black glass cook top

How to Care for and Clean a Glass Stove Top

Regarding kitchen appliances, nothing says modern and sleek like a beautiful new smooth ceramic or glass cook top. And nothing says “Oh, no!” louder than a burnt-on mess or ugly scratch. Keep reading for everything you need to know about how to clean a glass stove top. 

black glass cook top

While it beats a coil element type cooktop in the style department, a glass cooktop requires a different kind of proactive care to keep it looking good, while at the same time preventing discoloration and scratching.

Prevention

If you think of your glass cooktop as a delicate possession that requires your utmost protection, you’ll be ahead of the game. With this appliance, it’s 90% prevention, 10% cleaning.

Cast Iron Cookware

Cast-iron skillets are heavy, and glass stovetops are extremely delicate. If you intend to use any type of stone or cast iron cookware on a glass top, your first concern should be cracking or damaging the glass with that heavy skillet.

If you are used to sliding pans back and forth over the burners while cooking, you will need to break that habit with your glass cooktop. It’s tempting I know, but don’t do it. Period.

The bottom of most types of cookware can be rough, even gritty like sandpaper. Any movement on that cooktop can leave permanent scratches. Instead, use an aggressive stirring method to move around the contents of the pan.

Heavy pots

Do not drag anything across a smooth top cooktop. Always lift to another area of the cooktop to reduce the risk of scratching.

Abrasive cleaners

Do not allow abrasive cleansers, Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty sponges (the green ones), scour pads (green), steel wool, or any other type of metal scrubbers near the cooktop. Instead, you want to use a non-scratch sponge or scour pad.

Spills

Do not allow spills to sit. Clean up any spills and boil-overs quickly. When cooking sugary substances, take care not to spill these on a smooth top cooktop. A sugar substance can discolor the cooktop, leaving yellowish areas that are impossible to remove on light-colored cook tops. Clean up all spills quickly.

Use a stool

Do not stand on the cooktop to reach something high above the stove. And do not place anything heavy on a smooth glass top stovetop, even for a few minutes. Check your owner’s manual. Generally, range and cooktop glass cooking surfaces (radiant, induction, gas-on-glass) are tested for a maximum weight limit of 50lbs.

Utensils

Do not place stirring utensils on a warm cooktop while you cook. Food on these utensils can mark or burn the cooktop, leaving a mess that will require a lot of time and effort to clean.

Cooling

Do not place casseroles or cookie sheets straight out of the oven to cool on a smooth top cooktop. Place these items on a heatproof counter or cooling rack to cool.

Remember

Always reach for a microfiber cloth, blue Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch sponge, or soft cloth, and aCcream cleaning solution.

 

 

Commercial Cream Cleaners

Your glass cooktop represents a significant investment. Here are the two products I have personally tested and can highly recommend for your consideration:

 

 

Scraper

You may need to use a scraper or razor blade to remove really tough burned-on substances. Please be careful! Using an inappropriate tool, or misusing the right tool could add to the misery. Werxrite RetraGuard Scraper for glass and ceramic stovetops is the right tool. Read the instructions carefully.

 

 

Cleaning Kit

If you have burned-on spots and difficult areas that you just can’t get clean, I suggest you invest in a Cerama Bryte Glass Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner Bundle. The kit includes cleaning pads, a mini-razor scraper, a microfiber cloth, and specific instructions for returning your cooktop to its beautiful self. Check out the remarkable reviews.

Homemade Cream Cleaners

Option #1

Make a paste of 50/50 baking soda and Blue Dawn dishwashing liquid. Stir until smooth. Using a non-abrasive soft sponge, work this cream in circles over the entire cooktop. When you’re done, rinse with a wet towel followed by a microfiber cloth to polish the glass surface.

Option #2

This is for tough spots and any stuck-on food that spilled while cooking. Combine 1-cup water and 1-cup white vinegar in a spray bottle. Add 10 drops of lemon essential oil. Shake well.

Once the cooktop has cooled, sprinkle baking soda directly on the tough spots. Spray the baking soda with the vinegar mixture. Wait until the baking soda stops fizzing and wipe clean with a very soft cloth or blue Scotch Brite Non-Scratch sponge (please don’t sneak in a green Scotch Brite because it will scratch the glass), using the texture of the powder to scour off the grease. This will not scratch the surface.

Repeat as needed until you’ve taken care of any tough spots.

Remove Discoloration

The natural oils and acids in food cooked on the stovetop can leave behind dark or light stains on the surface. Removing discoloration from a ceramic cooktop involves proper cleaning. Follow these steps to get your cooktop back to looking like new.

Apply a cream ceramic cooktop cleaner (see above) once the area cools. Using a soft scrubbing pad made for this purpose (the Cerama Bryte Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner Kit comes with 5 cleaning pads), rub deep into the stain. The abrasive nature of a scrubbing pad that has been designed specifically for a glass cooktop helps release the stain to remove stubborn discoloration. Wipe the area with a wet paper towel or microfiber cloth.

Remove Scratches

It’s best never to allow your glass stovetop to get scratched. Still, if you have scratches that are visible and visually annoying, it may be time to bring out the big guns.

An automotive scratch remover (you won’t find anything better than Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound) is designed to remove scratches and leave a clear-coat, glasslike finish. Apply the automotive scratch-removing compound with a soft cloth, and buff the scratch gently. Allow the scratch remover to dry, and then wipe off the compound with a dry cloth.

 

Word to the Wise

Always test any product or technique for any purpose in an inconspicuous place, first. Please.


Updated Republished 4-26-23

 

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12 replies
  1. vk says:

    Want something heat proof to set on the counter beside my stove, to put hot pans, dishes on. Prefer something that I can leave there. Would love a nice piece of stainless steel about 18″ x 22″, but cannot find one. Wondered if a silicone mat would work? Have never used one. Any advice out there?

    Reply
  2. Annie says:

    Using the flat side of a pot scraper and Barkeepers Friend will clean the stove top from spills and burnt on food. This will also work to clean burnt grease spots on stainless steel pots and pans.

    Reply
  3. Toni says:

    I had a spill over while boiling potatoes I wiped up all the liquid around the pot. I continued cooking the potatoes. After the stove top cooled down, I cleaned it with Wieman Stove Top Cleaner unfortunately after I wiped it off there was a cloudy stain which I have not been able to remove. What do you suggest ? Thank you

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      I can’t advise you on whether this can be removed or if the cloudy appearance is permanent damage because I don’t have enough information. But I’m quite confident that if it can be removed and restored, Cerama Bryte Cooktop Cleaner (link in the post) will do the job. Hope that helps!

      Reply
    • De says:

      There are marks and stains and shadows can’t get off my glasstop, even with a razor. Is there anything I can do to resurrect my stove top glass?

      Reply
  4. Cindi says:

    I have to wonder why anybody would think it’d be a good idea to stand on a cooktop. It’s quite disgusting whether it be a cooktop or countertop.

    Reply
  5. Dorothy Thompson says:

    Another trick for cleaning baked on mess on a glass top is to apply a liberal amount of your cooktop cleaning cream to the affected area and place a piece of cling film over the cream. The cling film will prevent the cream from drying out and hardening and will allow the cream to soften the burned on material. Leave the cling film on for about 10 minutes then remove and cleaning should be much easier.

    Reply
  6. Laura P. says:

    I’ve been really happy with these cooktops for over a decade and actually find them very easy to keep up with. However, with my newest one, it always seems to have a greasiness to it that I can’t seem to clear away. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Mary Hunt says:

      Blue dawn. It’s the best degreaser! I keep a spray bottle of about 90% water, 10% Blue Dawn handy. I spray my glass induction cooktop, use a BLUE Scotchbrite sponge circular motion to scrub it down, leave it sit for a few minutes. Then wipe it clean with a microfiber cloth. No rinsing required. Sparkles like a diamond in bright sunshine 🙂

      Reply
  7. Mary Hunt says:

    Hi Susan … The styles of smooth cooktops being manufactured differ in ways that may influence suitability for canning. It would be a very good idea to read Burning Issue: Canning on Smooth Cooktops from the National Center for Home Food Preservation before trying that, and also checking your owner manual to see what the manufacturer has to say.

    Reply

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