How To Clean Wood Burning Camping Stove

By: LeRoy Coffie

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Here are instructions for how to clean a wood burning camping stove. Many campers like the convenience of the wood burning camping stove. It is easy to find fuel when you camp, because wood and wood scraps are easily accessible. Cleaning the stove takes some time, but it is easier than you may think.

To clean a wood burning camping stove, you will need:

Small brush
Small shovel
Sandpaper
Vacuum
Work gloves
Dust mask
Metal bucket
Shop rags

You are finished with your wood burning camp stove and you want to clean it. You can clean your wood burning camping stove at your campsite and make sure it is clean on the trip home. Make sure the stove is cooled down before you clean it.
Your wood burning camp stove is cooled down and you are ready to clean it. Take your dust mask and put it over your mouth and nose. This is important if you are allergic to dust. Put your work gloves on your hands. Grab your small brush and shovel. Take your shovel and scoop up as much of the ashes you can. Put the ashes into the metal bucket. Make sure there are no ashes or coals that are still hot.
Take your small brush and brush all the leftover ashes into the small shovel. Continue to dump the shovel into the metal bucket until the bucket is full or the stove is emptied out. Take the metal bucket and dump it on some nearby rocks or down by the river. Remember to make sure there are no hot coals or ashes left. You do not want to set off a forest fire.
If you have electricity at the campsite, you can use your vacuum to suck up the leftover ashes. If not, sweep as much out of the wood burning camp stove as you can with your small brush. You can suck up the leftover ashes out of your wood burning camp stove at home if you do not have available electricity at the campsite.
If you have a glass door on the wood burning camp stove, clean it off with very fine sandpaper. When you are finished cleaning the wood burning camp stove, wipe out the outside with shop rags. Use the shop rags to remove all the leftover dust off the outside of your wood burning camp stove.
Clean the stove pipes with a chimney brush. Brush the inside of the stove pipes and make sure all the creosol is out of the stove pipes to prevent build up and fires. Not all wood burning camp stoves have stove pipes, some of the larger ones do.
Your wood burning camp stove is cleaned and ready to bring home. Now you can place it back in your vehicle without worrying about making a mess. When you get home, you can complete the task by vacuuming the leftover ashes out of the wood burning camp stove. Unless you had electricity and were able to do this at the campsite. When you are finished, wipe the inside of the wood burning camp stove out with the shop rags. Your wood burning camp stove is clean and ready for your next trip.