How to clean a stovetop: gas, glass and coil
To clean a stovetop, let it cool, lift off the grates and burner caps (or the coil drip pans) and soak them in hot water with dish soap. Wipe the surface with warm soapy water, use baking soda paste on anything burnt on, and dry it all. A glass top gets baking soda, a hot wet towel and a cooktop scraper.
Cleaning it once a week is ten minutes. Cleaning it once a season is an afternoon.
What do you need to clean a stovetop?
- Dish soap and hot water
- Baking soda
- White vinegar in a spray bottle, mixed half and half with water
- Non-scratch scrub pads and microfiber cloths
- An old toothbrush
- A razor scraper made for glass cooktops (glass tops only)
- An old towel
Skip steel wool and abrasive powders on enamel, stainless and glass. They scratch, and scratches hold the next spill.
How do you clean a gas stovetop and grates?
- Make sure every knob is off and the burners are cool.
- Lift off the grates and burner caps. Set them in a sink of hot water and dish soap for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Wipe the surface. Warm soapy water and a cloth for the grease. For baked-on spots, a paste of baking soda and a little water, left for ten minutes, then scrubbed with a non-scratch pad.
- Clean around the burner heads. Use the toothbrush to clear crumbs from the burner ports. Keep water out of the ignitor, and don't poke the ports with anything that could break off inside.
- Scrub the grates and caps. A non-scratch pad, and baking soda paste on the black crust. Rinse and dry fully. Wet burner caps can make the burner click and fail to light.
- Put it back together and test each burner. You want an even blue flame all the way around.
Cast-iron grates with a dull, matte finish do better with a brush and hot water than a long soak. Check the manual if you're not sure what yours are.
What if you smell gas?
A lot of Philadelphia kitchens cook on gas. If you smell gas while you're cleaning, don't touch any switches or the stove, and leave the house. Call the gas utility's emergency line from outside. In Philadelphia that's PGW; in the suburbs it's usually PECO. A gas smell that doesn't go away is a call, not a cleaning job.
How do you clean a glass or ceramic stovetop?
- Wait until it's completely cool.
- Wipe off loose crumbs with a damp cloth.
- Sprinkle baking soda over the stained areas.
- Lay a towel soaked in hot water over the top and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Wipe it in circles with the towel, then with a clean damp cloth.
- Scrape what's left. Hold the cooktop scraper at a low angle, about 45 degrees or flatter, on a damp surface, and push gently. Never on a dry surface.
- Finish with vinegar and water and a dry microfiber cloth to clear the streaks.
Sugar spills are the exception: scrape them off while the surface is still warm, carefully, with an oven mitt on. Sugar that cools on glass can pit it.
How do you clean an electric coil stovetop?
Unplug the range or turn off the breaker if you're lifting the coils out. Pull the coils and the drip pans. Wipe the coils with a damp cloth only; they burn off what's left the next time you cook. Soak the drip pans in hot soapy water, scrub with baking soda paste, and dry them. If the pans are past saving, replacements are cheap and make the whole stove look newer.
How do you keep a stovetop clean?
- Wipe it once it cools after each cook, before spills bake on.
- Use a lid or a splatter screen. It cuts down on grease spatter.
- Wipe the knobs and the backsplash on the same pass. They collect the same film.
- Do the full clean once a week if you cook most days, and before any holiday cooking.
The range hood above it gets the same grease. Wipe the outside with warm soapy water, and wash the metal filter in hot soapy water every month or two.
Want the kitchen done for you?
Book Deep Cleaning or House Cleaning online and put the stove in your booking notes. Next to the stove, see how to clean an oven.
FAQ
How do you clean gas stove grates? Lift them off once they're cool and soak them in a sink of hot water and dish soap for 20 to 30 minutes. Scrub with a non-scratch pad, use a baking soda paste on the burnt spots, then rinse and dry them fully before they go back.
How do you get burnt-on food off a glass stovetop? Cover the spot with baking soda, lay a hot, wet towel over it for 15 minutes, then wipe. For what's left, hold a razor scraper made for glass cooktops at a low angle while the surface is still damp.
How often should you clean your stovetop? Wipe it down after cooking once it's cool, and do a full clean with the grates or drip pans soaked once a week if you cook most days. Clean spills right away so they don't bake on.
What should I do if I smell gas while cleaning the stove? Stop, don't touch any switches, and leave the house. Call your gas utility's emergency line from outside: in Philadelphia that's PGW, and in the suburbs it's usually PECO.
Book a cleaning
Our service area: every Philadelphia neighborhood, plus the Pennsylvania suburbs within about 30 miles of Center City, in Montgomery, Delaware, Bucks and Chester counties. Book online at phillyscleanteam.com/book-now, or call or text (215) 798-7576, 9 AM to 9 PM, every day.
