Tips and Tricks for Cleaning Gas Range Burners

Burners

Clean your gas range burners immediately after spills to avoid buildup. Certain foods like tomato juice will ruin the finish around the burner. Prevent dull spots on the finish by cleaning up spilled milk and fruit juice as soon as they happen, using paper towels.

The gas ports on the burners can get a build-up of food. Use baking soda and water to loosen the build-up or take the burners out after they cool by lifting the range top of your stove. Depending on how your stove is made, you may be able to lift your burner and pull it out. Use a soft brush to clean and clear it out. If the little holes in the burner heads are clogged, use something thin and wiry, like a paper clip, and poke through the holes to clean them.

After cleaning the burners, rinse them under hot water and let them dry completely. If you know you'll be using your stove soon, place the burners in a warm oven and dry them for about 15 minutes or until they are completely dry.

Burner grates are the heavy, metal frames that sit over the stove burner and drip pans. Place your burner grates, drip pans and caps (caps are parts that fit on the burner itself) in a sink of hot, soapy water to clean them, using a good dishwashing liquid. Let them soak while you clean the burners. The stuck-on food will slide off easily when you return to the sink. Use a plastic scrubbing pad only when cleaning the grates.

If your burner grates are exceptionally encrusted with food, soak the grates in a mixture of 1 gallon of hot water with 1 cup of white vinegar added for 30 minutes. The food will easily come off after washing with a cloth.

The food and debris in the area around your gas burner can build up rather quickly if you don't keep up on it. Brush away any loose bits of food. Make a paste in a bowl with an equal amount of baking soda (like Arm and Hammer) and water. Apply the baking soda paste generously onto the stains with a cloth and scrub using the cloth. Spray white vinegar onto the paste. As it foams, it will lift up the rest of the stains. Continue wiping everything down with your cloth and clear warm water.

If this is the first time you've cleaned your burners, read your stove manual first. Search for the manufacturer's manual online if you can't find yours.

Never use toothpicks to clean burner holes--they will break off inside.

Don't use scouring powder or abrasive pads to clean around the burners--you'll scratch the finish.