Ultimate List of Wood Stove Accessories for Everyday Use

This ultimate list of wood stove accessories is for anyone who may be considering a wood burning stove, already has a wood stove or is perhaps looking for a gift for a wood burning stove owner.

We love our wood stove. Aside from being practical, a wood burning stove lends a cozy, cabincore aesthetic to the cabin that makes me want to curl up with a good book for hours.

You really don’t need many wood stove tools to keep everything operational and toasty. Following is a list of everything we use on a daily basis with our stove. In addition, I’ve included some options we don’t use but are available, if interested.

Ultimate Wood Stove Accessories We Use Daily

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Fire Starters

This is the first year we have purchased a specialty fire starter. I purchased a box of Billy Buckskin Fatwood and have been happy with it. In fact, we liked it so much we gifted a box to both Bob’s and my parents for Christmas last year.

Born from the wood of old pine stumps left for waste after logging, it is made from splitting the stumps of pine trees that contain a high concentration of natural resin. As the stumpwood hardens over time, the resin or sap concentrates to create an all-natural, 100% organic, chemical-free fire starter.

Fatwood.com

Of course you don’t have to have special fire starters. Good old-fashioned newspaper and kindling work great, too! I have read that the glossy, color printed pages in the newspaper release toxins as they burn, so just stick with the black and white newsprint.

If you don’t get the paper regularly you might try posting on the Nextdoor App or FB Marketplace to see if anyone in your area has papers they are going to recycle. The last time I did that I was able to pick up a large bag of newspaper that I’m still using to this day.

For kindling, my favorite is cedar, which catches fire quickly and burns nice and hot. We cut it between one to two inches in diameter and place over the paper, generally one sheet gets the job done, and a stick or two of fatwood.

Ignitor

My husband and I each have our implement of choice. I prefer to use matches-the ones that are about five inches long, or an extra long utility lighter. However, my husband likes to use the handheld Benzomatic Propane Torch. The torch is easy to light and stays lit until the fire is going.

Gloves

Naturally, the temperature of the stove gets hot! We don’t have anything fancy, but a pair of leather gloves is nice for opening the door to the stove when the handles get too hot to handle. Sometimes, we will use our stove gloves to move half burned logs around in the fire box.

Fire Iron/Fire Poker

A fire poker is used to move logs around in the fireplace when adding new logs to the fire or to stir up the coals to get things going again. Ours was a gift purchased at a National Blacksmith Association Conference in Government Camp. It is a shepherd’s hook style made of forged steel. I like that it has a hook at the top as well so we can hang it from the mantel on its matching hook.

Wood Stove Fan

Once the fire gets going we like to get the warm air into the room as quickly as possible. A small, heat powered fan sits on top of the wood stove. Wood stove fans are quiet and help to heat the room quicker by pushing hot air away from the stove. They operate by the hot air radiating off the stove, no batteries required! We love ours so much we gifted that, too, last Christmas.

Wood Stove Steamer/Humidifier

As with any heat, wood heat can dry out the air. Having something filled with water on top of the stove will release moisture into the air while you’re using your wood-burning stove. There are many decorative cast iron kettles and pots made specifically for this purpose. Ours is a decorative one with a bear motif that we received as a gift, which we fill each morning. There is a similar cast iron one here.

Of course you could just use a pot with water on top of the stove, like my grandparents used to do! Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t sit empty on a hot stove.

Log Holder with Carrier

We can carry several logs at a time with our log carrier. In addition to transporting wood efficiently, it helps to keep debris from falling onto the floor during transport between your wood storage and the stove. The carrier, filled with wood, fits right into the holder that sits to the side of the hearth. When thinking about ultimate wood stove accessories, a carrier is a must! This affordable Pleasant Hearth Log Carrier is similar to the one we have.

Ash Bucket

We keep our ash bucket on the porch and we use it every other day, at least. We empty the wood stove ash tray in the mornings before we light the day’s fire. By then the ashes from the previous day have cooled. Once the bucket is full we dump the cold ash outside; it can be a great soil amendment. A clean ash tray ensures good air flow to the firebox. Here’s a 5 gallon one that is pretty affordable.

Hand Broom and Dust Pan

I like to use a small hand broom with a dust pan to keep debris off the hearth and front of the stove. I stash it behind our kindling basket for easy access. Feeding a wood stove can be a bit messy so I like to have it handy! This one is nice and compact with a great price point!

Mitten Tree

Obviously this isn’t a necessity for most homes with wood burning stoves, but we use our mitten drying tree everyday. It has a winter home just in front of the hearth. We are constantly changing out damp and dry gloves. It was a gift when we purchased the cabin and we use it all winter. Ours looks like it has been discontinued, but here is the same idea.

Creosote Remover

Creosote is the sticky black residue that can build up inside the chimney of the wood burning stove and cause chimney fires. We just started using Liquid Creosote Destroyer spray this year; it is much more economical than buying creosote logs! It can be sprayed directly on a fire or sprayed onto the firewood before putting into the firebox.

Emergency/Precautionary Accessories for Wood Stoves

We have a couple of items I hope we never have to use, but I feel better knowing they are here if we need them.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm

The Chimney Safety Institute of America says the incomplete burning of any fuel, including wood, creates carbon monoxide (CO). So, even if you have a wood-burning fireplace and don’t have any gas appliances in your home, it’s wise to invest in carbon monoxide detectors for your home.

CO Alarms should be placed within 20 feet of the wood stove.

Fire Extinguisher

As with any source of fire, you should have easy access to a fire extinguisher in the event of an emergency. Ours is about 20 feet away next to our gas cook stove.

Extra Wood Burning Stove Accessories

We don’t personally use the following accessories, but they are available if you are interested. I think we’ll be investing in the moisture meter soon!

Moisture Meter

Moisture meters test the moisture levels in firewood. Improperly seasoned firewood leaves more creosote in your stove/chimney and doesn’t burn as hot as properly seasoned firewood.

Wood Stove Thermometer

Wood stove thermometers can be placed on the flue collar of the stove. They show if your fire is burning at the optimal temperature range.

Ash Vacuum

Ash vacuums are designed to vacuum warm and cool ash from the firebox.

Ultimate Wood Stove Accessory Conclusion

I hope this list of ultimate wood stove accessories helps you define items you might want to go with your wood stove. Below are a few items mentioned in this post. You may click on any of the images to see more about the item or on any of the links sprinkled throughout the post.

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