Struggling to remove ash and smoke stains from the window of your stove?

Look no further as one DIY expert discovered a simple solution – a method so effective she’s described it as “hocus pocus wizardry”. Taking to TikTok, Brit Robyn Stanley (@the_house_acc) joked: “Please tell me I’m not the only one who has been living under a rock not knowing this hack.”

Robyn then revealed pre-recorded before and after snaps, before detailing her work in a video. “Who knew you could achieve this using wet kitchen roll and ash?” she asked her 286,000 followers. 

“What in the hocus pocus early Halloween treat is this wizardy?” she quipped as she scrubbed the stove’s glass with her kitchen roll and burnt ash from within. I am absolutely shook – I need to know the science behind this,” she declared as the results became apparent in a matter of seconds. 

“It did take a bit of elbow grease,” Robyn continued as she got down on her hands and knees to get stuck in. “But I can’t believe how clean it came up.”

With her glass now completely transparent, Robyn completed the job with window cleaner to provide the finishing touches. “I did get a bit carried away,” she admitted afterwards as she was seen shovelling the remaining contents of ash from the stove before cleaning its handle vigorously. 

Robyn closed her video with a second stove tip, meanwhile. “People asked me the other day how to get the fire going,” she said. “I’m no expert, but the more you can elevate the main log by getting a big gap under it, the better in my opinion.

She added she leaves the stove door open until the flames are “absolutely roaring” before closing it and turning the vent off. 

Several followers of Robyn suggested using newspaper rather than kitchen roll, while scores more thanked her for the hack. “Mind blown! Also, love the fireplace,” one TikTok user responded. “I clean this glass every day or two, this hack easily cleans the fireplace,” commented a second.

And responding to Robyn’s request for the “science” behind the method, one person wrote: “Ash was used to get lye for soap making in the old days, so that might have something to do with it.” Another explained: “The ash basically makes a scouring paste similar to Cif or Pink Stuff, which you could use if the ash makes a mess.”