How to Clean Soot from Glass Lanterns

Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: November 13, 2022

A well-used glass lantern will inevitably get some soot on it. Soot build-up prevents light from shining through your lantern. Enough soot build-up could even pose a fire hazard. More often than not, a simple soak in soapy water will be enough to clean the soot from the glass, but using newspaper, ash, gasoline, paint thinners, and other products can help you ensure your lantern glass is squeaky clean.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Washing Non-Removable Lantern Glass

1
Clean the outside-facing side of the glass. Before you attack the soot on the inside of the glass, use a damp cloth to wipe away any dirt or dust from the outside of the glass. It's important that the outside-facing side of the glass is as clean as possible.^{[1]
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2
Remove the candle or wick from the lantern. If you have a candle or wick in the lantern, remove it before you continue with the cleaning process. Simply reach in and lift the candle from the base of the lantern. You can do the same to remove the wick from the lantern.^{[2]
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3
Drain the lantern of wax and other residue. Most wax will melt at 150 °F (66 °C). Boil some water, mix it with detergent, and then pour it into the lantern. Boiled water has a temperature of 215 °F (102 °C) so it will melt the wax in the lantern and turn it to liquid.^{[3]
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- Be careful when using the boiling water. Don't let it touch your skin and pour it slowly into the lantern.
- If you had trouble removing the candle or the wick from the lantern, the boiling water will make it much easier to remove those items.
4
Pour the boiling water and detergent from the lantern outside. Do not pour the contents of the lantern down your sink as the wax can harden and clog your plumbing. If you have a gravel driveway, pour the contents of the lantern there.^{[4]
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- It can take 4 or 5 repetitions of this process to completely remove the wax from your lantern.
5
Dip newspaper into water and ash. Fill a bowl with ash from your fireplace and prepare another bowl with water. Fold or crumple the newspaper and dip it into the water and then into the ash. The water will help the ash stick to the newspaper.^{[5]
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- Don't soak the newspaper as it will easily tear and crumble. A quick dip into the water will be enough to make the ash stick to it.
6
Rub the inside glass of the lantern with the newspaper. Put your hand inside the lantern and rub the glass with the newspaper and ash. Use a circular motion to avoid streaking the glass and to better remove the soot.^{[6]
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- As you clean, the newspaper will become dirty. Use a new piece of newspaper and continue the process.
- This process will remove most, if not all, soot from the glass.
7
Spray water on a paper towel and wipe the glass. Fill a spray bottle with some lukewarm water and spray a couple of squirts onto a paper towel. Use the paper towel to remove any leftover soot on the inside of the lantern.^{[7]
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- When the paper towel gets too dirty or turns black, change to a new paper towel.
- Repeat until there is no more soot sticking to the paper towels.
8
Dry the lantern glass with a clean paper towel. To finish cleaning the lantern glass, use some paper towels and gently wipe the glass to remove any leftover residue or soot. Wipe the glass and use as many paper towels as you need until there is no more dirt on the towels after wiping.^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning Removable Glass with Soap and Water

1
Remove the glass from the lantern. This process might be slightly different depending on the design of your lantern. For most lanterns, you can either slide the glass panels out or lift off the glass globe.
- Some lanterns might require the use of a screwdriver to remove screws before you can lift the glass out.
- Other lanterns will have easy-to-remove glass that won't require any tools.
2
Pour out any fuel from a globe lantern. Some fuel may have become lodged in the bottom of a globe lantern over time. Take the globe outside and turn it upside down and let the fuel drain from the globe. The best place to pour the fuel is on a gravel driveway.^{[9]
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- Don't pour it down a sink or drain as the wax can cause blockages in pipes.
3
Fill a globe lantern with gasoline or paint thinner. After you've removed the leftover fuel from the globe lantern, fill it halfway with either gasoline or paint thinner. Hold the side of the lantern and swish your chosen liquid around the globe. Then hold the other side of the lantern and swish the fuel or thinner around again. Pour the fuel or thinner out and observe its color. It will probably be a cloudy white or yellow color.^{[10]
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- Repeat the process a few times until the gasoline or thinner is clear when poured from the globe.
4
Combine mild dishwashing liquid and warm water in a bowl. Mix 5 parts water with 1 part dishwashing liquid. Avoid using harsh chemical soaps or liquids since these are more likely to scratch or warp the glass. The water should be lukewarm and not piping hot.^{[11]
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- You can make a multi-purpose cleaner by mixing a few drops of dishwashing liquid and water.
- If it is greasy, you can use olive oil.
- Soak it overnight and wipe it with a cloth in the morning.
5
Use a soft cloth dipped in the solution to wipe the glass. Use a soft cloth or sponge for this step as anything with a rough surface will probably scratch and damage the glass. Gently wipe the glass with the cloth to remove soot stains.^{[12]
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6
Rinse the glass under running water. Gently wipe the surface of the glass with a clean paper towel as you rinse it. It's possible that your lantern glass will be completely clean by this step if there wasn't much soot build-up on the glass. However, if you still notice soot residue on the glass, continue cleaning.^{[13]
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- You don't need to rinse the glass for very long. A quick rinse will let you know whether the glass needs more cleaning or if it's finished.
7
Place the glass on a clean surface and allow it to dry for a few hours. Placing the wet glass into the lantern can cause water damage to the lantern material. After a few hours, check to make sure your glass in completely dry. When it is dry, place the glass back in the lantern the same way you removed it.^{[14]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Vinegar Solution and Glass Cleaner

1
Mix 1/4 cup (60 ml) vinegar with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water in a spray bottle. You can use an old spray bottle or one that's nearly empty if you don't want to buy a new one. Just make sure you rigorously clean it out before use. Once you've added the vinegar and water, shake the bottle to combine the two liquids.^{[15]
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- Make sure you clean the nozzle of the spray bottle too. Do this by filling the spray bottle with water and then spray the water out through the nozzle. Repeat this a few times to ensure the nozzle is clean.
2
Spray the solution onto a clean paper towel and wipe the glass. A couple of sprays onto a paper towel should be enough. Only use enough pressure to scrub away the ash from the glass. Apply a gentle pressure, just firm enough to scrub away the ash.^{[16]
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- You might need to use a few paper towels. If one gets dirty, throw it away and use another instead of wiping the soot with a dirty paper towel.
3
Spray the solution directly on the glass and wipe it with a cloth. Use the spray bottle to liberally apply the solution to the lantern's glass. Apply the solution liberally over the surface of the glass. Use a clean microfiber cloth to remove the soot.^{[17]
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- Give the glass some time to dry before repeating the process a second time to remove any leftover soot residue.
4
Inspect your glass. At this point, the lantern glass should be completely clean and have no leftover soot residue. If there's still some soot residue or if the glass has a foggy, yellowish look, you should do some additional cleaning.^{[18]
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5
Spray the glass with glass cleaner. Glass-top stove cleaners are preferable to window cleaners. Stove cleaners are more likely to be able to withstand hot temperatures and less likely to be flammable.^{[19]
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- Gently wipe the glass with a clean paper towel or microfiber cloth until it appears dry, transparent, and streak-free.
6
Lay the glass out on a clean table or counter for several hours. Doing so will allow it the chance to completely dry. When the glass has dried, put it back on the lantern. If the glass slid off when removing it, replace it the same way.^{[20]
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- If you had to use a screwdriver to remove the glass, make sure you replace any screws and tighten them into place with the screwdriver.

Warnings

Be careful about how much or how hard you scrub the glass if it has a logo or design on it. If you scrub too hard, you could cause this design to wear off.

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