Using a wood-burning stove to heat your home is a good alternative to central heating. However, no system is without its drawbacks, and a stove’s is that it can be pretty dirty. Which leads us to the question, do log burners create dust?
We’ll aim to answer this question below and explain why this is the case and what you can do about it.
Do Log Burners Create Dust? Technically, log burners do create dust. However, it’s probably more accurate to say that log burners create ash, which, when fine enough, does contribute to the problem of dust in a home. This is why you might notice there’s more dust in winter than summer if you use a log burner.
Dust consists of particles of very fine solid matter. In a home, the vast majority of dust is made of dead skin cells, hair, and clothing fibres.
Ash from a log burner can contribute to this, of course, and this can certainly make the problem worse.
Are Log Burners Messy? Do Log Burners Make a Mess?
Well, the answer is yes, log burners are pretty messy. The main issue is ash, which can escape the log burner quite easily.
But you must also factor in bits of wood and potentially soot, which can also make your home look messy.
Modern log burners must meet a minimum eco standard, meaning they burn wood very efficiently. However, you’ll never completely do away with ash because it’s what’s left when you’ve finished burning wood.
No stove will ever be 100% efficient, so you’ll always have some ash.
The same is true for the wood you’re burning. When you bring it in, bits will inevitably drop off, such as pieces of bark or things stuck to the logs.
This is pretty much unavoidable, so be prepared to do plenty of hoovering during wood-burning season!
Soot is perhaps the least of your concerns with a modern log burner. Providing the chimney is clean and everything is connected properly, there should be almost no soot or smoke escaping into the room itself.
If you notice this happening, speak to a qualified professional because you might have a problem.
Do Log Burners Make House Dusty?
Log burners make houses dusty through the distribution of ash. Providing you’re using the stove correctly, there shouldn’t be that much escaping into the room.
If you notice it’s coating items around the room and is found elsewhere in the house, you might want to get your stove inspected. It could be a sign of a larger problem.
Do Wood Burners Make Your House Dusty and Dirty?
Dust from your wood burning stove can impact the quality of air within your home, making it dirty. It shouldn’t be a surprise that burning a fire in a room would impact the air quality, although you can reduce the impact by using an enclosed stove.
Even so, you’ll notice a smoky smell in the air, which can be unpleasant if you use the wrong wood.
How to Reduce Log Burner Dust in Your Home
While you’ll never truly do away with all dust related to your log burner, there’s plenty you can do to reduce the problem. Here are some tips for managing the dust that comes from your log burner.
1. Clean it
This is an obvious place to start. You should keep your log burner as clean as possible so it works at peak efficiency. This means emptying the ash pan daily and cleaning the glass and burning chamber.
Pro tip – Use WD40 on the glass to to keep it cleaner for longer.
Reducing the amount of soot inside the stove will help it work better, which in turn will reduce the amount of ash it produces.
This stove cleaner will get your stove looking asa good as new!
2. Clean the chimney
Again, this is another no-brainer. Your chimney and flue should be cleaned at least once a year, ideally before you start using the stove for the season.
Along with reducing the chances of a fire (an unwanted one, that is), a clean chimney means better draw. This refers to the air being sucked into the fire, which improves efficiency and helps remove smoke.
3. Be careful opening the door
Generally, ash escapes from the fire when you open the door to refuel it. If you open the door quickly, it changes the pressure, which can cause ash to blow out.
Equally, ash collecting at the bottom of the stove could simply drop out.
When you go to refuel, start by opening the door gently into lighting position. This means having it open a small crack to create draw.
Then, after a second or two, open it fully. Doing this slowly will minimise the ash that drops out.
4. Use properly seasoned wood
The wood you use in your stove should be seasoned properly. This means the moisture content has been reduced as much as possible, ideally below 20%. Dry wood burns more efficiently and means less smoke and ash.
Kiln dried logs are my go to:
Your wood should be seasoned for 6-12 months before being burned. You could test it with a moisture meter or perform a visual inspection.
Alternatively, only get it from sources you know have seasoned it properly, or season it yourself.
5. Log Burner Hoover/Ash Pan Hoover
As with points 1 and 2, this might be an obvious one. Your log burner should be cool enough to hoover in the morning, even if you leave it burning when you go to bed.
Run an ash pan hoover around the stove and the fireplace to get rid of the ash. Of course, empty the ash pan first so you can clear up the mess. I recommend this ash pan hoover:
Log burner hoovering when the ash is cold helps catch it more easily, and doing it daily should reduce its spread around the house.
Do Log Burners Create Dust – A Summary
Log burners do create dust, but it’s the price you pay for using this form of heating. While it’ll never be as clean as central heating, buying a modern stove will certainly cut down on the amount of mess it creates.
Regardless, make sure you’ve got your vacuum cleaner handy!
