Cleaning Glass on Gas Fireplace

It is that time of year for cozy winter things. Warm blankets, soft socks, hot chocolate, and warm fires. Our fireplace has never been cleaned before, and it was dirty. Dirty, dirty, dirty. We have had gas fireplaces in the past and every winter season we make a point to clean them. We wasted no time getting our current fireplace ready for the winter season. It really is simple and makes such a difference. To see more on this project visit http://www.raisingrustic.com/cleaningglassonglassfireplace/
Need:
-Tarp/Old Towel - To protect floor from soot.
-Gloves, Razor Blade - Only if your fireplace is really dirty (like ours was).
-Gas Fireplace Cleaner - We like this one because it takes off white deposits and leaves a protective coating to prevent future buildup. The main concern is that it does not contain ammonia (like windex). Ammonia can actually harm the inside coating on the glass. The owners before us left this product so it is what we have always used. I am sure there are a lot of other products that work just as well.
-Glass Cleaner - I use this on the outside of the glass, because it does not contain ammonia.
-Microfiber rags
-Glowing Embers - Adds more glow to your fireplace and makes it look more realistic. Make sure you use ones that are compatible with your gas fireplace!
-Vacuum - With brush attachment.
-Cleaning the Glass on your Gas Fireplace
1. Put down your tarp and turn the pilot light off - First things first. I always think it is a good idea to have it off while messing around in a fireplace, right? Ours had sooo much soot. I would recommend putting down a towel or tarp to lay your dirty glass on.
2. Remove the glass from the gas fireplace - Easiest way is to follow the directions in your owner's manual. Of course we do not have the owner's manual for our fireplace. Luckily, most fireplaces were designed for easy cleaning with a quick release system. All three of our gas fireplaces have been a bit different, but they all had clamps that you can undo without any tools.
For our current one, the clamps are above the fireplace. We pulled each individual grate out, then found three metal clamps. By simply releasing the three clamps, the glass is now loose. You can then pull up on the whole piece of glass and pull it out. It should come out very easily.
With our last gas fireplace, the clamps were underneath the bottom grate. We simple would tilt out the bottom grate, and there were two silver clamps that would release the glass.
This is the trickiest part if you haven't done it before. After finding the clamps the first time, it will be such a simple thing to clean in the future.
3. Clean the glass - We lay the glass front side down on our tarp. Our glass was literally black. Because it was such a thick covering of soot, I first wiped it off with my cloth, then applied the cleaner. Follow the instructions on your product to get the glass really clean.
4. Vacuum the logs - This is something my dad always did growing up. It is such an easy way to get the logs looking new. With the brush attachment, do a very gentile brushing. I spend less than a minute doing this. Then I lightly dust them with my cloth. It is important to note, do not rearrange the logs. They are designed to go in a certain way!
5. Add your glowing embers - First, I remove the top layer of really dirty old embers. This is where gloves come in handy. Then, with your new embers, use a thin layer and spread them out as much as possible onto the burner and in front of it. This is my favorite part, because it makes such a difference. The new embers add lots of glow!
6. Put it back together - When you are all done just clamp everything back in. Make sure everything is lined up correctly and secure.
7. Enjoy your clean fireplace!