All stoves, no matter their make, glass, porcelain, or iron, have stove drip pans. The drip pans are the burners used for cooking.
Without them, grease will not be released. Instead, the grease will continue to burn all the time once the burner is on.
Drip pans come in a variety of sizes, and they collect all the debris inside the stove. Hence, they can become very dirty and really difficult to clean.
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Maintaining Your Stove Drip Pan
If you do not clean your stove drip pan on a regular basis, your stove will appear filthy and unkempt.
The lack of appropriate maintenance of your drip pan detracts from the overall aesthetic and performance of your stove. The tips below will help you:
- Always utilize the proper size of drip pan for your stove. Drip pans come in a variety of sizes, so make sure you know the proper size of the drip pan for your stove before you purchase any to use.
- Try to avoid chrome-plated drip pans because they do not clean properly. A poorly cleaned drip pan will not operate efficiently.
- Do not interchange your drip pan for your drip bowl. The drip bowl is meant to hold to warm things.
- Replace your drip pans with new ones when they become too old and dirty. This will help to beautify the appearance of your stove. However, replace your drip pans with the ones fit.
Cleaning Your Stove Drip Pan with Dryer Sheets
Do you have dryer sheets? If yes, do you know that you can use them to clean your stove drip pans? If you do not know, well, now you know.
Dryer sheets are very effective when cleaning the filth from your stove drip pan.
Let’s learn how to use them in the highlighted steps below:
Step 1: Clean the stove thoroughly and remove the dust and filth. After this, soak the sheet in water and put the sheet out on the stove so that it fits on over the drip pans.
Leave the dryer sheets for about 30 minutes. Remove the sheets and wipe down the stove afterward with a soft cloth.
Step 2: Soak the pans in hot soapy water. Use detergent instead of your regular dishwashing soap and soak and stir for about 10 minutes.
You can also use a mild cleaning solution to clean the pan. Use a towel to remove the grease and grime on the burner.
Step 3: Next, get baking soda and form a paste with water. Make sure that the paste is very thick. Now use a brush to spread the paste all over the burner and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
Step 4: If your burner has extreme stains, you can use wire wool to clean these affected areas. Take a ball of wire wool and scrape it on the stove.
This tool can effectively remove difficult stains, burnt-on food, and grease from your drip pans. After scraping the burner, use a dryer sheet to wipe the dirt on the burner.
Step 5: After all these actions, place the dryer sheet in the mid-section of the drip pans. Pour lukewarm water over the sheet, and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid.
Let everything sit for a few hours. Wipe down the stove drip pan with a microfiber towel. Your stove drip pan should be looking its best at this point.
Read: Can I Use Bar Keepers Friend On Glass Stove Top?
When Should You Clean Your Stove Drip Pans?
Drip pans should be cleaned every time a cooktop burner is used. If spills and splatters are cleaned up quickly, it’s easier to clean the drip pans.
For someone that cooks every day, you should clean the drip pans on a regular basis or when they get dirty.
If you let food particles and grease build up on drip pans, smoke or even a fire could start.
Other Ways to Clean Your Stove Drip Pans
Using dryer sheets to take off your stove drip pans is not the only way to do it. There are other methods of cleaning your stove drip pans. Let’s take a look at these methods.
Note: Before you begin the cleaning process, allow your burners to cool down completely before taking any parts off to clean the drip pan or other parts of the stovetop.
Watch how the parts fit together so that you can put them back in the right order.
What You’ll Require
- Rubber gloves
- Sink or bucket
- Microfiber cloth
- Plastic scouring pad (optional)
- Dishwashing liquid with a degreaser
- Baking soda
- Distilled white vinegar
- Household ammonia
- Melamine sponge
- One-gallon re-sealable plastic bags.
Read: Can You Use Easy Off On Stovetop? (Quick Answer)
Cleaning Drip Pans with Dishwashing Liquid
This is a great way to clean up new spills and splatters.
- Take out the drip pans and the rings.
- Half-fill a sink with hot water and add a few drops of a good dishwashing detergent that cuts grease.
- Soak the drip pans and other parts that come off in soapy water. Give them at least 10 minutes to soak. Clean the surface with a sponge or a dishcloth. If there are stains that won’t come off, use a melamine sponge to scrape them away.
- Use hot water and a microfiber cloth to clean the drip pan after soaking and scrubbing.
- Put the drip pans back under the burners and make sure they are fastened securely.
Using Vinegar and Baking Soda to Clean Drip Pans
What do you do when just soapy water does not work? Well, vinegar and baking soda make for an excellent alternative.
When the stove is cool, take the drip pans off. To get rid of any loose bits of burned food, shake them over a trash can.
At this point, check to see if any food has gotten on the stovetop. It might also need to be cleaned.
Pour enough hot water and a few drops of dish soap into a sink or bucket to cover the drip pans completely.
Allow this to soak for about 15 minutes. Drain the hot soapy water and soak the pans for about 30 minutes in distilled white vinegar.
Add baking soda to the mix. As the acid in the vinegar mixes with the baking soda, there will be some fizzing.
Give the combination at least 15 minutes to work its magic. Scrub the pots and pans with a plastic scrubber and more baking soda where the stains are stubborn.
After all, these, soak the drip pans in hot water and then dry them with a microfiber cloth. Assemble all of the parts back on the stovetop.
Ammonia
Ammonia is an excellent cleanser if you have one. However, you should be very careful because of the fumes.
Always use ammonia in a well-ventilated area, and make sure to have rubber gloves on when you use it.
- Make sure that the drip pans are completely cool, then put each one in its own one-gallon plastic bag that can be sealed.
- Fill each bag with a quarter cup of ammonia. The fumes will cut through grease and dirt.
- After you seal the bags, give the ammonia at least 12 hours to work. When it’s time to open the bags, make sure to do so away from your face. A lot of smoke will come out. Take off the drip pans and dispose of the ammonia and plastic bags in a safe way.
- Add hot water and a few drops of dish soap to the sink until it is half full. Use a sponge to clean the drip pans, and use a plastic scrubber or melamine sponge to clean any tough spots.
- Rinse each drip pan well with hot water and dry with a microfiber towel. On the stove, put it back.
How to Clean the Stove Rings of Your Stovetop
Your stove rings control the flow of heat or gas, depending on your type of stove, when using your stove.
Like drip pans, the rings can get dirty and greasy. They should be cleaned too, and ammonia makes for a good choice of cleaner.
- Put two rings at a time in a 2-gallon Ziploc bag, plastic bag, or another storage bag that can be sealed.
- Once the rings are in, pour ammonia into the bottom of the 2-gallon plastic bag. You don’t have to fill the bag all the way up. The muck is eaten away by the ammonia fumes.
- Put the rings in the bag and leave them there overnight. The next day, drain the bag and take out the rings. Give them a good rub to get any crust off.
Note: Do not inhale the fumes of ammonia. Always protect your nose and eyes from the danger of ammonia.
Final Thoughts
Caring for your stovetop is really essential because it allows them to perform better over a long period of time.
You can use any of the above methods to clean your drip pans and make sure to follow the safety precautions with any of these methods, especially ammonia.