The Best Way to Clean Porcelain Stove Tops

Elegant, easy to clean and maintain, a porcelain range is a lovely addition to any kitchen. They can also be vulnerable to scratches from harsh and abrasive cleaners or heavy pots and pans that inadvertently get dropped onto the cooktop. Cleaning a porcelain range is fairly simple if it hasn't been neglected and left to collect globs of grease and bits of burnt-on food. Most stains on a porcelain range can be removed with the right cleaning materials and methods.

A porcelain range is heat-resistant, stain-resistant and can stand up to a lot of activity in a busy kitchen without scratching or showing hard wear and tear. Good Housekeeping suggests that the slick surface be wiped down daily to keep it clean. When wiped down after each use, the porcelain range should maintain its shine throughout all the daily meals prepared on its surface.

While the porcelain range is durable, it does have its drawbacks. It can crack quite easily if a heavy pan is dropped onto the surface. Pots and pans filled with sauces and salted water that bubble over can leave a burned-on residue that is difficult to fully remove. Harsh abrasives and acids, such as those in vinegar-based cleaners, can leave scratches on the cooktop surface.

A good porcelain stove top cleaner is nonabrasive yet can cut through grease easily. Most porcelain ranges can handle cleaners that contain bleach and ammonia, but always check with the manufacturer before using strong detergents on the cooktop surface. For serious stains, let the cleaner sit on the cooktop for 20 minutes to an hour before scrubbing down the porcelain range.

If the porcelain cooktop is neglected for weeks and gets a grimy buildup that seems impenetrable, it can be returned to its original, pristine condition when scrubbed with the right methods and cleaners. A paste of baking soda and water can remove baked-on puddles of sauce or gravy. Leave the baking soda paste on the stubborn stains for at least 30 minutes before rubbing off with a damp cloth.

The best way to clean the stove top is to work from top to bottom or left to right in small areas. Use small circular motions across the surface of the cooktop to gather up bits of grease and food as you work. Rinse the stove top down with a damp cloth and buff dry. Repeat the last two steps, if necessary, for a sparkling porcelain range.

Once the porcelain range is clean of debris and stains, it can usually be buffed to a high shine. If the surface continues to be dull and dingy after a good scrubbing, then a window cleaner can often return the shine. Spray the cooktop with a fine mist of window cleaner and quickly wipe the surface down, moving top to bottom or in one direction to avoid streaking. Buff the stove top to a high shine immediately after applying the window cleaner to ensure you've wiped away all traces of the mild cleaner.