Your stainless-steel stove is the most used appliance in your kitchen, and it’s situated at the centre of it all. There are many perks to having a stainless-steel stovetop.
They give your kitchen a lavish look whilst being non-rusting and avoiding bacterial growth, thanks to their non-porous finish. But a dirty stainless-steel stove can ruin the appearance of a clean kitchen no matter how many times you wipe down your benchtops.
While cooking, you can’t help oil, grease, sauces, and food splattering all over your stainless-steel stovetop. And yet we often forget to clean it regularly. Don’t be put off by the word regularly because once you learn how to clean your stainless-steel stove correctly, it will become so quick and easy that you won’t need to think about it. Generally, when there is a build-up of heavy grease and splatters, people will hire residential cleaners or commercial cleaners depending on the type of premises.
But you must ensure that you are cleaning your stainless-steel stove correctly. Because if you use the wrong cleaning products or scratch the protective film, you will end up with a damaged stainless-steel stove top, which will not be a quick and easy fix.
What is the best thing to clean a stainless-steel stove?
When it comes to choosing your cleaning solution, you have several options. White vinegar and baking soda are the best and most natural cleaning solutions, and you probably already have them in your pantry at home.
White vinegar and baking soda are effective, and simple and eliminate pesky rust, grease stains and burnt food whilst providing a shiny finish. Another easy option is simply soap and warm water. Add a few drops of your washing detergent to a small bucket or bowl of warm water and wipe down your stainless-steel stove top with a sponge. You might have more serious, hard-to-remove stains such as limescale.
Limescale is mainly a calcium carbonate build-up that becomes rock hard and looks chalky. The best way to remove this from your stainless steel is by buffing it off with a cloth and diluted vinegar. You also might spill some tea or coffee on your stove.
These can be removed by covering them with baking soda, giving them a few minutes to absorb fully, and then cleaning them away with a cloth. And something that you might not expect to find yourself cleaning off your stainless-steel stove is the leftover stickiness from tape or stickers. For this, use an acetone solution, ensure it’s mild, and wipe it gently.
What not to use on my stainless-steel stove?
Stainless steel is tough and heavy-duty, but that can all be taken away if you use the wrong cleaning products. Make sure that before you put any products on your stove you read the stove instructions.
A different manufacturer makes every stove, and they are the true experts on how to maintain the quality of your stove. They might suggest using certain products, whatever they say, do that. It might be similar to this article or not, but their advice is better than any.
Products you should avoid putting on your stainless-steel stove top are bleach, jewellery polish, chloride, chlorine and abrasive cleaners. These products contain chemicals that are corrosive to metal and can break the stove top’s protective seal. Even if you’re not solely using these products but products with different names, check the ingredients list for these chemicals. They might include one of these products without you realising it.
If you get any of these products on your stovetop, wipe them away as quickly as you can with water. Another thing to avoid is cleaning your stove when it’s still warm after cooking, wait until the metal is cold and then begin to clean.
How do you clean a stainless-steel stove top without scratching it?
Stainless steel can easily be scratched, and once that damage is done, it isn’t easy to remove. However, if you wipe down your stove with the right tools, you can avoid buying repair products altogether. Cleaning tools to avoid include steel wool or brushes and abrasive scrubbing cloths or pads.
These cause ugly scratches and damage the protective film covering the oven’s metal. If this film is broken, the stove will be vulnerable to further damage, like water, rusting and chemical deterioration. To avoid this, you should always use a microfiber or soft fabric cloth with no harsh materials.
Step-by-step instructions for cleaning your stainless-steel stove
- Ensure your stove has fully cooled down and is turned off at the wall.
- Collect everything you need. A microfiber cloth, paper towel, cleaning solution, gloves and a bucket of water to clean your cloth between uses.
- Create your cleaning solution, whether it’s vinegar, baking soda or detergent.
- If you can, remove all grates, grills and burning caps.
- Soak grills and burning caps in the sink with hot water and detergent.
- Wipe away any excess food or liquid spills with a paper towel.
- Apply the cleaning product of your choice to the stovetop.
- Wait a few minutes for the baking soda and vinegar to do their magic and break down the oils and grease.
- Using a microfiber cloth, clean the stove top but ensure you work with the grain of your stove. It will either run horizontally or vertically. Doing this will give your stove an even brighter shine and make it maintain its original appearance.
- Reapply and wipe down your stove as many times as you need to clean it properly.
- Use a fresh dry micro fibre cloth to remove any excess cleaning produce or moisture.
- Scrub your grates, grills and burning caps in the sink, dry them off, and then put them back on the stove.
How do I make my stainless-steel stove shine?
The final step after cleaning your stove is making it shine. There are several ways to do this. You can buy yourself some stainless-steel polish, wipe it down with olive oil or use the same window cleaner you use to clean your windows.
If your stove is shining, but you notice some little scratches, grab your tube of toothpaste and buff them off gently. If you have large, deep or a lot of scratches, it’s best to call an expert.
How often you clean your stainless-steel stove top depends on how often you cook with it. It is a good idea to get in the habit of wiping down your stove after you cook, especially if you made a spill or your oil spat out of the pan. This will stop grease, food, and oils from building up in the first place.
An unkept stainless-steel stove top will need thorough and deep cleaning, which will take a lot more effort and time than you want to spend on it. Remember, it is easier to wipe your stove down regularly than to scrub off weeks of built-up food once in a blue moon. Hire our team of professional cleaners if you are looking to save time.
