If you are a foodie, chances are you spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking your favourite meals. However, have you ever wondered how all the oil and curry spills can grease up your stove overtime? And buying new ones every now and then would cost you a lot of money which won’t be fair for your less than satisfactory job. Hence you have to clean up your stove on a regular basis to keep it clean and last longer.
How to clean it?
A stove is made up of different parts required for different purposes. If not cleaned regularly, it can get messy and dirty overtime to a point where it will be very hard for you to get rid of the stains and dark patches.
Here are a few natural methods you can follow to clean up different kinds of stove instead of using products from the store. This will also cut down your expenses and spare you the horror of breathing in toxic fumes from the commercial products.
- Gas Stove
While they can be easy to clean, gas stoves usually require a lot more attention than the other kinds.
- The very first step is to wash the drip pans and grates. You have to separate the grates and place them in a sink with hot water mixed with soap. Let it soak for a couple of minutes (15 minutes to be exact) and scrub it thoroughly. Rinse it with water and finally apply the homemade scouring powder recipe to get rid of any remains from the stovetop and grates.
- The second step and last step is to clean the gas eyes. Remove the grime as much as possible by cleaning it with a cloth soaked in a mixture of hot water and soap. Get rid of any excess grimes by scrubbing it with scouring powder and a toothbrush.
Use a pin or toothpick to remove any food residues in the gas vents. However, make sure that you do not break the toothpick while cleaning it.
To bring back the shine of your stove’s gas eyes, rub it off with a gluey mixture of equal amounts of white vinegar and tartar cream. Wait for 20 minutes before wiping it clean with a wet cloth.
- Electric Stove
- Before starting the cleaning process, you need to make sure that it is off and chilled off. Remove the burners with cautious but if you are unable to remove them with ease, leave them there and begin the cleaning.
- After this, remove the drip pans and put them in the sink for 15 minutes with a hot water and soap mixture. Clean up the cooktop and burners while they drip pans are completely soaked. Get rid of any residues from the drip pans by cleaning them with a scouring pad.
If you still have buildups on it, remove them and rub it off with a mixture of white vinegar and tartar cream. After 20 minutes, wash it off with hot water. Scrub as long as you need to.
- The last step is to get rid of the stains. Use the homemade scouring powder recipe to get it done.
- Glass or Ceramic Smooth Stovetops
Remove food residues using a wet cloth and the scouring powder recipe. Repeat this step and wipe it off with a dry cloth. However, if the stains still remain, soak a fresh cloth in a cup of hot vinegar and pour ½ cup of baking soda on it. Place the cloth over the baking soda and wait for 5 minutes (foams will appear). Scrub the area to clean it.
The Scouring Powder recipe:
- 2 tablespoons of liquid dish cleanser
- ¼ cup of baking soda
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
Directions:
Prepare a mixture of dish cleanser and baking soda and blend in the vinegar. Use the amount of vinegar you think is necessary to either decrease or increase the thickness of the mixture. You can use a sponge or a clean cloth to apply it. Air dry it after giving it a proper scrub and rinsing.
Keeping your stove clean:
- Wash the filter of the stove hood on a regular basis
- Use a larger container to prevent oil or sauce spills
- To prevent patches of grease from appearing, use a splatter screen while frying stuff
- Clean the stovetop with a clean cloth or sponge every time you finish cooking to remove the spills.
