The Best Way To Clean A Black Stove Top

Black appliances work well in a wide variety of kitchen designs and continue to remain quite popular. Despite their sleek look and availability, some homeowners shy away from these kitchen staples out of the fear that they'll require some type of expensive black appliance cleaner. Admittedly, black finishes are notorious for showing fingerprints and smudges, but all it takes to make them shine are a few simple items you likely already have in your pantry.

The same is true for black stove tops. Because they're exposed to baked-on dirt and cooking grease, stoves are more prone to streaking and a bit harder to clean than other black appliances. Simply adding an extra step to your cleaning routine will leave them glistening without any extra elbow grease from you.

According to Better Homes & Gardens, the best way to clean black kitchen appliances is to fill a spray bottle with equal parts water and vinegar. Spray the cleaning solution onto the appliance and then wipe it clean with a microfiber cloth. This cleaning regimen won't scratch the finish on your appliance or harm the buttons like bleach can.

During cleaning, make sure you wipe down the buttons, knobs and handles of your appliance. These are the parts you touch the most and as such tend to harbor the most dirt and bacteria.

When you're done cleaning, it's highly likely that you'll see streaks on your appliance. To get rid of them, take a fresh microfiber cloth and buff the surface of the appliance in a circular motion. If your cloth gets damp as you buff, switch it out for a dry one. That's all it takes to get rid of a streaky finish.

Read more: How to Clean a Kitchen

For a light cleaning when your stove is looking pretty good, simply clean your stove top as you would your other black kitchen appliances. If you encounter a cooked-on mess or lots of grease, take your cleaning to the next level with baking soda. Make sure the stove is cool, and then spray it thoroughly with vinegar. Liberally sprinkle the vinegar with baking soda.

It's normal for the baking soda and vinegar to start to fizz when they come into contact, so don't worry if things get a little foamy and bubbly. Once you've got the fizzing started, wet a clean microfiber towel in hot water, wring out the excess and lay the towel on the stove top, placing it right on top of the vinegar and baking soda. Merry Maids recommends leaving the towel set for 10 to 15 minutes.

When time is up, wipe away the vinegar and baking soda with another clean microfiber cloth. Any cooked-on food should now wipe away easily. If it doesn't, repeat the process. Spray the stove top with vinegar and give it a final wipe down before buffing away any streaks with a dry microfiber cloth.

Stubborn stuck-on food may tempt you to grab a razor blade and start scraping, but resist this urge. Razor blades and rough scrubbing can damage all types of stove tops, including glass cooktops. If you absolutely must scrape off food or dried spills, use a plastic spatula to do so.

As you clean, be mindful of what gets wet. Never soak wires, igniters, switches or electrical components with vinegar or other liquids. Work carefully to avoid wetting these parts of your stove, if applicable. Cleaning an electric stove top is much easier if you remove the electric burners and drip pans before you clean. Remove the metal grates and reflectors before cleaning a gas stove top.

Read more: Kitchen Appliance Ideas & Inspiration