Avoid Cleaning Your Gas Burners With This Common Sense Ingredient (And What To Do Instead)
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Cooking can be a messy process, and stoves regularly end up with a buildup of grease that affects how well they work. Yellow flames or uneven flame patterns are signs that it's time to do a deep clean. The natural thing to do is grab a sponge, wet it thoroughly, and squeeze it out on the mess to soften it all. Water is for cleaning everything, right? Not quite. When it comes to cleaning gas burners, water is the one thing you should avoid at all costs. While soaking parts in soapy water away from the stove is fine, avoid using water directly on the top.
Water and gas stoves are a bad combination because it's easy to wet the electric starter. When that gets wet, it can cause electrical problems by shorting the igniter or spark module, which leads to ignition failure. If this happens to you, dry everything thoroughly and give any remaining moisture some time to evaporate before using the appliance. Once all the moisture is gone, your stove should light again. If not, try this simple fix to get your gas burner to light.
Along with the must-know safety measures to prevent gas explosions at home, learning how to clean your gas burner safely is important. With water off the list of safe cleaning products, what should you use to keep your gas burner in tip top shape? Armed with baking soda, vinegar, and wire brushes, it won't take long for your stove to be restored to a clean, sparkling state once more.
Simple steps to get gas burners clean
Before starting the cleaning process, read through the cleaning instructions in the instruction manual that came with your stovetop and note any specific steps you should take. Switch off the gas intake valve for extra safety and make sure all the parts have cooled down completely before you begin.
Remove the grates and get them soaking in hot, soapy water away from the stove top. If you're dealing with especially tough grease on the bars, consider investing in a Keliheyle Grill Stone Cleaning Brick to save yourself some hard scrubbing. Remove the burner caps, which are the circles that distribute the flame, and the burner heads that sit just under the caps. Now you get to use some of the common household ingredients you should be using to clean your kitchen. Soak the caps and burner in a bowl of warm water and distilled white vinegar or dish soap for 20 to 30 minutes. Scrub them with a sturdy, stiff-bristled brush like the Ouligay Kitchen Cleaning Scrub Brushes, rinse, and set aside to dry.
To clean the surface of the stove, use a cloth dampened with vinegar to wipe off any grease. For tough, cooked-on stains, make a 3:1 baking soda and water paste. Spread it directly on the stains and leave it for 20 minutes. Take on the stains with a nylon scouring pad. Use a clean, damp cloth to remove any remaining grime and the baking soda. Buff to a shine and reassemble the burners to enjoy your now clean (and undamaged) stovetop.