Electric heating coils on your stove accumulate burnt food over time, and the longer they go without cleaning, the harder it is to clean them. It’s vital to the function of our kitchen that we keep these appliances in tip-top condition. Learn how to clean electric stove burners quickly and easily with supplies you already have in your pantry.
Why You Should Clean Your Electric Stove Burners?
If you’re usually averse to doing cleaning around the house (which we can’t blame you for. It gets a little tedious!), you might be wondering why it is so important that your electric stove is cleaned regularly.
Well, aside from helping make your kitchen and home look more presentable, there are a few essential reasons why you should be cleaning your electric stove.
We all like to think that we live in sanitary environments at home, but sometimes we don’t always take into account how dirty our appliances may get while still being used.
Your electric stove burner is one of those parts that can easily get out of hand. The grease left behind by cooking food will build up over time, making your stove look pretty gross.
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Supplies Needed
- Lemon juice
- Baking soda
- Dawn dish soap
- Scrub brush
And if you’ve got kids running around the house, then you’ll want to keep them away from any greasy messes.
It’s also very easy for your stove to become covered with dirt and other waste when you aren’t looking after it.
For these reasons, you must start practicing good cleaning habits for your electric stove as soon as possible.
Different Ways To Clean Your Electric Stove Burners
Whilst you might have the urge to raise the heat of your electric stove and burn off any excess dirt or waste, that’s only going to get you so far, along with probably making your kitchen stink, too!
Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to clean your electric stove, and pretty much all of them use things that you’re likely to have lying around the house already!
Using Warm Water And Dish Soap
Sometimes all you need to get rid of a stain on your electric stove is some water and a little elbow grease!
Soap and warm water are two of the most common household items you’re likely to have available to use in cleaning your electric stove.
This method works best for removing stubborn stains, although it won’t necessarily remove all the grime you might end up with.
You’ll need to mix the right amount of hot water and dish soap, and then simply scrub away at your burner until the stains disappear.
You’ll find your ideal ratio as you get more practice cleaning your stove, so don’t worry about ratios too much when you’re cleaning!
It’s a simple solution, but it does require a bit of patience.
Dish soap isn’t exactly the strongest cleaning agent, and you will find that you need to apply quite a lot of pressure to get to the stickier pieces of grease and grime that have adhered to the surface.
However, this method is perfect for getting rid of burnt-on food, which is a common occurrence among stoves!
Using Paste Made From Baking Soda
If you are worried that some of the stains on your stove are too stuck for just plain old water and soap to tackle, you may want to try some alternatives.
Fortunately, baking soda, a pretty common household item, can be a super-effective cleaning agent when used correctly!
Once you are ready to use your baking soda, you will need to first prepare a paste made from one part baking soda and three parts water.
Simply pour the mixture onto the surface of your stove, wait five minutes, and then wipe away the baking soda paste with a cloth or paper towel.
Baking soda has such a strong alkaline base that it will help lift off almost anything that gets stuck to your electric stove and in cleaning stove grates.
It doesn’t take long before you should notice that your oven looks cleaner than ever before!
Once you have let this paste sit on your electric stove for about a quarter of an hour, throw a little vinegar on the paste until you start to hear a bubbling sound.
After that, it just takes a little water to get rid of the excess paste that should have lifted the stuck-on dirt from your stove.
This method is great if you are trying to remove burnt-on foods from your stove, but you may also want to combine this technique with the previous one to ensure that you get the maximum benefit possible from your baking soda!
Using A Lemon Juice Solution
Finally, if you’re still struggling to get rid of those stubborn stains from your electric stove, then you may want to consider using lemon juice instead!
Lemon juice is an incredibly powerful natural cleaning product, and it’s something that we tend to see regularly in our kitchens.
Lemon juice is acidic enough to help dissolve and degrease many types of dirt and grime, including burnt-on foodstuffs, and it’s also very gentle on fabrics and other soft surfaces.
To make the lemon juice solution, all you need to do is add a few tablespoons of lemon juice to a small bowl filled with cool water.
Mix well, and then spray the mixture onto the stain, let it sit for a while, then add some extra soap as you wipe until the stain disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Because the heater coils cook off most food that comes into contact with them, a mild wipe-down like this is often all that is needed.
Don’t submerge the coils or any electrical portion in water. Water can ruin the electrical connections that allow the coil to heat up.
If the burner has food residue or grease, then it may release smoke when the stove is turned on. Sometimes the dirt or grease may not be visible.
To fix this, you need to ensure that the burner is thoroughly cleaned.
If there is any visible breaks or bubbling, the circuit has been interrupted and the element needs to be replaced.
When inspecting the coils that sit underneath a ceramic top, look for any breaks or burn spots in the coil. If there is any incongruence in appearance, the coil needs to be replaced.
Do not immerse or soak burner grates in water. Do not clean burner grates by heating them at high heat in the oven or by leaving them in the oven during Self-Clean mode.
Do not clean burner grates in the dishwasher. Burner grates are not dishwasher safe.
Hi I’m Adrienne Carrie Hubbard. I believe a rich life comes not from the things you have, but the things you do; the experiences you create and the people you meet along the way. Thanks for hanging out!