How To Clean Stove Grates

Cleaning your stove grates might not be a high priority, but it’s still important that you keep them clean!

Stove grates gather a lot of grease, dirt, oil, and other grime which can happen pretty quickly, and then it can ruin the whole atmosphere of your kitchen. 

If you’re not sure how to clean your stove grates properly, it can be quite an overwhelming task.

But when you do know how to clean them properly, the whole process will become second nature. 

In this article, we’ll be going over three different ways you can clean your kitchen grates that are quite straightforward and easy to do.

So let’s get started!

How To Clean Stove Grates

We’ll be going over three different methods here which use baking soda, degreaser, and vinegar to get this task done.

As long as you follow these steps exactly, you’ll have no problems getting your stove grates nice and clean! 

Method One: Baking Soda

The first method we’re going to look at involves using baking soda.

This is a really simple method that doesn’t require too many steps and will have your stove grates looking shiny and new in no time! 

1. Wash the grates with warm water

First, you’re simply going to want to take your stove grates off of the stove and wash them with warm water.

You don’t even really need to use soapy water for this step as it is just about getting rid of any excess dirt and grime, so the baking soda will activate better when you apply it. 

2. Combine baking soda with water

Once you have finished washing the grates with warm water, you then need to get your baking soda and combine it with water to make a thick paste.

The paste needs to be thick enough so it will work effectively on the grates. 

3. Coat the entirety of the gates

Take your baking soda paste and coat it over the entirety of the stove grates.

You’ll know the baking soda has activated when the surface of the grates starts to bubble. 

Make sure you leave this baking soda coating on the stove grates for at least an hour after you apply it. This will ensure the best results. 

4. Scrub the baking soda off and rinse the grates

The final step of this method will involve scrubbing the excess build-up off and rinsing the grate thoroughly.

This process should take care of all the grime and mess the first time, but if you find that your stove grates are still a bit dirty, you can repeat this process again! 

Method Two: Degreaser

If your stove grates are particularly greasy, then you may want to try this degreasing method instead.

Again, this is a simple process that won’t take you very long to do at all. 

1. Soak your grates with degreaser

The first step of this method will have you soak the whole stove grate in degreaser.

The trick here is to make sure that the stove grates are covered enough that the surface is wet.

The wetness will ensure that all the buildup of grease and grime is being covered and will be easier to wash off later. 

2. Let the degreaser sit for 30 minutes

In some cases, you can actually get away with just leaving the stove gates and degreaser for 15 minutes, but just to be on the safe side, 30 minutes is better recommended. 

You will need to keep checking that the grates are wet during this step and if they aren’t simply apply more greaser and let the new coat sit for up to 30 minutes. 

3. Scrub away the excess grease and dirt

To clean your stove grates properly, make sure you use a non-abrasive sponge.

You will need some extra elbow grease when using a non-abrasive sponge, but it’s definitely worth it for the results. 

Once you have scrubbed away the excess grease and dirt, your stove grates should look good as new!

Method Three: Vinegar 

The final method involves the use of vinegar.

The acid in the vinegar actually helps to break up the residue that’s built up on the grates, which is why this is an effective method. 

1. Create a vinegar solution

The first step of this method requires you to make a solution out of equal parts water and vinegar.

To make applying this solution to the grates a bit easier, put it in a spray bottle. 

This solution is especially useful for getting rid of light grease stains and maintenance. 

2. Coat the stove grates with the vinegar solution

Once you have made the vinegar solution, you are going to want to coat the stove grates with it.

Once the grates have been completely covered by the vinegar, make sure you leave them to stand and soak for at least 15 minutes. 

The longer you leave the vinegar solution on the grates, the more success you’ll have in getting them clean the first time. 

3. Scrub the grates with a sponge

Once you have let the grates stand and soak for the appropriate amount of time, the next thing you need to do is scrub the grates with a sponge.

The best type of sponge for the job is a non-abrasive sponge. 

You may need to do a bit of extra scrubbing for this step, but as long as you allowed the vinegar solution enough time to soak, the grime and grease should come off quite easily. 

If for whatever reason there is still some grime and grease left on the stove grates, don’t panic!

All you have to do is repeat the whole method again. On the second run, the remaining grime should be taken care of.

Conclusion

Cleaning your stove grates can be quite a tedious task, but it is a very vital one!

We use our stoves practically every day and dirt builds up pretty quickly, so it’s important to stay on top of it. 

Try the methods we’ve looked at today to get your stove grates looking brand new again!