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Cleaning Your Electric Stove Top: Pro Tips
Cleaning Your Electric Stove Top: Step-by-Step Instructions
Signs That You Need to Replace Your Stove Top
Need To Replace? Here Are Our Recommendations
Nothing is worse than trying to cook a meal on a dirty stove top. The leftover burns and messes leave residual smells and further damage to the cooktop, making it harder and harder to clean. Today, we are going to share some pro tips on how to clean the top of an electric stove, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to clean electric stove top glass, and what signs to look for that would indicate it's better to replace rather than try to clean it.
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Electric RangesCleaning Your Electric Stove Top: Pro Tips
If you find yourself searching “how to clean electric stove top”, then you’ve found your one-stop shop for all the information that you will need. There are some incredible tips that are floating around that you may not be aware of, and today we want to share those to help you succeed in making your stove top look brand new again.
How Often You Should Clean Your Stove Top?
The answer to this question is multifaceted because every household uses its stove tops differently. The frequency in which you should be cleaning your electric cooktop relies heavily on how much you’re using your oven/stove top, as well as how messy your stove top gets while you’re cooking. Cleaning your stove top regularly is recommended to keep germs and bacteria at bay, as well as give your stove top a beautiful appearance, but let’s take a look at some further guidelines and best ways to clean electric stove tops:
- Spills & Stains: Any spills and stains that occur during the cooking process should be attended to immediately, as stains or spills that are left to sit will dry and become harder to clean. If you notice something boiling over your pot or pan, take the time to clean it immediately to save yourself time later. Doing this will keep you from having to google “how to clean burnt electric stove top” again!
- Day to Day: After you are done cooking, whether that’s every day or not, you should wipe down your stove top to keep any spills or stains from becoming caked on and hard to remove.
- Deep Clean: It is recommended to give your electric stove top a deep clean once a week, or whenever you notice a build-up of grease, food residue, or grime. If you can, allow your heating elements to cool down, and then remove them to give each one an individualized deep clean.
- Heavy Use: Using your stove top more often means cleaning your stove top more often. The heavier you find yourself cooking on the stove top, the heavier you should find yourself cleaning the stove top.
How to Prevent Burns and Messes?
If you’re like most people, preventing burns and messes on an electric stove top seems like an impossible feat. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to prevent unwanted mishaps during the cooking process, so let’s look.
- Heat Settings: This may be the biggest tip on preventing burns and messes on the stove top. Ensuring that you are cooking your food at the correct temperature, especially liquids that can easily spill over, is essential. As well as learning the ins and outs of your stove top, which dishes cook better on higher settings, and which cook better on lower settings.
- Overfilling Pots: This is a big mistake a lot of at-home chefs tend to make, and one that is easily fixed. When filling your pots, account for the food that you are cooking to grow or expand and use that to ensure you are not overfilling your pot.
- Timers: Using a timer is a great way to keep yourself in check when you are cooking food, especially if you tend to set and forget your food. Setting a timer in your kitchen or on your phone is a great way to keep yourself reminded to check on the food periodically.
- Grease Splatter: Control the amount of grease splatter when frying or sautéing foods by using a splatter screen over your pan.
- Correct Cookware: It is recommended to use flat-bottomed cookware on an electric stove top, as well as using the correct size cookware. Undersized or oversized cookware not only causes inconsistent temperature while cooking but can also increase the risk of burns or spills.
- Clean Spills: Cleaning spills as soon as they happen prevents them from drying on your stove top and becoming extremely difficult to get off.
What Products Can You Clean With?
Let’s look at some different cleaning products you can use to clean your electric stove top to keep it always fresh and clean.
- Soft Cloth or Sponge: To avoid creating scratches on the surface of your stove top, always use a microfiber cloth or non-abrasive sponge.
- Soap and Water: Nothing like a good, basic cleaner! Warm water and soap are highly effective at stripping your electric stove top of any grease or grime.
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar: If you like to go a greener route, choosing products like lemon juice or vinegar diluted with water is a great option to keep your stove top squeaky clean.
- Baking Soda: Another natural option here, baking soda mixed with a little bit of water creates a paste that works wonders on stains or burns on our stove top. Simply put the paste on the affected area, and then scrub with a soft sponge or cloth.
- Isopropyl Alcohol: This is a game changer at removing hard-to-get grease stains, just simply add a little bit of alcohol to a soft cloth and wipe away the grease.
- Commercial Cleaners: You can easily use an electric stove top commercial stove top cleaner or even glass cleaner. Be sure to read the label on your cleaner to ensure you are using it properly.
What Products to Avoid?
Now that we have seen what we can clean our electric stove top with, let’s see what we should avoid using when cleaning our stove top. Remember, we don’t want to further damage the stove top, so be sure to stay away from the following products:
- Abrasive Sponges: Stay away from abrasive sponges such as steel wool when cleaning your electric stove top, especially if your stove top is glass.
- Abrasive Cleaners: Avoiding harsh chemicals like ammonia, bleach, or oven cleaners is important when cleaning your electric stove top.
- Acidic Cleaners: While vinegar is an effective cleaner for most stove tops, be sure to check the manufacturer's recommendations before using vinegar or other acidic cleaners, because some electric stove tops, especially glass-ceramic surfaces, can be sensitive to these types of products.
- Metal Scrapers: If you don’t want to scratch the top of your stove top, then avoid using metal scrapers or razor blades to get rid of burnt-on residue.
Why Should You Keep Your Stove Top Clean?
Keeping your electric stove top clean not only creates a welcoming environment in your kitchen but also helps prevent fire hazards and potential damage to your heating elements. Regular and consistent cleaning can be an effective way to save you money and keep your kitchen healthy, all while providing a beautiful, shimmering stove top.
➝ Related: What is Induction in Cooking?
Cleaning Your Electric Stove Top: Step-by-Step Instructions
Now that we’ve given you all the tools you need to give your stove top a good clean, we’re going to show you step-by-step instructions on how to do so.
- First, if you have just finished cooking, you’re going to let your cooktop cool down. You never want to clean your cooktop while it is still hot.
- Next, take a soft cloth to remove any loose debris like crumbs or spills.
- After removing debris, choose the cleaner that you would like to use, and apply a layer of the cleaner over your stove top.
- Next, take your gentle cloth or sponge (ensure that it is clean) and gently scrub over the surface of your stove top, as well as control knobs, being sure to lift any stains, grease, grime, or burnt-on residue.
- Lastly, to ensure there are no streaks or lines in your stove top, wipe it down with a microfiber cloth, ensuring you have wiped up all of the liquid from your cleaner.
- If you’d like to take your cleaning game to the next level, give your electric stove top a pop of shine with a specialized stove top polisher.
Signs That You Need to Replace Your Stove Top
Sometimes cleaning, maintenance, and upkeep just aren’t enough, and unfortunately ranges and stove tops need to be replaced, but knowing when to do so can be difficult to diagnose. Let’s see what some classic signs are that your stove top needs replaced.
- Cracked Glass Surface
- Broken/Non-Functioning Heating Elements
- Heavy Wear and Tear
- Inconsistent Heating
- Discoloration
- Persistent Stains
- Safety Concerns
- Frequent Repairs
Need To Replace? Here Are Our Recommendations
Replacing your electric stove can be overwhelming and sometimes pricey, but, thankfully, we have some great recommendations for you if you are looking to replace an electric range, from brands like Samsung, KitchenAid, and Cafe.
Freestanding Electric Stove We Recommend:
Samsung 30" Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel Smart Freestanding Electric Range
Shop Samsung's Freestanding Electric Range
Cooking is made easy in this Samsung Electric Range. Choose this range in four different color finishes, including the Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel, Fingerprint Resistant Black Stainless Steel, Black, or White, for a truly personalized look and feel. Convenience is key, with amazing features like Powerful Convection, Smart Technology, Rapid Boil, 5 cooktop burners, Easy Preset Buttons, and so much more.
- Model: NE63A6511SS
- Dimensions: 46.31” H x 29.94” W x 28.69” D
- Total Capacity: 6.3 Cu. Ft.
➝ Learn More: A Guide to Samsung Kitchen and Laundry Appliances
Slide In Electric Stove We Recommend:
Café™ 30" Stainless Steel Slide in Electric Range
Shop Cafe's Slide-In Electric Range
Elevate the look of your kitchen with this Café™ 30" Stainless Steel Slide in Electric Range. Everything from the stainless-steel finish to the brushed stainless handles is customizable, allowing you to cook in your perfect style. On top of that, Cafe has outdone itself with amazing features like No-Preheat Air Fry, Built-In Wi-Fi, True Convection, Power Boil, and more. Replacing your range is hard, but Cafe makes it a little easier with this beautiful option.
- Model: CES700P2MS1
- Dimensions: 37.38” H x 29.88” W x 29.5” D
- Total Capacity: 5.7 Cu. Ft.
➝ Learn More: GE Cafe Electric Range Reviews: What to Know
Electric Stove with Ventilation We Recommend:
KitchenAid® 30" Stainless Steel Slide in Electric Downdraft Range
Shop KitchenAid's Electric Range with Downdraft
With a large cooking capacity, EasyConvect Conversion, Steam Rack, and so much more, it would be hard to say no to this KitchenAid Electric Range. This range is finished in a beautiful stainless-steel finish, and a glass cooktop, which is accented by glass touch controls, creating a cohesive and eye-catching design. If you enjoy flawless results and a self-cleaning oven, then this KitchenAid downdraft electric range is right for you!
- Model: KSEG950ESS
- Dimensions: 36” H x 29.88” W x 28.88” D
- Total Capacity: 6.4 Cu. Ft.
➝ Related: Top Double Oven Electric Ranges on the Market
Why Trust Albert Lee?
Since 1939, Albert Lee Appliance, a three-generation, family-owned business, continues to grow and serve the greater Seattle area with quality you can count on and service you can trust. We are proud to have served this community for so long and wouldn’t be here without our loyal customers. There is a reason why we are Washington’s largest independent appliance dealer, and it’s not a secret. Simply put: We have the experience. We are the original appliance experts for over eight decades (and counting).
Shop Electric Stoves at Albert Lee
At Albert Lee Appliance, we provide quality name-brand appliances for great prices. Shop electric stoves online or visit us today at one of our six locations in Puget Sound, WA. In the meantime, browse our website to shop Albert Lee appliance sales and check out Albert Lee appliance reviews online to ensure every purchase is an informed one. More available than ever, our experts at Albert Lee Appliance are always happy to help you with tips on how to clean an electric stove top, whether you call us or use our online chat feature. Contact us today!
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