> Great idea Bear !!!!!!   I just sold a wood burner like that one...


Thanks Roller!

I liked my old "Osburn" stoves better than this "Lopi--Liberty", but it will do.
 

Bear




Hickory larry said:


> That is an awesome bit of info. Goood to know since santa doesn"t know it yet but i"m getting a MES 40 for X-mas.Thanks for all the info I love this site!


That's great !!!

You'll love it !!

Bear
 




SeenRed said:


> Great post and good info!  This makes a lotta sense.
> 
> Thanks Bear


Thanks Red !!

I never thought of it until that big snow storm knocked our electric out for 6 days.

Then I was cleaning my woodstove glass, and it hit me---"Why wouldn't these ashes work on my MES 40 glass???"

Maybe it was because I was using my woodstove for cooking, that made me put the two together???

Bear


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## jak757 (Nov 23, 2011)

Bear -- thanks for the post!  I've been envious of the pics of your MES with the clean window.  Mine is pretty gummed up at this point.  I'm going to use this approach -- I'll use the ashes from my AMNPS.  

And thanks PLJ for the explanation of why it works -- makes sense to me!


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## Bearcarver (Nov 23, 2011)

JAK757 said:


> Bear -- thanks for the post!  I've been envious of the pics of your MES with the clean window.  Mine is pretty gummed up at this point.  I'm going to use this approach -- I'll use the ashes from my AMNPS.
> 
> And thanks PLJ for the explanation of why it works -- makes sense to me!


Thanks John!!!
I hope that works for you, but I'm thinking the AMNPS ashes may be too fine.

It kinda gets like talcum powder.

Let us know.

If it doesn't work good, living in Ohio, even if you don't have a woodstove, it shouldn't be hard to get a small container of ashes from a friend or relative. It would last forever, because you only use a minuscule amount each time.

Bear


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## ptcruiserguy (Nov 23, 2011)

Hey Bear, that is very much appreciated. I hated looking around the house for the alcohol.

Now that it is winter I have a fireplace so this will work great for me.

It is totally amazing how a person's mind works. lol

Happy Smokin' & cleaning.... 

Mike


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## Bearcarver (Nov 25, 2011)

ptcruiserguy said:


> Hey Bear, that is very much appreciated. I hated looking around the house for the alcohol.
> 
> Now that it is winter I have a fireplace so this will work great for me.
> 
> ...


Thanks Mike!!!

I knew there was at least one good thing about living in Snow Country.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    Plenty of ashes!!

Bear


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## hiram (Nov 25, 2011)

I use one of those nylon rough pads like your wife uses when washing dishes and white vinegar, the white vinegar cuts the grease great and and the residue wipes off with paper towels.


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## bobbygee (Nov 26, 2011)

Thanx for the info Bear. Sounds like a nice and cheap solution(pun intended). I've been stealing my wife's mr clean magic eraser thingy.


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## fishshtick (Jan 8, 2012)

I just use a green Scotch Brite pad and some paper towels right after a smoke, while the glass is still warm. I wet the scotch brite pad in warm water and it takes very little effort to losen the residue on the window with a little scrubbing.  A couple wipes with some paper towels and the job's done.  The key is doing this while the residue is still fresh on every smoke.  If you let the thing cool it gets much tougher. The green scotch brite pads don't scratch the glass if that is what anyone is wondering.


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## phillip p smith (Dec 15, 2013)

. I tried that today and it worked. My wife looked at me like???? What!!  Next time I will put a piece of newspaper on the flooring before scrubbing. Get the paper towel wet, dip it in the ashes, rub some all over the glass, then go back and rub all over. Rinse with clean water. Viola!! Job done with no hassle or chemicals! It works!!

Thanks for the thread!


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## Bearcarver (Dec 15, 2013)

Phillip P Smith said:


> . I tried that today and it worked. My wife looked at me like???? What!!  Next time I will put a piece of newspaper on the flooring before scrubbing. Get the paper towel wet, dip it in the ashes, rub some all over the glass, then go back and rub all over. Rinse with clean water. Viola!! Job done with no hassle or chemicals! It works!!
> 
> Thanks for the thread!


Glad it worked good for you!!

LOL---I've been know to drip on my front porch floor while cleaning my glass.

Bear


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## idahopz (Nov 12, 2018)

I cannot thank you enough for this post Bear! For the first time in about 30 years it is easy to see the fire through the glass in our wood burning fireplace insert. Sure, I could have cleaned it with other methods, but was just too lazy because it is so difficult. Your ash method makes the grime come off the window almost like a simple wipe of the cloth.


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## cmayna (Nov 12, 2018)

I use hot water with one of those green scouring pads on my MES40 door window.  Simple!


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## Lurch96 (Nov 13, 2018)

I use rubbing alcohol at the suggestion of another post on this forum.  Works great! The window wipes clean as if that was it's only job in this world.


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## Bearcarver (Nov 13, 2018)

idahopz said:


> I cannot thank you enough for this post Bear! For the first time in about 30 years it is easy to see the fire through the glass in our wood burning fireplace insert. Sure, I could have cleaned it with other methods, but was just too lazy because it is so difficult. Your ash method makes the grime come off the window almost like a simple wipe of the cloth.




Thank You Pete!!
Glad it makes it easy for you!!
Anybody who never tried this has no idea how easy it can be.
I used Windex---Not Bad.
Awesome----Pretty Good.
Alcohol------Useless.
Wood stove Ashes---Unbelievable!
And Thanks for the Like.

Bear


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## Carvendive (Nov 24, 2018)

Bearcarver said:


> Thanks John!!!
> I hope that works for you, but I'm thinking the AMNPS ashes may be too fine.
> 
> It kinda gets like talcum powder.
> ...


1. Very fine ash will also work. 
2. If you have tough areas let the ash/water solution sit in the spot for 5 min. It helps dissolve the stain.
3. Be careful not to use ash from the bottom of the hearth as you might also pick up sand (from the bark) that will scratch.
4. If you do get a scratch and the window is glass (wood stove and fireplaces are usually not glass but rather, clear ceramic) DON'T PANIC. You can use rottenstone followed with ash to buff it out if it's not too deep.


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## AP514 (Dec 18, 2018)

Lurch96 said:


> I use rubbing alcohol at the suggestion of another post on this forum.  Works great! The window wipes clean as if that was it's only job in this world.



I use DeNatured Alcohol.(no water in it) got at least 15 smokes under my belt now and Mes looks almost new.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 18, 2018)

Carvendive said:


> 1. Very fine ash will also work.
> 2. If you have tough areas let the ash/water solution sit in the spot for 5 min. It helps dissolve the stain.
> 3. Be careful not to use ash from the bottom of the hearth as you might also pick up sand (from the bark) that will scratch.
> 4. If you do get a scratch and the window is glass (wood stove and fireplaces are usually not glass but rather, clear ceramic) DON'T PANIC. You can use rottenstone followed with ash to buff it out if it's not too deep.




Hmmm, I used to use Rottenstone to remove stains from Lacquered Kitchen Cabinets. Good stuff!

Bear


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## Carvendive (Dec 18, 2018)

Yeah, among other things I use both pumice and rotten stone to spot fix hardwood floors. Feathers in the edges so we'll you can't spot the fix.


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## normanaj (Dec 18, 2018)

Carvendive said:


> Yeah, among other things I use both pumice and rotten stone to spot fix hardwood floors. Feathers in the edges so we'll you can't spot the fix.



Yup!


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## old sarge (Dec 18, 2018)

Razor blade scraper works well.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 18, 2018)

Honestly, the novelty of having a window wore off after the 5th smoke and I haven't cleaned it since.


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## maplenut (Dec 19, 2018)

AP514 said:


> I use DeNatured Alcohol.(no water in it) got at least 15 smokes under my belt now and Mes looks almost new.
> View attachment 382945


Looks mighty nice in that there smoker. 
Me personally prefer to keep my smoker cured and untouched, except that dang window! 
Why did I get the one with the window? Once I fire up the smoker it is not long till that dang window becomes useless. Then I feel that I must get it clean once I am done each time.

Why did I get the one with a window?


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## maplenut (Dec 19, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> Honestly, the novelty of having a window wore off after the 5th smoke and I haven't cleaned it since.


I agree completely. 
But my OCD kicks in when there is a window and it must be kept clean!


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## Bearcarver (Dec 19, 2018)

maplenut said:


> Looks mighty nice in that there smoker.
> Me personally prefer to keep my smoker cured and untouched, except that dang window!
> Why did I get the one with the window? Once I fire up the smoker it is not long till that dang window becomes useless. Then I feel that I must get it clean once I am done each time.
> 
> Why did I get the one with a window?




So you can look through it, instead of opening the door to make sure everything is going good, like your AMNPS.
It's also the best way to see if the density of smoke is not too heavy.
And visitors always want to see what's going on in there, and I don't open the door for anybody.
And it's not hard to keep clean---Even a lazy old guy, like Me can do it.

Bear


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 20, 2018)

maplenut said:


> I agree completely.
> But my OCD kicks in when there is a window and it must be kept clean!



Well my OCD kicked in this afternoon.  
Yep, I finally cleaned that window. 
I ended up spraying the window a couple times with Weber Grate Cleaner.  
Let the cleaner set for a few minutes then used a nylon scrub pad and a little bit of elbow grease. 
Followed that with two heavy rinses with water and then a two hour dry run at 275 degrees. 

It sure looks pretty.  
I am thinking about keeping my window clean from now on.


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## Bearcarver (Dec 21, 2018)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> Well my OCD kicked in this afternoon.
> Yep, I finally cleaned that window.
> I ended up spraying the window a couple times with Weber Grate Cleaner.
> Let the cleaner set for a few minutes then used a nylon scrub pad and a little bit of elbow grease.
> ...




I think you'll be glad you did, if you do.
However if you let it go a long time, whether you use ashes, which was the original reason for this thread, or any other cleaner, it would be a good idea to remove much of it with a razor blade first.

Bear


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## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 22, 2018)

Bearcarver said:


> I think you'll be glad you did, if you do.
> However if you let it go a long time, whether you use ashes, which was the original reason for this thread, or any other cleaner, it would be a good idea to remove much of it with a razor blade first.
> 
> Bear



Thank you Bear.
Now I need to start saving my ashes instead of spreading them in the garden.


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## gmc2003 (Dec 22, 2018)

I'm not a MES user and don't really know what type of glass the MES has, but if it's a ceramic glass then I would stay away from any ammonia based glass cleaners. Ammonia can cause pitting in the ceramic glass. This is from my pellet stove manual. I use a damp paper towel to clean my stoves glass and haven't had any issues.  

Chris


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