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I am in the market for a magic cleaning fairy. Hmm…..actually I would like to find an invisible, magic cleaning fairy. A true fairy is thinner than I am and probably more beautiful. Not sure I want to see that every day! What do I want this magical creature to clean? I’m most interested in having her clean the really nasty stuff that happens all the time. For example, I was making some mashed potatoes the other day. I wasn’t paying enough attention and the potatoes boiled over making a huge mess. I had a lot going that night and forgot to wipe the burner with a damp cloth to minimize the cleanup later. When I finally got to the burner the next afternoon, I found “petrified potato remains” waiting for me. Yuck! Obviously no fairy came to the rescue, but I did find this pin, ”The No Scrub Way to Clean Your Stove Burner” from Vivienne at The V Spot. Hmm….possibly the next best thing to the non-existent invisible fairy that never shows up.
This is how I cleaned my burners. Place the burner in a ziploc bag, add a small amount of ammonia. Seal the bag and let it sit overnight. Now let me share with you that I have this disease called “more is better”. If a little works well, then I tend to feel that more is better. Not the case here. It is the fumes from the ammonia, not the ammonia its self that is cleaning your burner. Use too much ammonia and it won’t work. I know this because I tried it and it failed. I recommend sitting your burner in the garage or on the back porch so the fumes won’t bother anyone. Wake up the next morning, put on a pair of rubber gloves, turn your face AWAY from the bag to avoid the fumes, open the bag and remove your burner. Discard ammonia and ziploc bag. Most if not all of the “petrified gunk” on your burner should wipe off easily. Some cases may require minimal scrubbing. Now, I hate to admit this but……...in EXTREME cases (me) when your burners have SEVERAL layers of “petrified gunk” you may have to repeat the process more than once. Which I did and BAM! Second time around removed everything and guess what? I have shiny burners, go figure!
So a whopping…...This Pin ROCKS!
UPDATE: Learn how to use this ammonia no scrub cleaning method on your OVEN and BBQ GRILL!
Love to Link with these blogs: Lil’ Luna, Gingersnap Crafts, And Sew We Craft, Lady Behind the Curtain, Printabelle, Southern Lovely, Seven Thirty Three, The Real Housewives of Riverton, The Hopeless Housewife, Life With the Crust Cut Off, Daisy Cottage Designs, Creations by Kara, Someday Crafts, The Busy Bee’s
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My burners so need this. Don’t feel bad, my burners have petrified gunk on them too. (hanging my head in shame. lol) so, you’re not alone.
Glad to have another member in the “petrified gunk” club! So glad you stopped by
Hi Tracy, are your grates ceramic or cast iron? We have cast iron and I want to be sure it’s safe to use ammonia on them b/c we are renting. Thanks!
Hi Lindsay,
Mine are cast iron with a ceramic coating over them. There shouldn’t be a problem using this method with cast iron. Enjoy your clean grates! Tracy – The Middle Sister
Great! Thanks so much!
Thanks for sharing! Looks like it worked beautifully
Brenda,
Thanks for stopping by!
It really does work great. I was surprised because it is so easy.
Kassie,
I was surprised as well, now we both have more time to do the things we WANT to do!
Thank you so much for this solution. I tried this the other day and it works great. So easy and pain free!
Cheryl,
So glad you tried it and it worked for you! Amazing how a small change can make a big difference
Thanks for commenting!
I did this during the weekend and Oh My Goodness!!! It works fantastic and sadly we had forgotten that our burners were actually gray not black! Excellent – thank you!!
Denise,
So glad it worked for you! I was also surprised to see the “real” color of our burners
Tracy (the middle child)
Is it safe to dispose of the amonia in the regular trash or because it is toxic when mixed with other substances does it have to be disposed of in another way? Thanks!
Kathy,
The best way to dispose ammonia is to dilute it with a large amount of water. I filled my zip loc back full of water, shook it gently to mix the water and ammonia and then poured it down my kitchen sink. I had the facet run while I emptied out the bag of water and ammonia just to be safe! Tracy (the middle child)
hmm, I am intrigued, but I have long rectangular burners, don’t know how I would seal those into ziplocks. I guess I could try garbage bags…
Lisa,
You are correct, garbage bags are your best bet. I would add increase the ammonia slightly. Remember it is not the ammonia itself that cleans the burners, it is the fumes from the ammonia. So, too much will not work! Good luck and enjoy your clean shiny burners!
Tracy (the middle child)
I wonder if this work on the burner pans from an electric stove also? I don’t know that they are made as the material. Mine are so badly marked now from various cleaning attempts I’m thinking of getting new ones anyway, so I guess trying one can’t hurt!
Did it work? Moving out of my apartment and have to do a thorough cleaning before I move… including the electric stove…
Cathy,
It worked great, it is now the only way I will clean my stove burners! Saved me so much time not having to “scrub” them clean. Good luck with your move! Tracy – The Middle Child
As I recall, new ones are pretty inexpensive and would save a lot of time. I would replace them if I were in your position.
Cathy,
I’m with you on this one. Since they are already scratched up, I would try this just to see how they turn out. Let us know how it goes!
Tracy (the middle child)
I wonder if u can soak then in a bucket in the garbage? Storage have won’t fit my nasty gross burners.
Yari,
If you have large stove burners a hefty trash bag should work just fine. I think a garbage bucket will be too large. Good luck! Tracy (The Middle Child)
This also works great for grill racks. Use a dark garbage bag with a little ammonia and add the grill racks. I allow it to sit in the sun all day and then just rinse off. Magic!
Lori,
You are one step ahead of me! I’m planning on cleaning my BBQ grill racks next, great to hear that it works. Letting them sit in the sun is a great idea! Thanks for the tip. Tracy – The Middle Child
what about a easy way to clean an electric oven?
I wonder if this would work on BBQ grates? I’ve tried just about every can of cleaner I can find but there’s nothing that will remove all of it.
Ann,
Funny that you mention cleaning BBQ grates. I have a post going up this week that will tell you all about it!
Tracy – The Middle Child
Thanks so much! I’ll look forward to hearing about it. I have a Wolfe rangetop with griddle and grill but I’ve stopped using the grill because I can’t clean it sufficiently. I love the grill otherwise.
I don’t understand. I tried this twice and it did not work. I am at a loss as to what to do. I hate these greasy things and I can’t find any replacements because I have an old stove. I doubt if they have ever been cleaned. The stove was given to me and I know I have tried several times with no success. I read this and thought it would work but IT DIDN’T.
Naomi,
So sorry this did not work for you. If you want to try one more time, cut the amount of ammonia in half and see if that does the trick for you. Thanks for giving it a try! Tracy – The Middle Child
Can you do a 2-for-1 cleaning and put your burners in with the BBQ grates? Just curious. Both of mine are BAD right now!
Stephanie,
I haven’t tried that yet! My suggestion would be to put only one burner in the first time to see how it works. Keep us posted on your results. ! Tracy – The Middle Child
Mine are so petrified, I rarely even bother, and just live with the mess. This past weekend I TRIED to give them a cleaning, but not much came off. I am definitely going to give this a try and hope to get at least some of the petrified fossil-like remains off. Thanks so much for the tip!
Can’t wait to hear your results. It will be a like a paeleontology adventure!
Can’t wait to hear your results. It will be a like a paleontology adventure!
What if your burners are too big to go in a ziplock? I used a garbage bag once, nothing.
Lori,
It could be because you didn’t seal the trash bag tightly enough. I used a trash bag with a strong rubber band on my BBQ Grill grates and it worked great. You could also try putting in more ammonia.
Let me know if this helps! Tracy – (the Middle Sister)
Can anyone clarify how much ammonia is a little like a tablespoon and 1/4 cup what exactly, I want this to work so want to be exact.
Hi Trista!
Try using 1/4 cup, if you do not get the results you are looking for add another 1/8 of cup with your next try! Enjoy your clean stove burners, Tracy (the middle sister)
Has anyone tried this on cast iron grates and did it work?
Will this work on drip pans?
Hey Stephanie,
This should work on drip pans. I would test it out on just one drip pan to see what results you get. Let us know how it turns out!
Have a great day!
Tracy (the middle sister)
Thanks for the pingback! Tracy – The Middle Child