Ask Mrs. Clean: House Cleaning, Stain Removal and Organizing Tips

[SandyF]

Hello
I am new to the forum, and may have missed a topic addressing this, if so please feel free to direct me to the topic.
My husband and I had to purchase a new oven/stove off of craigslist since ours broke. We decided to go cheap, and purchased a low end, flat glass top electric stove. It turns out the previous owners didn't take very good care of this, and left a large ammount of burnt food on the top. And when I say burnt, I mean hard-as-rock-barley-moves-when-scraped-with-a-razor-blade hard. I don't think they cleaned the top of this once.
Does anyone have any suggestions for heavy duty burnt on food removal? We tried purchasing a generic food removal product from the grocery store, but it didn't even move. We have scrapped with razor blades, and it comes off, but man it will take a long time. I am hoping someone has a suggestion with a product that can be left on for a couple hours that could break up the burnt food for easier removal.
Thanks for the help!

[mrscleannw]

Hello SandyF,

We sympathize with you; these kinds of messes are time consuming and require a lot of elbow grease.

Be careful not to scratch the surface with any blades you use to remove the food. I don’t know what the other surface of the stove is so use care not to damage that. You can also try to use an old credit card for scrapping off the food; it can’t hurt you or the surface.

You may be working on removing one layer at a time and any of these processes may require a repeat method.

Cold Oven Cleaner.
Because the food is so hard and baked on try using a cold oven cleaner and fume free since you’re working on the outside of the oven. Be sure the area is well ventilated; you are wearing gloves and a mask when spraying.

Spray the baked on food with the oven cleaner. This is an acid and will start to remove the gunk. This will need to sit for a while, so maybe go see a movie or go out and get a bite to eat.

If it has softened quite a bit, scrape off a layer. You will most likely be working to remove layers of the baked on food and will need to repeat the process.

The following two methods are less harsh:

Liquid Dish Soap.
We want to try and soften the baked on food first. What you will want to have on hand is some liquid dishsoap, baking soda, lemon juice (squeeze kind is easier), rags, and water.

Not sure how large the food deposits are so use your best judgment. If possible before starting, score some grooves in the baked on food then cover one of the areas with the liquid dish soap. Now get a rag and completely saturate it in warm water then place it over the baked on food. This will need to set at least 1 hour, don’t let the rag get to dry, keep it wet by pouring a little warm water over it.

Check to see if this is helping to soften the baked on food. If it is, carefully scrape off a layer and repeat the process.

Hard Surface Steam Cleaner.
These are powerful high pressure steam cleaners that are chemical free. You will typically get all the tools and accessories needed to complete the task at hand. Bissell offers a Steam Shot that can remove stubborn stains and baked on foods. It is inexpensive and works on many surfaces.

Mrs. Clean