How to clean a really dirty gas stove
We moved into our house a months and months ago, and it came with a pretty decent gas stove. I am totally in love with cooking on gas now, but there was one major thing wrong with this stove. It was super dirty when we moved in. I’m talking caked-on, baked-on gunk. Mostly concentrated on one burner, but still pretty gross.
Of course, we had some many things going on when we moved in that it was low on my list of priorities. Which, inevitably meant that I ended up cooking on it for months without giving it a good scrub. Now, don’t go crazy here, I cleaned it. I just didn’t get all of that hard-to-clean stuff off.
Add that with months of my own spills and messes (again cleaned, but not really cleaned), and I had one big mess on my hands.
When we finally got our new countertops in January, I felt like it was really time to get it done. So I tried several things. I tried my go-to for stuck on mess – dishwashing detergent. I tried baking soda with vinegar. I didn’t try scraping it though because I knew that would scratch the enamel.
So what ended up being the solution? My dad finally suggested something that did the trick.
Oven cleaner!
Why hadn’t I thought of that! It’s meant to clean baked-on gunk without any elbow grease. It worked like a charm, but did take several rounds of soaking before it got the really bad stuff off. I’m talking letting it sit overnight and do it again. Three times, maybe four on the tough spots.
It’s still not perfect, but it’s definitely clean. And, I’m no longer embarrassed by it.
Quick tip: Try to do this on a day you can open the window. The fumes are pretty strong.
More kitchen tips:
