The range or cooktop is one of the most used appliances in the home. Every time you use the cooktop bits of food, oils, and grime build-up and often result in burnt-on stains. If the user neglects to stay on top of these messes the build-up can cause odors along with damage to the appliance.
Recently I had the challenge of tossing away or cleaning a three-year-old stove with the grime left behind by the move-out tenant.
My first idea was to use old fashioned cleanser and hot water. When that flunked the task, I sought out expert advice on “youtube”. One person had success with warm water, baking soda, and Dawn dish detergent. It helped loosen some of the grease and build-ups.
It didn’t take long to realize that this method would not bring the stove to my standard of cleanliness. Not yet ready to give up I visited the “Home Depot“. I took the advice of the sales clerk and purchased a stove cleaning kit. It worked and with very little scrubbing! I gently rubbed the solution on the burnt areas and then used the scrapper to peel it right off.
Check it out now, it is sparkling clean.
But just when I thought the hard part was over, I opened the oven door. Yikes! There was something spilled all down the front and it is between the two glass oven door windows.
No worries here because most stoves are designed for easy cleanup since food boiling over is common. In this case, there are two screws close to the top on the right and left inside the door. Loosening them allows the door front to separate and the glass can be easily cleaned.
Finally, not much left to do. Let’s take a look at the bottom drawer, which is most often used for store pots and pans, but can also be used to place food to keep it warm while preparing dinner.
An effective way to loosen the food stuck on the sides of the drawer and dissolve the grease on the oven racks is to soak them in the bathtub overnight with hot water and Dawn dish detergent.
It’s easy to bring new life to dingy appliances once you find the right cleaning product for the job. For a few hours of scrubbing and the $8 dollar cost of the Weiman, I saved hundreds by not having to buy a new stove. Happy house cleaning 🙂
Alice