How to Clean Your Stovetop: A Step-by-Step Guide
Because splattered spaghetti sauce is so last year.
No matter what type of stove you have—glass, gas, or electric—there’s one party foul across them all: a dirty stovetop. Nothing quite says “Hey, I’m not a functioning adult” like grease splatters or sauce stains, am I right? But there’s good news. With step-by-step guidance, and a little bit of elbow grease, you can have your stovetop gleaming like new again.
Before trying this at home, make sure your stove is off and cool. You know what they say… you can’t clean a stovetop if your hand’s on fire (okay, they don’t actually say that… but they could).
Stovetop cleaning supply list
You likely already have everything you need to restore your stovetop’s shine. Check the list, then find step-by-step instructions below.
You’ll need:
- Baking soda
- A mild liquid dish soap like Dawn
- A large bowl or sink
- A large, dry cleaning rag (or a small towel)
- A toothpick (gas stovetop only)
- A small bowl (electric stovetop only)
How to clean a glass stovetop
- Remove any big debris with a dry cloth. If you find yourself in a battle with something really stuck on there, attempt to remove it using a flexible rubber spatula or your fingernails through a rag or paper towel. Always avoid anything metal or abrasive that could scratch your glass.
- Sprinkle baking soda across the glass. Give it a decent coat.
- In a large bowl or sink, mix up some sudsy hot water with your dish soap. The water should be hot, but shouldn’t burn your hands. Dip the rag or towel into the water and give it a wring.
- Spread the cloth out directly onto the baking soda. You may have to repeat this step depending on the size of the towel you’re using to make sure you cover the stovetop’s entire surface area – or better yet, save time and use a few! Let the warm, sudsy towel create a steam bath for the baking soda. Let it sit and do its magic for 20-30 minutes.
- When time is up, use that same rag to wipe off the baking soda. If you have another dry rag available, follow that up with a dry wipe. Underneath, you should see a clean, sparkling glass stovetop. For best results, rinse and repeat.
How to clean a gas stovetop
- Remove your stove grates and burner caps; soak them in warm, sudsy water. Let your dish soap do its thing, removing grease, and softening other stuck on items as you complete the next steps.
- Remove debris from the stovetop with a dry cloth. Pro-tip: use your fingernail or a soft spatula to put more pressure on the cloth to help pry away clinging food particles.
- Remove blockages from fuel ports. Use your rag and the help of a toothpick to unlodge any tiny pieces of food.
- Give your stovetop a good scrub using a sponge and cleaning spray like Mr. Clean’s Clean Freak Mist. Follow the instructions on the label to make sure you’re optimizing its effectiveness. Once it’s done its job, wipe all the unwanted food and grease away.
- Rinse off your stovetop with fresh warm water and a clean towel. This will help remove any final items as well as cleaning solution residue.
- Scrub stove grates and burner caps. Remember those guys soaking over there in the kitchen sink? They’re ready for you. Use a sponge to remove all sticky residue and food particles. Dry with a clean towel.
- Reassemble by putting your burner caps and stove grates back onto your stovetop. Clean as a whistle.
How to clean an electric stovetop
- Remove burners from the stovetop. If you’ve never done this before, consult your appliance manual. But for most stoves, it’s as simple as a little tug.
- Create a sudsy solution of dish soap and hot water in a large bowl or sink. It should be warm enough to do some good work, but cool enough that it won’t burn your hands. Dip your rag into the water and give it a squeeze.
- Use this damp rag to remove food and debris from your burners and stovetop. Rinse and wring as much as your rag needs. This will help get the stove cleaner, faster.
- In a small bowl, mix baking soda and water together in a 1:1 ratio to create a paste. For any areas that felt impossible to clean in step three, this paste should do the trick. Cover the troubled area with the paste and let sit for 20-30 minutes. When time’s up, wipe away.
- Once burners are dry, put them back. Important note: an electric oven runs on… electricity.. It’s vitally important to make sure there’s no water touching electrical connections at any point in your stove’s bath time.
Pretty simple, right? With a free half-hour, and items you likely already have around your home, you can get that stovetop back in tip-top shape… just in time to fry some bacon again (but hey, we all know it’s worth it).