This Common Laundry Product Cleans Stovetops Better Than You Think

Glass cooktops present an elegant, modern look in any kitchen. Flat and smooth, as opposed to the rugged look of a gas cooktop, they shine and show off your pristine, clean kitchen — unless there are burned-on areas of cooking residue distorting that shine. Cleaning those stubborn stovetop stains can be a challenge. There is a common product in your laundry room, borax, that can come to your rescue to remove those encrusted areas and bring back the shine. 

Borax is a naturally occurring mineral that has many household and commercial uses. Identified as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, it is a crystalline substance that is extremely soluble in water. Those many-sided crystals are one of the keys to its cleaning power; it's a gentle but effective abrasive that won't harm glass.

Another key thing to know about borax crystals is that they borax sit at a 9 or 10 on the pH 14-point scale, making it strongly alkaline. Chemicals at either end of the pH scale, very alkaline or acidic, are effective at breaking down organic substances that sit in the middle of the pH scale, such as kitchen grime like cooking grease and oils. 

There are a couple of ways to approach cleaning your glass cooktop with borax. The first is to mix a heaping tablespoon of borax in a quart of warm water and put the mixture into a spray bottle. Then, spray a generous amount of the cleaning mixture onto the cooktop, saturating any cooked-on residue. (Make sure the cooktop is cool, not hot!) Allow the solution to sit for at least five minutes, letting the pH difference do its work. Then with a microfiber cloth or sponge, and a good bit of elbow grease, you should be able to scrub the stovetop clean. 

Another way to use borax, especially if you have a lot of encrusted food residue to remove, is to make a paste with the borax powder and water. Use 1/4-cup of borax to one cup of water (some folks add a drop of dish soap as well). Spread it on the cooktop and encrusted food residue, allow it to sit for some time, and then scrub it away vigorously. With this mixture, you can make better use of borax's abrasive nature. Take care to get all of the borax paste washed away from the surface.

While borax is not a dangerous mineral, it can irritate your skin and eyes, which is typically true of all high-alkaline cleaners. As a precaution, wear gloves when you are cleaning with borax. You also want to keep borax out of reach of children and pets. Even with these considerations, whether you are using borax in your kitchen or laundry room, it can be a great new arrow in your cleaning quiver.