Are you struggling with how to clean a gas stove top? Let’s face it, there is no “right” way. We all have our own way of doing things. In no way am I claiming this is the “only” way. But if you’re reading this, you’re likely not sure where to start. If you’re a renter like me, you didn’t get the luxury of hand picking your own stove top with cleaning in mind. Not to mention, you could be trying to clean baked on gunk from tenants before you, which is the absolute worst!!! If you don’t know where to start, this post is for you!
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In this post I will share with you the best way I have found to keep my gas stove top clean. I will show how to clean the cast iron grates and how to clean a gas stove top. I will be sharing my exact method along with possible alternatives. You can find many DIYs using baking soda, but, personally I never find that to work as good as old fashioned chemicals for burnt on grime. Fortunate for us, it’s the age of the face mask, LOL!
No seriously, only one was bad, and I made my husband use it outside. Also I have learned to be realistic. It is hard though, I always want to see every little speck come off. I have learned that is not a reality. However, I do find this method to work very well and I am pleased with the results. Therefore, I’d like to share it with my fellow renters. Happy reading…and cleaning!
This post is all about how to clean a gas stove top.
Prevention is Key
I’ll say right off. Preventing build up is going to be the best thing for you. I wash my stove each evening after the dinner dishes are finished. I use regular dawn dish soap. If I made anything greasy or about once a week otherwise, I spray my stove top down with Dawn Platinum Powerwash for a deep cleaning. This is my maintenance routine. For the sake of my photos I did go longer this time so I had some cleaning to do, haha!
It’s Not One Size Fits All
So I have seen many TikTok inspired methods of cleaning soaring around. There is an AMAZING cleaning lady, Vanesa Amaro who has some AWESOME cleaning tips for literally EVERYTHING! So you should definitely check her out. My method includes some products she recommends in general. I do not have a tub or a big enough sink to immerse my cast iron grates into hot water. So I felt I would need a different approach than she was recommending anyhow. Whereas, some of you may be able to soak your grating and therefore her method would work for you. I always recommend people to watch and read numerous recommendations and put together something that works for you personally. That’s what this is all about, helping each other out!
Vanesa does recommend using Dawn Professional Heavy Duty Degreaser pretty much for the stove and the grates. The issue I have is that it is VERY expensive for a renter or someone who is not a professional cleaner like her. I’m not one to have a cleaning product around that cannot be used for numerous things. So for me, I focused on using products I already had.
So rather then spraying my entire stove with the professional degreaser as she does, I used Dawn Platinum Powerwash as I had this on hand and it is a good degreaser. Moving on to the good stuff…
How To Clean Cast Iron Grates
My husband did the grates as he has more elbow grease than I do. He actually used the Dawn Platinum Powerwash on one of them and Bar Keeper’s Friend on the other so we could compare the two. Our verdict is they both performed equally on visual grime removal, but we felt the Dawn Powerwash removed that “sticky” feeling better. So we’ll say start with the Dawn Platinum Powerwash.
Spray the grates and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. He then scrubbed the grates with a tough brush (we used this pot and pan brush). Then rinse. This helps to get that sticky film off and less stubborn spots. I suppose you could skip this step and jump to the big guns. But I always feel like anything you can get off before pulling them out really helps with the final outcome and allows the big guns to focus on the tough stuff.
Next he took the grates outside for step two. He sprayed them with Easy Off Oven Cleaner. This stuff is smelly and we recommend bringing the grates outside or wearing a mask. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes then scrub with the brush. Rinse and dry.
Seal the cast iron grates with some olive oil.
He also did the same Easy Off Oven Cleaner technique on the burner caps and sealed them with olive oil as well.
How To Clean A Gas Stove Top
So while my husband was cleaning the grates I tackled the gas stove top.
I Sprayed it with the Dawn Platinum Powerwash and let is sit about 3 minutes. I then used a Scrub Mommy sponge on the scrubber side to give it a good scrub and rinsed it off with the sponge side.
Next I used Scrub Daddy Power Paste with the Scrub Mommy Sponge (this sponge comes with the paste so don’t buy it separate). You wet the sponge and use the scrubby side to rub into the paste. Then you apply it to the stove so it’s like a thin paste.
Next scrub it good with the Scrub Mommy scrubber side. I found that the motion of scrubbing feels pretty gritty as the paste has some grit to it. To see how much grime was left, I used my opposite hand to feel the surface. That seemed to work pretty well for me. Next, I rinsed it off and took a look and repeated this process a second time to a few areas. I am a weakling so once may be enough for you.
Although the stove top looked great, there were a few tiny spots left. I started to wonder if the Bar Keepers Friend would get the last bits off. The product needs to be used on a wet surface, so I poured boiling water over the stove figuring this would help to loosen things up. Then I sprinkled it on and scrubbed with a wet microfiber cloth. I hesitated to use anything scrubby with this product as it is very strong and has always worked for me with a wet cloth. I would have used it instead of the Scrub Daddy Power Paste but you should only leave it on surfaces for no longer than 1 minute and I knew this job would take me longer than that. So I opted for the Power Paste and then a quick scrub with the Bar Keepers Friend on the last bits.
To be honest, it did get a bit more off, but not all of it. My husband said the remaining spots could be scuffs. Plus they’re mostly under the burner bases anyways. As I said in the beginning, I cannot expect total perfection from a stove that has been used and cared for by others. Overall, the stove looks great and I would recommend my technique to others.
In Conclusion
At this point, I would not recommend using the Bar Keepers Friend for the full job on the stove top if you plan to scrub longer than 1 minute. I hate for you to ruin your surface. Also if you opt for this, use just a wet cloth to scrub and work in sections and set a timer. I do think it would work as good as the Scrub Daddy Power Paste though if that is what you have on hand and you prefer not to buy another product. I would just boil some water and pour that on the stove to help loosen stuff us as I did. You need water anyways to use the product.
I think the Easy Off Oven Cleaner was such a great option when you cannot immerse your cast iron grates in water to loosen things. It is made to remove baked on grease and grime so it does deliver pretty well. It doesn’t get it as clean as it gets an oven, but let’s face it, an oven is not textured cast iron. Realistically, it did a great job.
Remember to start each step with the Dawn Platinum Powerwash to degrease before you really scrub.
I hope you found this post helpful and you feel inspired. Now that you know how to clean a gas stove top, go and tackle that stove!
This post was all about how to clean a gas stove.
