Even the most careful chefs need to clean their hobs regularly, so the rest of us can’t avoid this task. Whether it’s oil splashes, boiled over milk or the accidentally dropped spoonful of curry sauce, it’s easy to get a shiny hob mucky with food residue and burnt-on grease.
When you’re thinking about how to clean a gas hob, it can seem like a horrifying task that needs a tremendous amount of elbow grease. Luckily, we’re here with some helpful tips to make keeping your gas hob nice and shiny as easy as possible.
Preparing to Clean Your Hob
Before you start cleaning your gas hob, you need to make some preparation to make the whole process go smoothly.
First off, make sure to turn off the electricity supply. Many gas burners have an electrical ignition system, and you don’t want to risk getting a shock while you’re cleaning. If you have a standing pilot light, make sure you turn that off too.
Second, ensure the hob is completely cold. Using cleaning products on a hot hob can cause nasty fumes in addition to the risk of you getting burnt.
Prepare your cleaning tools so you’re ready to work. Below we will guide you through a few different cleaning techniques, but in general, you’re going to need:
- Rubber gloves
- Kitchen sink or a bucket filled with hot water with dish soap for soaking
- Cleaning products, including a specialist oven or hob cleaner spray
- A soft cleaning cloth and sponge
- A soft scrubbing brush and an old toothbrush
- A soft polishing cloth
If your hob surface is really dirty, remove any loose dirt by hand using a soft, dry brush and vacuum cleaner before you start to disassemble for the main clean.
Make sure that you pay careful attention when you disassemble the parts, so you know how they will go back together. If in doubt, take photographs on your phone to help your memory.
Cleaning the Gas Stove Grates
Cleaning your hob is a multi-stage process, so we’re going to start by looking at how to clean gas hob racks, otherwise known as the grates.
The grates can suffer badly from burnt-on grime, especially if you use your gas hob frequently. Typically, it’s best to give them a good soak before you try to scrub. If they’re just greasy, you can use washing up liquid in hot water. However, if there’s burnt on grime, you may need to use oven cleaning spray.
Soak the grates for about thirty minutes in your sink or a bucket. It’s not a good idea to leave them in water overnight as they could rust. Now take your scrubbing brush and set to work cleaning. Apply neat washing up liquid and scrub hard in particularly heavy areas. If necessary, give the grills another soak in some hot soapy water and repeat your scrubbing.
If there’s a lot of burnt-on food, put the gills in your sink, spray with oven cleaner, and leave them for about 30 minutes. Make sure that the cleaner coats the grate completely. Then scrub them clean using hot water and more oven cleaner as needed. Use an old toothbrush to get into the corners.
Once done, give them a ten-minute soak in hot water with dishwashing liquid to degrease and give a final clean. Remember to rinse them thoroughly in fresh water before polishing them dry with a soft cloth.
The more often you clean your grates, the easier the job will be. Try and get into the habit of soaking them in soapy water at least once a week.
How to Clean Gas Stove Burners
Gas stove burners get dirty. Any food that lands on them will immediately get burnt and can block burner heads, preventing an even heat distribution. When thinking about how to clean gas hob burners, get ready for some scrubbing.
You can clean hob burners in hot soapy water if they’re not too dirty. However, usually, you’ll need to use oven cleaner. Cover the burner caps, rings and other parts in cleaner spray and leave for about 15 minutes. Painted parts might get damaged by the cleaner, so don’t let these soak.
Apply the cleaner with a brush, sponge or cloth. Ensure that you rinse whatever you’re using under hot water regularly to avoid it getting clogged with dirt. Repeat this process using more clear if required until the parts are clean.
Give them a rinse with warm soapy water for a final degrease, rinse with fresh warm water and then dry with a soft cloth.
Before reassembling the burners, make sure that the parts are completely dry. Take care not to get the gas ignition electrodes wet or to bend them.
Cleaning Your Gas Stovetop
The stovetop gets covered in fat splashes and dropped food in everyday use. Once you’ve removed the racks and gas burners, you can start work cleaning.
If there are loose food particles on the stovetop, wipe them with a paper towel and use a vacuum cleaner to remove them before you get anything wet.
Use a spray-on hob cleaning product and follow the supplied directions. Typically, this means spraying on, leaving for five minutes, and wiping off with a damp cloth. Depending on how dirty your hob is, you might need to do this a few times. Use a toothbrush to get into any fiddly nooks. Make sure you clean your brush and cloth frequently with hot water to stop them from getting too dirty.
Carefully clean off any remaining cleaner with hot soapy water and then dry and polish your stovetop with a soft clean cloth.
How to Clean Hob Rings and Gas Burners With Natural Products
If you don’t want to use commercial chemical products, we can consider how to clean a gas hob with more natural products.
Instead of using oven cleaners or similar products, you can make an effective cleaning compound with bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar.
Spray the stovetop with vinegar and allow it to soak for a few minutes before wiping it clean with a damp cloth. Repeat as needed.
You can soak gas burners and rings in vinegar overnight to cut them into grease. Wash everything carefully in fresh water afterwards.
You can clean hard to remove grime by making a baking soda and water paste. Apply the paste to the hob and components and leave for up to 30 minutes. Scrub clean with an old toothbrush or scrubbing brush. Rinse with water, clean with white vinegar, and repeat until dirt-free.
How Often Should You Clean Your Gas Hob?
Simply put, the more often you clean your hob, the easier the job will be. If possible, once it is cool enough, wipe spills up straight after cooking.
For an average household, you should aim at cleaning a gas hob surface once or twice a week. Try to clean the burners at least once a week.
Keeping Your Gas Hob Clean
When you are thinking about how to clean a gas hob, remember it doesn’t have to be that much of a chore. Try and clean up spills immediately, and consider that the more often you clean, the less burnt-on food and grime there will be to have to scrub.
Follow our instructions and tips for cleaning, and you will soon have a sparkling clean stove fit for a showroom. Just don’t be afraid to cook on it. Remember, you can always get your gas hob clean again.
