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How to Clean Oven Knobs

This is a very simple and quick cleaning tip but it’s also one that is usually overlooked.  How often do you clean your oven knobs?  I know that I always forget to do it because when I notice how dirty they are I’m usually making dinner, then we are eating dinner… and then I’ve long forgotten that the knobs were dirty.  Sound familiar?
But now that I’ve got you thinking about it go look at them.  Pull them all the way off and I bet you’ll find something that looks like this:
Pretty gross right?  Don’t worry it’s an easy fix; your oven and knobs will be sparkly clean in less than 5 minutes!

Here’s what you will need:

1. Spray bottle filled with white vinegar (or a white vinegar/water mix if you prefer)
2. Sponge
3. Bowl

Here’s what to do:

1. Start by putting all the knobs in a bowl and fill it with white vinegar.  Leave them to sit while you clean the oven.

2. Next spray the oven with white vinegar and let it set for about 30 seconds.  Some of it will drip to the stove top but that’s okay.

3. Take the sponge and wipe down the stove making sure to get all the grime that is stuck to the surface.  If your stove has decades of grime crusted to it and the grease isn’t completely coming off with the white vinegar then sprinkle a little baking soda onto your sponge.  The baking soda will cut through the grease and it will wipe right off.

4. Next drain the vinegar that the knobs are soaking in and scrub them clean too.  I like to let my knobs dry for at least a few hours because I’m paranoid that a little water might mess up the stove.  Once they are dry replace them on the stove and you’ll be amazed at how clean and new your stove looks!

Okay now it’s your turn.  Get up and go look at your stove… then come back and tell me about the transformation!  Can’t wait to hear about it!!!
If you are looking for more of my posts about cleaning your oven, check these out:

*How to Clean an Oven

*How to Clean a Self Cleaning Oven

*How to Clean Oven Glass

*How to Clean BETWEEN Oven Window Glass

*How to get Oven Racks to Slide Easily

*How to Remove Discoloration on the Oven Door

 

Cleaning// Green Cleaning// Kitchen// Vinegar

About Anna

"Hi, I'm Anna! Wife, mother, child of God, and the founder of Ask Anna. I have always enjoyed cleaning, organizing, decorating and helping people, so I've put that all together on the pages of this blog. I truly hope my tips help you in your home and make sure to contact me if you have a question!"

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Comments

  1. Amanda says

    June 30, 2011 at 7:38 am

    I did this yesterday, I love cleaning those bits and bobs that other people don't really see, but I always get a great satisfaction knowing its clean, weird I know!Anyway, there I was cleaning the knobs, and about to set too cleaning the inside of the oven, when I remembered that duh, I'm getting a new oven on Friday!The new one is gas and I've never had to clean gas rings on a hob before, have you got any tips!Have a great weekend.

  2. Martha J. M. Orlando says

    June 30, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    You SO reminded me that I need to do this! Thanks, Anna! 🙂

  3. Becky Moseley says

    June 30, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    This is one thing I actually do on a regular basis–I love knowing all the gunk that gets behind there is so easily cleaned. A friend told me about a year ago that you could just take the knobs off, and I've been hooked ever since.

  4. Ty and Whitty says

    July 1, 2011 at 5:41 am

    Wow great tip I am excited to try it out. I hate when I just can't get them clean! I found your cleaning tip through the Paisley passions linky party and just had to stop by. I am your newest follower and cant wait to check more of your blog out. Come and visit me and say hi and please follow back :)A mommy's life…with a touch of YELLOWtyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com

  5. Judy says

    July 2, 2011 at 1:02 pm

    I love using vinegar to clean…it's so amazing and so eco-friendly!Your oven looks simply lovely 🙂

  6. Heaven's Walk says

    July 3, 2011 at 2:07 am

    Thanks for the great reminder, Anna! Gotta love that vinegar! Did you know that if you soak steel wool in white vinegar overnight, and then paint the vinegar on new wood, that it turns it into vintage looking wood? 🙂 Just like magic!xoxo laurie

  7. Lisa says

    July 6, 2011 at 1:12 pm

    Thank you! These dirty knobs always bug me and I can never get them perfectly clean!

  8. btanders says

    July 6, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Duh! I never thought to pull the knobs off. No wonder I have trouble getting them clean. Thanks for enlightening me!!

  9. Just Jaime says

    July 6, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Great tips!

  10. To Sew With Love says

    July 8, 2011 at 12:53 pm

    what a great tip! Thanks for linking up, Anna!

  11. wvgurl says

    July 12, 2011 at 4:52 am

    I just LOVE using vinegar as a household cleaner! Thanks so much for sharing!

  12. Karen Dady says

    June 24, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Funny true story…my sister cleaned my knobs when I moved in to my new house. She didn’t replace the knobs in the correct order, so I thought my stove was broken because I couldn’t correctly regulate the temperatures. Thankfully, my husband figured out what happened before I bought a new stove. Lol! Make sure when you clean the knobs, you remember what order to put them back in. 🙂

    • Anna says

      June 26, 2012 at 9:12 am

      Okay, I seriously laughed out loud when I read this! I’m glad you got the problem fixed, but it makes me think maybe I should write a post on making sure to label the knobs when you take them off. 🙂

      Anna

    • Pattie says

      May 18, 2013 at 5:04 pm

      @Karen Dady – I think that was a quirk with your stove. I have washed my knobs countless times & never paid attention to which burner they came from. Never had a problem.

  13. H Grafton says

    July 12, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    Can you clean stainless steel with the vinegar thanks ,

    • Anna says

      July 14, 2015 at 9:37 am

      Yep!

  14. Jeanette McKay says

    October 5, 2015 at 8:18 am

    Thank you for how to clean showers

  15. Virginia Preston says

    October 18, 2015 at 8:49 am

    I just put mine in the dishwasher. I don’t do it very often.

  16. Loreen McAllister says

    December 23, 2015 at 4:05 am

    Hi Anna! I think I have found a quicker & better way to clean all those greasy things in the kitchen that seem to attract the dirt & stickiness. I use Rubbing Alcohol mixed with equal parts of water. It’s ok to make it stronger for some things. Knobs & dials on the stove become spotless & shiny, as well as the surface on the back of the stove. One (?) of my pet peeves is to pick up the salt & pepper shaker, spice containers etc. that certain other people don’t think to wipe their hands before touching. Depending on which item I’m cleaning, I can spray it straight onto the surface, or spritz it onto a soft cloth. It’s like magic. I even wash my windows alot of the time with it. It’s cheap, easy & sanitizes too! Yay for CleanFreaks everywhere! Obviously, it shouldn’t be inhaled or sprayed around kids or pets. (But hey, I remember when the Dr’s office kept the mercury thermometer in alcolhol. They just wiped it a bit, popped it in our mouth & right back into the alcohol. Tasted awful, but never seemed to hurt us. Unless being a clean freak was caused by that practice…..?!)

  17. Alice mayo says

    January 23, 2016 at 10:21 am

    i have a gas stove do the knobs come off

    • Anna says

      January 23, 2016 at 1:04 pm

      They should pull right off. If you’ve never taken them of they might be a little harder to get off but I’ve never seen a stove that they didn’t come off. 🙂

  18. Helen says

    April 3, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    How do clean behind the class where you set your clock and timers?
    Thanks

    • Anna says

      April 5, 2016 at 9:37 am

      I’m not sure, I don’t think you can get in there without ripping the whole stove apart. :/

  19. Alyssa says

    May 13, 2016 at 6:18 am

    One note… The person that had my stove before me used bleach or a harsh chemical and it removed the writing on my knobs showing the temperatures… (high low medium) so it was always a guessing game. I’m sure vinegar won’t but i wouldn’t suggest bleach or harsh chemicals. Dishwasher also has the potential for it also in addition to disfigure them.

    • missylulu says

      August 30, 2017 at 11:26 pm

      We had that problem and painted new marks on with nail polish and permanent marker. For the oven I used an oven thermometer in the oven to check where the marks should be for the different temperatures and then wrote them on with permanent marker and little spots of nail polish to mark where they should be so if the marker came off I wouldn’t have to work it out again.

  20. Phyllis says

    February 5, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    I was so disappointed after cleaning my oven, self cleaning, to find I have brown grung running down between the glass door.
    I will try your method of cleaning the glass. But how do I get back up off the floor once I have cleaned the glass. And how do I get the knobs off the stove. ? So that they dont crack. Thanks for your reply.

  21. Aleda Krejce says

    March 18, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    Washed my GE silver stovetop knobs and the silver all peeled off. Left them completely bare.

    • Anna says

      April 1, 2022 at 8:31 am

      Oh no!! That’s terrible! I would contact GE because that is not normal, they should replace the knobs.

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