Matt P
★★★★★
6 Sep 2026Purchased the retreat outdoor umbrella, had no isuues the quality is nothing but awesome would definitely recommend this product and my Acare was very easy to work with
How to Clean a Fire Table
Short answer: Wipe the surround after each use with warm water and a soft cloth, then clean the burner properly once a month through the burning season. The AB8 burner needs a minimum of 60 minutes to cool before you touch it. Nothing abrasive, nothing chlorine-based, and no household bleach anywhere near grade 304 stainless steel.
How often does a fire table actually need cleaning?
An EcoSmart fire table is a genuinely simple appliance: a grade 304 stainless steel burner holding liquid bioethanol, sitting inside a surround of concrete, teak or powder-coated steel. Because bioethanol burns without ash, soot or grease, the cleaning it needs is far lighter than what a wood or charcoal pit demands.
After each use, wipe the surround down once it has cooled, which takes about two minutes.
Monthly through the season, clear the burner well of debris and wipe the stainless properly.
At the end of the season, run a thorough clean before the table is covered and left for the winter.
What to clean a fire table with
Warm water and a soft cloth handle nearly all of it, which is a duller answer than most owners expect but it is still the right one.
A drop of dish soap in warm water lifts anything the cloth alone will not shift.
Diluted white vinegar shifts the water marks and mineral spots that show up on stainless, provided you rinse it off rather than let it dry on the surface.
Never use steel wool, scouring pads, chlorine bleach or any abrasive cream. Grade 304 stainless resists rust because of a thin passive layer on its surface, so anything that scratches through that layer strips off the very thing keeping the metal safe.
On concrete surrounds, keep acidic cleaners away from it, because they etch the finish for good.
Cleaning the burner safely
Wait for the burner to cool. The AB8 burner needs a minimum of 60 minutes after the flame goes out. This is the one rule in the whole job that is not up for debate.
Clear any debris out of the burner well before you add water, so nothing gets pushed down into the fuel well where it is much harder to reach.
Wipe the stainless with a damp cloth, following the grain rather than working across it, because stainless has a direction and cleaning against it shows at once.
Dry the well out fully before you refuel, since bioethanol and left-over water do not mix and a damp burner lights unevenly.
Removing stains and water marks
Water spotting is easily the most common mark and the easiest to shift, using diluted white vinegar wiped along the grain, then rinsed off and dried.
Dull patches on stainless are nearly always residue rather than damage, so warm soapy water and a soft cloth, used patiently, will lift most of what you find.
Marks on concrete need patience rather than chemistry, which means warm water, a soft brush and a few passes. Anything acidic will make the mark stick for good.
Why an EcoSmart burner does not rust
Rust is what happens when bare or painted mild steel meets water, which is exactly why cheap fire pits rust so reliably.
An EcoSmart burner is grade 304 stainless steel, carrying a passive layer that heals itself whenever the surface is scratched, so it does not rust the way a painted steel pit will.
What it can pick up is surface staining, which looks a lot like rust without being rust. It sits on top and lifts with the vinegar method above. Going at it with an abrasive is exactly how a cosmetic mark turns into real damage.
The practical version
Wipe the surround after use, clean the burner monthly, wait the full 60 minutes before touching anything, and keep abrasives and bleach well away from the stainless. A bioethanol fire table asks less of you than nearly anything else in an outdoor room.
Fuel, covers and burner accessories for EcoSmart tables sit in the EcoSmart Fire accessories range. The tables themselves are in the fire tables collection.
If a mark on your table will not come off and you are weighing up whether to push harder, ring Hayden on 1300 515 620 first. Stopping is nearly always cheaper than scrubbing.
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