How To Clean Dirty Electric Stove Burners

Stove burners are like super magnets for grime and food debris. No matter how hard you try to prevent it, some of the food will fall from your pot or pan down onto the burner, at which point it’s cooked into a nice crispy substance. And since the burners rest over a nice open pan, trying to clean them can be prove to be a challenge.

Allowing your stove burners to accumulate debris such as this is more than just an eye-sore; it encourages the formation of rust. Once rust begins to take hold, it can literally eat through your stove to the point where it’s no longer able to function properly. This is why it’s important to clean your stove burners on a regular basis.

First and foremost, you should wait until your stove has cooled down before attempting to clean it. If you or a family member recently cooked something on the stove, you should wait at least an hour for the eyes to cool.

Once the burners have cooled, go ahead and remove them with a gentle tug. Most stove burners are removed simply by pulling them out. Removing the burners will also give you access to the burner pans, so it’s a good idea to clean them while you’re at it. Pull the burners and burner pans off the stove and lay them on a couple of clean paper towels for the time being.

To clean the actual stove burners, I recommend using a paste of vinegar and baking soda. The combination of these ingredients not only works for high-school volcano projects, but it’s also a powerful, all-natural cleaner. The trick is to use a very small amount of each ingredient so it’s a this pasty substance. Dip an old toothbrush into the substance and scrub down the surface of your burners. Just remember to avoid getting any of the electrical components of the burners wet.

There are dozens of different ways to clean stove burner pans but the method that’s worked best for me is involves soaking them in soapy water. To do this, fill up your kitchen sink with warm soapy water and place the pans inside. Let them soak in the soapy solution for about half an hour before removing them. If there’s still any grime or debris caked on, use the vinegar and baking soda method to scrub it off.

When you are finished cleaning the burners and burner pans wait for them to dry and plug them back into the stove.