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I have not been wiping the stove top after cooking for several years. Last month I tried to clean it by taking some baking soda + water and scrubbing with steel wool. I did manage to get a lot of the dirt off but it is not clean enough. Any suggestions about how I can remove the grease off the stove top?

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  • Have you tried actual soap (dish soap) or only baking soda?
    – Tinuviel
    Mar 1, 2020 at 6:38
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    You haven't cleaned the stove for years and expect a perfect result from one cleaning? Repeat the cleaning over the next weeks and eventually, your oven will bd clean again.
    – Johannes_B
    Mar 2, 2020 at 4:21
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    Note: 3 answers so far, recommending 4 different products I've never heard of. Please consider when answering that you are speaking to an international audience. Brand names are not always international.
    – Tetsujin
    Mar 2, 2020 at 7:41
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    Sure. But people can always look up these cleaners and find country equivalents. For example, if you don't have Easy Off Oven Cleaner, you can still look up "oven cleaner" as a starting point and also see what chemicals are there. Note that also cleaners in the same "class" may also be wildly different and a brand name is the most succinct description -- for example, I find Method's all purpose cleaner useless, but Formula 409 (another all purpose cleaner) useful.
    – Batman
    Mar 4, 2020 at 23:19

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I'd try dish soap first with a scrubby sponge. Then, a cleaner like Formula 409 with a scrubby sponge if that doesn't work -- this usually works with a bit of elbow grease/a few tries.

And if that doesn't work, you can always go nuclear with something Easy Off Oven Cleaner (This is inconsistent with the manufacturer instructions, so I would not recommend it even though I've done it before and it worked).

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  • Was my answer i substance. Oven cleaner on enameled surface works. It is strong, so spray somfinish tolerates that, then do more.e and wipe clear with water after 15 minutes. See how the
    – MarsJarsGuitars-n-Chars
    Mar 1, 2020 at 13:51
  • Is there any reason why I don't want to use Easy Off Oven Cleaner first? I saw a few videos of people using it on their Oven and it seems real good!
    – Jon
    Mar 2, 2020 at 4:39
  • It's pretty nasty stuff (lye, aka sodium hydoxide) -- it'll get the stuff off, but you want to clean up after it well and don't get it on you cause it'll burn. Things like 409 aren't great for your skin but they're a heck of a lot gentler.
    – Batman
    Mar 4, 2020 at 23:21
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Automatic dishwasher detergent.

The gel type like Cascade (in US) is good for this. It is thick so it will stay where you put it. The active ingredient is sodium carbonate which saponifies fats and makes them easy to wipe off. It does not stink like ammonia. It will not scratch the enamel. Plus you might already have some.

Put some dishwasher gel on the grease and leave it overnight. In the morning you will be able to wipe the gel and grease off.

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For drip pans, try to leave the baking soda for a longer time and spray it with a vinegar mixed with equal part of water and 5 drops of lemon essential oil if available. I always let it set for a couple hours to let the reaction do its job, then I scrub it with a steel wool pad.

For burners, you can do the same or just clean them with any good soap that you have and let it set for a couple minutes before you wash them.

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BTW, that's not grease - it maybe was initially, but it's now a polymer like cast-iron pan seasoning.

Clean it off with supermarket oven cleaner, any brand.

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My personal favourite is the liquid one in the middle - but that's for the UK market & may not be available where you are, or may come under a different name, which is why brand recommendations don't work so well for an international audience

It's OK on the enamel & chrome, but don't get any on the rings, it may damage the surface. You might find a pour-on rather than a spray-on easier to handle. Wear gloves. Some products are supplied with gloves.
Leave it overnight & you'll do it in one pass.

Nothing 'soap-like' will touch it, nor baking soda.
Don't use steel wool on enamel, you'll scratch it.

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  • I once wanted to clean a pan to a degree that it shines, then I had the cleaning material on its handles and it was just useless afterwards. "don't get any on the rings" is a very good point that could prevent such tragedies.
    – Gigili
    Jan 21, 2021 at 16:44

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