How to Clean an Electric Glass-Top Stove

Glass-tops stoves are as useful as they are stylish. A gleaming slab of glass looks beautiful in the kitchen, but only if it’s clean. The trouble is that cooking naturally creates mess, often more of a mess than it’s easy to clean up with a few quick swipes of the sponge. Electric coil burner ranges are designed to hide a certain amount of built-up burnt crust, but it all shows on the glass stove.

However, not all cleaning methods are ideal for your stove. It’s possible to scratch your stove by using chemical agents that are too harsh or scrubbing tools that are too rough. So today, we’re here to share a useful variety of methods to get your glass stove clean without causing damage to its gleaming surface. 

Start With Degreaser

The best place to start with any stove cleaning is with degreaser. Choose a glass-safe stove cleaner, surface cleaner, or plain white vinegar to spray over the entire surface of the stove. Let this sit for a few minutes (between two and ten), then wipe it up with a sponge or towels. This, alone, will take up layers of grease that would otherwise get in your way trying to clean the truly tough spots on your glass surface. 

Avoid Rough Scrubbing Surfaces

Be very careful about cleaning methods that could damage your glass. Scouring pads and the scrubbing side of some sponges have grit sharp enough to scratch the surface of the glass. Never use a metal cleaning implement and be careful with stiff-bristled brushes.

It is also advised that you take care with corrosive cleaning solutions. Vinegar is the most recommended for a glass stove, while other mild and glass-safe cleaners can also be trusted. Stay away from ammonia and related cleaners, however, as this chemical can cause pitting on the cooking surface. 

Hot Towel and Baking Soda

There is one tried-and-true method for obliterating cooked-on mess for a glass stove: a hot towel combined with baking soda. Start by spraying the surface of your stove with white vinegar (optional). Then shake a generous layer of baking soda over the vinegar, from end to end of the stovetop. Then take a towel and soak it in hot water from the sink. Wring it out gently, unfold, and lay the hot towel over the baking soda and vinegar.

Wait for five to ten minutes, then lift the towel and use it to scrub away everything you just dissolved with hot baking soda. 

Razor Blade Scraper

One method that is common but not always recommended is to use a craft razor scraper. If you hold the razor mostly horizontal to the glass, you can remove the thinnest layers of gunk or get under the most stubborn burnt-on crud by separating it from the glass. Be extremely careful when using a razor. Not only could you cut yourself, but using the edges of the razor or pointing the razor too vertically could cause you to scratch the glass surface. 

Borax or Barkeeper’s Friend

Scrubbing powder is an excellent way to keep your glass stove clean. While scouring pads are not safe, scrubbing powder gives you that ability to scrape off grit without scratching the glass. There are three types of scrubbing powder that work best on a glasstop stove. The first is baking soda, which we’ve already discussed and is always recommended. The second is Barkeeper’s Friend, a trusted brand of kitchen and restaurant scrubbing powder that is gentle, non-toxic, and effective. The third is borax, a natural salt that is also non-toxic, glass-safe, and a universal scrubbing resource. 

Mr Clean Magic Eraser

Magic erasers are a unique cleaning resource for special jobs. The magic eraser is delicate and will fall apart when faced with sharp or stubborn grit, but it is actually magic against thin layers of nearly impossible grime. If you are having trouble with a section of your stove that is discolored or crusty without respite, try a magic eraser. However, we strongly recommend you use these strange integral soap sponges only after you have used other, more heavy-duty cleaning methods like scrubbing powder and a hot towel. 

Never Clean While Hot

As a word of warning, always wait until your glasstop stove is completely cool before beginning the cleaning process. This isn’t just for your safety, though of course we do not want you to be burned. Wait even after the stove is safe to touch. The concern is heat’s reaction with cleaning products. You do not want to spray most cleaning products onto a hot burner, and you don’t want cleaning products instantly evaporated into the air.

Wait until your stove is cool to the touch, not warm, before you begin the cleaning process. 

Baking Soda Toothpaste

One unique trick for tackling a tough mess on your glass stove is toothpaste. Baking soda-based toothpaste to be exact. This product, though minty-flavored, is basically a baking-soda paste. That’s a lot of scrubbing power packed into a very concentrated non-toxic solution. Rub baking soda toothpaste into tough grit with a towel or sponge to drive it home and break down the grime. This will show you why baking soda is also so effective for the food residue stuck to your teeth. 

Specified Glass Cooktop Cleaner

Finally, don’t underestimate pre-formulated products. Home solutions are fantastic, but the chemical revolution gave us the option to take shortcuts. Just as barkeeper’s friend is a slightly better formula than plain baking soda, so too can specific glass-top cleaners help you take care of this task quickly. Look up several brands of cleaners approved to scrub, degrease, and clear a glass cooktop. Some may be to spray and leave on, others may be glass-approved scrubbing agents. Try your hand at cleaners approved for glass stovetops and find a few that speed up your overall cleaning process. This will help you to save time keeping the stove clean more frequently, which will reduce the mess that can build up from month to month.