How to Clean Your Stove
Keeping all parts of your stove clean is important for maintaining the appliance. Cooking on clean surfaces also helps keep the kitchen safe and sanitary. Grease caked onto a stovetop or oven can start a fire. Here are some tips for how to clean your stove.
Clean Your Stovetops
Your stovetop is either made of a flat glass or ceramic surface, or it has gas grates or electric coils. There are different methods for cleaning different types of stovetops. Before cleaning a stovetop, make sure it is cool and the knobs are switched to the off position.
Clean Your Stove: Glass and Ceramic
Grease and food particles can get caked onto glass and ceramic cooktops. Use a flat, sharp blade made specifically for this purpose to scrape away stubborn debris before wiping the cooktop with a towel.
Next, use a glass-ceramic cleaner to scrub the entire cooktop. This cleaner is a pasty substance that comes with a special sponge for scrubbing. Cover the entire cooktop and then wipe away the residue with a paper towel.
Clean Your Gas Stove
Cleaning a gas stovetop takes a little more work because you need to remove the grates, burner caps, and burners. Place the grates in the sink and spray them with a degreaser. Let it soak in the solution for about 15-20 minutes.
While you are waiting, spray the stovetop with a degreaser. Let it sit for a few minutes and then use a scouring pad to remove burned-on bits. Scrub anything caked-on in small corners with an old toothbrush before wiping everything clean.
Rinse off the grates. Wash the burners themselves in hot water only, then reattach them to the cooktop.
Electric Coil Stovetop
For a cooktop with electric coils, remove the coils first. Use a solution of warm water and dish soap to remove grease and food residue. A paste made from baking soda and water will help to remove stubborn stains. Next, remove the drip pans and dump them out and wipe them down. Once they are dry, put the drip pans back and reattach the coils. Wipe down the entire surface around the eyes of the stove.
Cleaning the Oven
Your oven’s self-cleaning feature should be used no more than once per year. It raises the oven’s temperature to over 550 degrees, so it uses a lot of energy. It also causes wear and tear to the oven when used too often.
Keep your oven clean by spraying it with an oven cleaning solution or using baking soda, vinegar, and water mixed in a spray bottle. For the latter, let the solution sit overnight before wiping it out. A store-bought oven cleaner is the quickest method, but it is full of caustic chemicals.
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