Hi Ask Anna Readers! It’s Kim from A Real-Life Housewife. I have joined the team here as a contributor and will be answering one of your questions each month! Let’s start things off with this question about how to remove grease from a stove top:
“How can I get built-up grease off the top of my stove where the control knobs are? It is black in color and grease shows on it sooo much. I’ve tried sooo many cleaners to no avail. Thanks.”
If you’ve ever owned a black appliance, you can surely sympathize with this stumped reader. I know I can! Every little dust particle seems to show! Constant upkeep is necessary in order to keep black stove tops looking smooth and shiny. The problem is, we often don’t get to cleaning up grease splatters until they are dry because they happen while we are cooking. And the longer they sit, the more difficult it becomes to get them off. So, if you’re faced with this problem, don’t fret! I’m going to show you just how to remove grease from a stove top.
Take a look at the build-up on my stove:
See that grime near the top edge?
The built-up grease splatters are even more apparent on my microwave, which sits right above the stove.
I too tried several different methods and products to wipe off the grease, including vinegar, dish soap, baking soda, and even rubbing alcohol! None of them worked. It was a Magic Eraser that finally cut the grease and got my appliances clean again!
Simply get the the Magic Eraser damp and scrub the grease away (test an inconspicuous area first to be sure you are satisfied with the results). Afterwards, buff all surfaces with a microfiber cloth.
Look how shiny and new it all looks!
There’s a reason it’s called Magic Eraser!
I’ll be back on the third Wednesday next month, and the month after that, and the one following that. I’m just gonna keep coming back! So if you have cleaning and/or organizing questions, ask ’em!
The Magic Eraser is good … but sometimes, it can be a little too good! When my kids were tots, they got red magic marker on my oak kitchen table, and I just couldn’t take it off. So, I finally used the Magic Eraser. Unfortunately, the Magic Eraser also took some of the oak finish off! Now, I have a light spot on my kitchen table. 🙁 But I am sure the Magic Eraser is OK on appliances — just not wood!
OH WOW!! You have saved my black stove life! I’m also going to do this on top of the cabinets above the stove. I tried everything to cut that grease, but the magic eraser. This has bothered me since we moved in.
I’ve always used a product called greased lightning which is very soapy and works. This is good to know. For cabinets I use a wood friendly thing like murphy’s oil soap. Glad your stove is looking shiny again! It is best to wipe it down every day or at least a part of the stove…. but who has time for that?
Any idea if the magic eraser is safe on granite? I’d love to use it on my glass cooktop and granite counters!
I think it is, I’ve used it on our granite in the bathroom.
How do I get the stovetop grates and the wells. They have black burnt like marks on both. It seems as though I have tried everything.
Funny you ask me this because my friend just texted me this weekend and gave me a great tip that she tried and it cleaned off gunk she’d had stuck on their for years! Here’s what she said, “I used an Ava Anderson dishwasher pod, soaked in hot water and poured it on my stovetop for awhile. Without scrubbing, crusty stains from years ago are coming up! Amazing!” She used an Ava Anderson dishwasher pod (here’s the link- http://bit.ly/1x1LDcl) but if you don’t want to buy those you could probably use another good dishwasher pod, I like the Finish Quantum pods – http://amzn.to/1E0aTV9.
Hi ..thank u…where can i buy the Ava Anderson dishwasher pod.
Hi Violet. Ava Anderson is now Pure Haven so you can find them here – www (dot) purehaven (dot) com
Hi. I tried the manic eraser extra power, but it will not get the black gas stove top clean. I have heavy duty build up, do you have any other suggestions?
Hi, Janice! I’m Anna’s assistant, Bethany. For heavy grease build up, Anna recommends using an Enviro-Cloth. It cuts through grease and it will get that shine back. Scrub the grease off, toss it in the wash (air dry it) and then you can use it all over again. It sanitizes as it cleans and it can be used forever. Here’s the link: http://www.norwex.biz/publicstore/stores/AnnaMoseley/AM/product/Enviro-Cloth,706,203.aspx
Hope this helps! 🙂
The best way to clean cooked greasy stove top is using Easy Off oven cleaner.
You just spray the area then walk away then come back to wipe off. Easy as that.
Follow direction as directed on can
Thank you for cleaning tips
All around my black cook top is shiny plastic that I have used degreaser on and now is dull. Is there something I can use to bring back the shine
It’s probably just hazy from the degreaser so I would try wiping it clean with a damp microfiber cloth and if that doesn’t work these Scotch Brite sponges work well for getting the shine back, they did wonders on my dull cooktop – http://amzn.to/2aukJb3 (affiliate link).
Ammonia. What worked for mom is still as good as it gets. Better than oven cleaner (didn’t work at all for me), Lime Away (great for lime scale on the shower door, but not so much for gunk on the stove top), and even baking soda and peroxide yielded only so-so results. I remembered my mother telling me about putting a bowl of ammonia in her oven & letting it sit overnight, and then she could just wipe it out the next morning. I poured pure Ammonia on my black gas stove top and let it sit for several minutes, and then using a good quality paint scraper (1″ blade) and a scotch brite style scrubber pad to scrape & scour away the baked on gunk. The results were amazing & it was only about 30 minutes of actual scraping & scrubbing. I followed up with spray foam glass cleaner to remove the streaks & residue and it looks great.