Glass Cooktop Cleaning Tips – How to Clean a Glass Stovetop

Glass cooktops are the style of choice for anyone who prefers electric ranges or induction cooking appliances and while nothing beats them for their seamless look and sleek style, they can be a real eyesore in your kitchen when covered with grease, film, burned-on deposits and food spills.

How do we know? With all the test kitchens in our Good Housekeeping Institute and the constant flow of ranges in and out of our Kitchen Appliances Lab, we’ve seen, cooked on, and cleaned our share of glass stovetops. And we’ve tested lots of glass cooktop cleaners in our Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab. Read on to see how to make your glass stovetop shine in just a few easy steps whether you have light, heavy, or burned-on deposits.

How to clean everyday messes from your glass cooktop

The trick to keeping this surface clean and saving yourself more time, stress, and elbow grease is to stay ahead of the mess and not give it a chance to bake on in the first place. Even light splatters that you can barely see build up over time and become more difficult to remove. That’s why it’s essential to give it a wipe down after every use, even if you think it looks clean. Here’s what to do to ward of cloudiness and keep your cooktop sparkling:

1. Promptly wipe up spills and splatters as they happen with a damp sponge or cloth. Even if the surface looks clean, when invisible layers of grease build up and burn on you wind up with an even bigger job on your hands.
2. Use a grease-cutting spray or wipe specifically made for glass on a cool cooktop, like those from GH Seal-holder Weiman. They won’t leave hazy streaks behind like regular all-purpose and glass cleaners with ammonia can and the wipes are super convenient to use. If you don’t have cooktop cleaner handy, use a spritz of full strength white vinegar. It will cut grease and clean without streaking.
3. Rinse and buff the glass dry with a soft cloth or paper towel.

How to clean heavy deposits from your glass stovetop

If it’s been a busy week and cooktop spills have gotten ahead of you, switch to a cooktop cream or paste. The gentle abrasives in these formulas will help loosen stubborn residue that needs a bit of a nudge but that isn’t totally welded onto your glass:

1. Apply cooktop cream or paste to a cool surface with a non-abrasive scrubbing pad working in a circular motion.
2. Rinse the surface thoroughly and buff dry. It’s super important to completely remove any cleaning product residue, otherwise it, too, can bake and burn on and even worse, interfere with the performance of your cooktop, especially induction.
3. Sprinkle on a little baking soda or a non-abrasive cleanser in a pinch and rub with a damp cloth to remove stuck-on stuff, then rinse clean and dry.

How to remove burned-on stains from your glass cooktop

If your glass cooktop has seen better days and is already covered with burned-on grime and needs some TLC to remove discoloration, it’s time to pull out the heavy duty tools:

1. Lay a hot, moist towel on the glass to help soften the residue.
2. Use a razor blade — or the scraper that comes in a cooktop cleaning kit — held at a 45° angle, carefully scrape off the burned bits. Don’t worry, the glass on these cooktops is durable and can handle this treatment. Depending on how baked-on the deposits are, you may have to repeat the hot towel/razor blade step several times.
3. Clean the entire top with your cleanser; then rinse well and buff dry.
Carolyn Forte, Good Housekeeping Institute
Director, Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab
Carolyn Forte, a consumer products expert, is the director of the Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

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