11 Easy Ways to Clean Your Stove & Cooktop

Even if you only fix meals a few times a week, your cooktop or stovetop can harbor remnants of every meal you make. The most particular housekeepers can become distraught at the seemingly endless chore of keeping cooktops clean, even with a daily wipe down. An overflowing pot or oil build up can present a complicated mess to attempt to remove.

Conventional stovetops are notoriously difficult to clean. Their size, shape and frequently caked-on reminders of meals long past can make all the elbow grease in the world seem like a waste of time. Cleaning your stovetop can save you money because it will usually help the unit last longer. However, there is no need for harsh chemicals that can damage surfaces and make you sick. Many people are now transitioning to green methods to clean their cooktop.

Here are eleven easy methods to make your cooking surfaces sparkle like new again without you breaking a sweat. Before you begin, refer to the owner’s manual that came with your cooktop.

1. Ammonia

While ammonia is not ideal for cleaning everything, nothing tackles the baked on grime on burners better. With this method, there is less work for you to do. Just put the removable burners into a zipper-top bag, add ammonia and seal. Leave everything on your porch overnight. The next day, rinse them off and see how they shine.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

Few other cleaners pack this amount of power. Brush off and discard any remaining debris on your stove. Sprinkle the complete surface with baking soda and then drizzle with the peroxide. Watch as it fizzes and breaks down the baked-on gunk. Simply rinse and dry once the stains have been lifted.

3. Boiling Water

If you have no extra products around the house but need to clean your cooktop quickly, try boiling water. Gently and carefully pour the boiling water over the dirty surface. If you let it sit until it cools, the tough stuff will simply wipe away. If necessary, scrub stubborn areas with a bit of soap on a sponge. This is a simple and eco-friendly solution because it uses completely natural and chemical-free elements.

4. Salt and Baking Soda

Blend one tablespoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of salt. Next, add one tablespoon of water and mix the paste together. Dip a rag into the mixture and scour gunk away. Pour mixture on overflows. It absorbs liquid and makes clean up a breeze.

5. Vegetable or Olive Oil

This method calls for you to pour a little vegetable or olive oil out onto your stovetop. Using a cloth, scrub the oil into the caked-on messes. Then spray it all down with an all-purpose cleaner. This works wonders on the hood of your stove as well.

6. Soap and Water

For this method, remove electric burners from the stovetop. Using a cloth and a little mild dish soap and water, rinse any residue from the coils. For any cooked-on food debris that does not come off, mix a thick paste of equal parts baking soda and water, and then apply it to the troublesome spot. After about 20 minutes, scrub and rinse the burner. Replace the burner after it is thoroughly dry.

7. White Vinegar

White vinegar is the ultimate cleanser. It is used to clean glass stovetops by loosening streaks and stains.

Just mix one part white vinegar to two parts tap water in an unused spray bottle. Next, spray the solution on your glass cooktop and wipe. The acidity of vinegar helps remove the grime. You can use this mixture for every day cleaning and disinfecting around your kitchen.

8. Baking Soda and Lemon

Lemons have natural grease cutting characteristics, and baking soda has natural antibacterial properties. Baking soda contains extremely fine particles that help remove baked-on stains but is gentle enough not to scratch the glass.

Simply sprinkle a handful of baking soda on a glass stovetop. Then rub the surface using a slice of lemon. Wipe the area with a damp cloth to remove any remnants of the baking soda particles and lemon pulp.

9. Dish Soap and Baking Soda

Combine equal parts of dish soap and baking soda in a small bowl. Mix it together until it creates a frosting-like consistency with a slightly foamy texture.

Next, apply the mixture to drip pans generously. Scrub down on the pans to loosen up the grime. Transfer the drip pans to zipper-top bags for about an hour, then move the pans from the bags and scrub the gunk away.

10. Commercial Oven Cleaner

Oven cleaner works well for cleaning gas stovetops. Place the removable parts on a newspaper outside or in a well-ventilated area and spray with a commercial oven cleaner.

Leave them coated for a few hours or overnight. Next, scrub the burners in hot, soapy water. Use the rough side of a sponge on non-coated grates. For coated ones, use a soft cloth. Let the pieces dry completely before you replace them.

11. Razor Scraper

For those tough-to-remove burned-on stains, try using a scraper. All you need to do is simply hold the razor blade at an angle to the stovetop and firmly scrape away the residue. Once you’re done chipping the burned-on stains off of your burners, you can simply wipe away remaining residue as usual.

Prior to trying any of these methods, make sure that the stovetop is cool. With a damp paper towel, wipe away any loose crumbs. Your cooktop can look new again with these helpful cleaning tips. Remember to clean it after each use to avoid having to do a thorough, deep clean again. Regularly buffing your stovetop helps make it easier to deep clean. Be sure to continue regularly cleaning off the burners in order to prevent oils from building up and damaging your unit.

The longer you delay cleaning your cooktop, the more that grime can build up. Keeping it clean is critical from an aesthetic and a practical standpoint. Without proper maintenance, fuel ports and hood vents can clog, causing damage. Once you thoroughly clean your stovetop, maintain it after every use to avoid having to deal with a heavy cleaning job again.