We’ve all had a pot overflow or drip grease on the shiny surface of our stovetop. It causes an automatic cringe, as you know that the spot will become the source of your cleaning frustration.
Once you have baked grease onto your stove top, it can be next to impossible to get off and make your stovetop sparkle once again. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks that you can employ to learn how to get cooked on grease off the stove top.
From natural home remedies to store-bought cleaners, it’s time that we tackled those stubborn stains head-on. Let’s take a look at just how you can get rid of those black splotches that splatter across your stove top for good.
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How to Get Cooked On Grease Off the Stove Top
Learning how to get cooked on grease off the stove top can prove to be an extremely difficult task. We will begin with a simple and effective way to clean up your cook top without using harsh chemicals.
However, you might find that your stove needs a little more strength than this method can offer. It is recommended that you start here before moving on to another method so that you can preserve your cooktop as much as possible.
1. Lemon & White Vinegar
The first and easiest method to remove cooked-on grease requires only a handful of supplies:
- Spray bottle
- Lemon juice
- Distilled white vinegar (like this gallon version found on Amazon)
- Damp rag
- Scrub brush
Follow These Steps:
- Prepare your stove top for the cleaning. The first thing you need to do is remove your heating coils and grease catchers if you have an electric stove. Remove the metal grills and cover the heating elements if you have a gas stove. This is extremely important for your safety and the efficacy of the cleaning, so do not skip it.
- Mix your solution. In the spray bottle, combine one part of the distilled white vinegar with one part of the lemon juice. Mix well and spray liberally over the cooked-on grease on the stove top. All it to soak for ten to fifteen minutes, loosening up the cooked-on foods.
- Wipe away the cleaner with a damp rag. Remove as much of the cleaner and grease as possible using a simple damp rag.
- Add a layer of baking soda. If you still have cooked-on grease on the stove top that you would like to remove, add a layer of baking soda to liberally cover the area. You may work this into the stove top using a scrub brush. Many times, this is where most people can stop because it removes the built-up grease.
Best Way for How to Remove Cooked-on Grease Off Stove Top for Stubborn Stains
If you try the steps above but still cannot seem to remove cooked on grease off the stove top, you might have an extremely stubborn stain. The grit of the baking soda is likely to remove most of the mess, but you might need another powerful tool in your arsenal.
Fortunately, most people already have this single ingredient that can eat through grease stains in five minutes or less: a can of dark soda.
No matter what cooked on grease stains are left on the stove top after you finish cleaning it, pour a generous amount of soda over what remains. It will fizz and pop for the first five minutes, eating away at your grease stain. When most of the activity has died down, you can wipe it away with a damp rag or scrub a little bit with your scrub brush.
The citric acid in the soda should remove even the toughest stains from your stove top.
2. Wool Pads
However, you can use a steel wool pad to scrub a little harder if you need to. Only use this pad on the areas that have cooked on grease to avoid damaging the rest of your stove top. If you use it on other parts of the stovetop, it may cause unwanted scratches and blemishes in the finish of the stove top.
Purchasing soap-filled steel wool pads can be a great investment for learning how to remove cooked on grease off the stove top. The soap inside of these pads provides an extra element that can cut through tough grease stains and quickly remove whatever food particles remain on your cooktop. The S.O.S. brand has 50 pads (on Amazon), making it a wise investment for cleaning all around your kitchen.
A Substitute for Soda
Some people don’t keep soda in their homes. Others may feel like this method doesn’t produce the results that they are hoping to see. No matter what your hesitation is, there are a few alternatives to soda that you might want to try for a stubborn stain.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide
If you are skeptical about using soda to clean your cooked-on stains from your stove top, then you might want to try another handy trick. You can produce a similar effect using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Do the best you can to remove as many of the stains as possible using just a baking soda scrub first. Wipe away the debris and prepare the surface for a brand-new treatment.
Sprinkle a new layer of baking soda over the remaining stains. Then, pour a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide over the baking soda. This should result in a fizzing action that is similar to what you would achieve with the soda. It may take longer for this method to clean the stubborn stains away because it lacks citric acid. Regardless, it can still be a powerful tool for removing cooked on grease stains.
4. Vegetable or Olive Oil
Alternatively, you could also use a little vegetable oil to loosen up those stubborn stains. After you wash away as much of the stain as possible, pour a small drizzle of olive oil or vegetable oil across your cook top. Massage it into the affected areas and let it soak for a few minutes. The oily texture should help to loosen the grip that the grease has on your cooktop.
Spray the entire cook top down with your favorite all-purpose cleaner or some white vinegar. Wipe it until your damp rag removes all of the oil from the cooktop and shines like new again.
Can I use Oven Cleaner on Stove Top?
Many people wonder whether they can use oven cleaner on their stove top. It does such a fantastic job restoring shine to the inside of their ovens that it must certainly provide an excellent cleaning method for their stove tops. Unfortunately, many oven cleaners are too harsh to use on glass or ceramic cook tops, even if you want to get rid of baked-on grease.
Instead, you need a product that is specifically designed for cooktops.
5. Cerama Bryte
If you want to get rid of baked-on grease stains quickly without the hassle of mixing your own cleaners and applying baking soda, you need the right product. Cerama Bryte is considered to be the top cooktop cleaner formula for all smooth-top stoves. Ceran by Schott, the maker of the glass cooktop portion on all stoves, has tested and approved this cleaner for use.
Unlike using baking soda to get rid of stains, this solution is non-abrasive. You simply apply it to your stubborn stains and wait until the grease becomes gummy. When it does, you wipe it away using your damp rag – no scrubbing required!
You may have to repeat this process a few times before your stove top is officially free of all the baked-on grease.
Not only does this amazing cleaner work to clean cooked grease off your stove top, but it can also be used on:
- Faux marble sinks
- Stainless steel sinks
- Stainless steel cookware
- Porcelain sinks
One 28-ounce bottle of Cerama Bryte is extremely affordable.
Cleaning the Burners
Now that your stove top is actually clean, it is time to turn your attention to the burners and drip pans that you removed. You might be able to use the same cleaning methods for these metal dishes, but they will often require a different method. Harsher cleaners and chemicals can often be used on the grease pans without fear of damaging the entire stove.
6. Ammonia
Ammonia is an extremely strong cleaner with pungent fumes. It tackles burned-on grease stains like nothing else can with minimal effort on your part. However, it does require a great deal of waiting time so be prepared to make your meals in the slow cooker or the oven instead of on the stove top for the day.
Depending on the size of your grease pans, select a bag that is slightly larger. You might be able to use a Ziploc bag, but many people resort to throwing them into an empty garbage bag. Make sure that you are able to seal whatever type of bag you select.
Add the pieces to the bag along with a cup of ammonia. Seal the entire bag and place it outside overnight. In the morning, find a safe place to drain the ammonia from the bag and remove the grease pans. Make sure that there is plenty of ventilation when you empty the bags of ammonia. The strong chemicals in this cleaner can lead to other health side effects.
Make sure that you bring the grease pans inside and thoroughly wash them using high-quality dish soap. You should be able to rinse those baked-on stains right off the metal now that the ammonia has done its work. Allow them to dry completely before reinstalling them on your cook top.
With your cook top cleaned and your drip pans shining like new, it will almost be like you installed an entirely new stove!
7. With an Oven Cleaner
On the other hand, you can use oven cleaner to get rid of the grease stains on this part of your stovetop. Make sure that you remove these pieces and lay them on top of newspaper or some other protective covering. It is best to do this outside where you have plenty of ventilation because the fumes from the oven cleaner can be very strong. Here are some of the side effects that you may experience if you use oven cleaners indoors.
Spray them liberally with oven cleaner and wait for the cleaner to work its magic. This may take quite a few minutes if your grease pans are extremely dirty with lots of baked-on grease. You might even consider leaving them out overnight to get the full effect of the cleaner.
After they have soaked, scrub them in hot and soapy water until all of the oven cleaner washes away. A normal sponge should work fine to help you remove any remaining particles and wash away the residue. You do not need to use stainless steel scrubbers to remove the leftover stains on these pans.
Allow the pans to dry completely before placing them back on your stove top. You might consider hand-drying with a dry microfiber cloth in order to speed up the process and reassemble your stove faster.
Pick and Choose Your Method
When it comes to cleaning cooked-on grease off your stovetop, you certainly have a number of options. Will you try to take the natural approach with simple lemon juice and vinegar? Maybe you will try the store-bought cleaner to make your stove top shine again, alongside your stainless steel cookware. No matter which method you choose, make sure that you clean your grease pans as well to keep everything shining equally.
Learning how to clean cooked on grease from your stovetop can be an important skill to preserve your appliance. Sample a few of these different methods to determine what works best for you. Keep your kitchen looking shiny and new for years to come by keeping up with some of these simple tasks!
Last update on 2024-04-03 at 05:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
