Glass top stoves are becoming very popular, and are a staple in many kitchens. A shiny glass top stove adds an extra sparkle to a kitchen.
However, cleaning a glass top stove can pose extra challenges. Burnt on food can become more difficult to clean, as you run the risk of scratching the delicate glass.
Here are some handy tips and hacks to make cleaning and maintaining your glass top stove as easy as possible.
Which Products Should You Use on a Glass Stove Top?
When cleaning your glass top stove, it’s important not to use anything abrasive. This can scratch and permanently damage the surface.
The best products to use on a glass stove top are very simple: vinegar and baking soda.
You can also use a Magic Eraser, a special type of sponge that can help remove stubborn stains.
There are commercial glass top stove cleaners available, but take care when you buy. Not all stove cleaners are suitable to be used on a glass top stove. Your best option is to use what you likely already have on hand – vinegar, baking soda, and dish soap.
Using this method is quick and easy; once your stove top is completely cool, simply spray vinegar over the surface, then sprinkle baking soda over it. This will fizz up as the baking soda reacts with the vinegar, and this should lift away grease and baked on food. Then you can simply wipe down your stove top.
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Products You Shouldn’t Use on Your Glass Stove Top
You probably already know that it’s a bad idea to use anything abrasive, like steel wool or a brush, on your glass stove top.
However, there are other products that you shouldn’t use, as they may cause more damage. Windex, or similar commercial window cleaners, should not be used on your glass stove top. While these cleaners work perfectly well on other glass surfaces and mirrors, they can cause streaking or staining on a glass stove top. Any products containing ammonia are not suitable for your glass stove top.
It’s also not recommended to use conventional oven cleaners. These products can be too harsh on the delicate surface, and cause further staining.
It’s also worth noting that, while glass top stoves are very sturdy, the surface is glass and therefore runs the risk of cracking. This is why it’s so important to avoid abrasive materials, as well as being aware of the amount of weight you’re putting on your stove. For example, you should never, under any circumstances, stand on your glass top stove to reach something.
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The Best Way to Clean a Glass Top Stove
The best way to ensure a sparkling clean glass top stove at all times is to wipe up spills as soon as they happen. This is especially important with sugar-based foods, which can harden on the surface very quickly and become difficult if not impossible to remove. Since a glass top stove is flat and even, there’s no tricky crevices to trap food. If you keep on top of stains and grease, you will only need to wipe down your glass stove top with a damp cloth or paper towel.
Of course, this isn’t always practical, and we know from experience that sometimes a stove top needs a bit of extra cleaning.
First, spray white vinegar liberally over the stove top. If you’re working with stubborn stains, let the vinegar soak for five to ten minutes. Then, use dish soap and either a soft cloth or a scrubber suitable for non-stick pans to clean down the stove top. The vinegar should have loosened the burned-on food and lifted the grease, and you should be able to wipe away the stains.
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Dealing with Burned-on Food
Let’s face it, spills are going to happen when you’re using your stove top, glass or otherwise. It’s best to wipe up these spills immediately. However, if you’re dealing with burned-on food or stubborn grease, let the stove cool completely first. Aside from the safety issues, trying to use a cleaning product on a hot stove can cause the product to burn and cause more damage.
Firstly, wipe away any residue that you can. Instead of using steel wool or an abrasive brush, you can use a single razor blade to very carefully peel away chunks of burned-on food. If you’re not happy using a blade, use the back of a butter knife. It’s important to be very careful using this method, to avoid injury or further damage to your stove top.
Then, use the vinegar and baking soda method to remove the rest of the burned-on food. If you’re dealing with minimal stains or grease, the vinegar spray might be enough. You can always add a sprinkle of baking soda afterwards, if the vinegar has not lifted the grease.
Some baked-on stains can leave white burn marks on a glass top stove. These can be especially unsightly, and are very difficult to remove. You may need to let the vinegar soak for up to twenty minutes. Then, make a thick paste out of baking soda and water, and apply to the stain. You may need more than one application.
Warning: If you don’t clean away stains and burns on your glass stove top as soon as possible, you run the risk of the stain binding with the glass, and becoming permanent.
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Dealing with Scratches
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to completely remove scratches from your glass top stove, as scratches and chips in panes of glass are permanent. However, you can smooth and polish out the scratch, making it look less obvious.
Start by making a thick paste out of baking soda and water. Ensure that the stove is completely cool, and the paste is not dry.
Use a soft sponge or cloth to apply the paste to the scratched area. Rub the paste into the scratches, buffing gently. Then, wipe away the paste with another soft cloth and dry. This won’t remove the scratches completely, but it can dull the scratches and polish up the stove top.
To have scratches removed completely from a glass stove top, you may need to consult a professional glass repairman.
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Dealing with Cloudiness
Another common problem with glass top stoves is cloudiness or discoloration. Unfortunately, just like the problem of scratched glass, this is very difficult to reverse. The cloudiness or discoloration can be due to wear and tear, or from areas where the bottom of your cooking pans has scratched the surface.
You can use baking soda to polish out the haze, however do be careful. If the paste is too dry, or if you scrub too hard with the wrong cleaning tools, you can make the cloudiness worse.
You may be interested in trying a commercial glass hob cleaner. While you should take care which hob cleaner you choose, there are products designed specifically to be used on glass stove tops. You can use these products with a soft cloth or a Magic Eraser.
While this may not entirely remove the cloudiness, you can polish up the stove top and dull the scratches. Discoloration caused by stains and baked-on food can be removed by using vinegar and baking soda.
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Tips for Maintaining Your Glass Stove Top
The key to keeping a beautiful, shiny glass stove top is regular maintenance. This means wiping down your stove top before and after cleaning, and wiping up any spills immediately.
Here a few handy tips to prevent stains and scratches on your glass stove top:
- Use the correct kind of pan
Cast iron, ceramics, stoneware, and pans with rough edges are not recommended for a glass stove top. Items like this can easily scratch the delicate glass surface. Before placing a pan on your stove, make sure there’s no grit, crumbs, or any kind of debris on the bottom of the pan. Since the pan will be going directly on the surface of the glass, something rough or abrasive – even a small piece of grit – can cause scratches.
- Wipe the stove top before cooking
You don’t need to thoroughly clean your stove top, but make sure that any dust, crumbs, or grit is wiped away before you put your pans on the stove and start cooking. Otherwise, you might accidentally bake in a stain that could have been wiped away in a couple of seconds, or cause scratches to your stove top.
- Wipe the stove top after cooking
Make sure the stove is properly cooled down. If you’re dealing with stubborn stains, sprinkle some baking soda across the surface. Soak a towel in warm water and dish soap, wring out any access liquid, and lay the towel across the stove top. Let it sit for about fifteen minutes.
Then, use the towel to rub the baking soda into the stains, which should lift away baked on food, grease, and other stains. Be gentle – aggressive cleaning methods can also damage the glass surface. Then use the towel to wipe away any residue. Use a soft, clean cloth to dry the glass, buffing to a shine.