I Just Found a $3 Stovetop Cleaner That’s Ridiculously Effective (I’ll Never Use Another One!)

Health and climate reasons aside, most of my preference for a non-gas stovetop has to do with how much easier glass cooktops, whether electric or induction, are to clean. There aren’t any grates to remove to clean, no food falls into the space under or around the burners, hiding until it gets extra hard to clean. In short, there isn’t any place for messes to hide on glass cooktops. I enjoy that convenience every day, and I have lots of secrets for keeping my glass stovetop looking like new. 

Just because glass cooktops don’t conceal mess, that doesn’t mean they can be treated any old which way with impunity. For instance, it’s important never to use ammonia or ammonia-containing products such as Windex on glass cooktops, as this could etch the glass, void the warranty, and release harmful fumes into your indoor air. Proper care of glass cooktops also includes never using metal or abrasive cleaning pads on them, making sure that your cookware doesn’t have food on the bottom that could scratch the glass, and never setting hot lids down on them because this can form a suction that can break the glass. 

While it’s easy to wipe down a glass stovetop because of its smooth surface, that alone doesn’t keep the stovetop gleaming. Inevitably, the burner areas get cloudy rounds of residue. In addition, food spills, which aren’t always immediately easy to spot, burn on and can become extremely difficult to remove. A clean glass stovetop isn’t a given, and regular deep-cleaning is a must if you want that surface truly shiny. 

For years, my routine has involved Cerama Bryte, usually in conjunction with a razor blade scraper. I use the razor blade to scrape burned-on bits of food and then follow up with a coat of the cleanser that I scrub and then buff out. But recently, I found out — via The Kitchn editors’ cleaning showdown for glass stove tops — that one of my favorite brands, Bar Keepers Friend, has a dedicated product for cleaning glass stovetops: Bar Keepers Friend Multipurpose Cooktop Cleaner. It was only $3.49 at Home Depot, and I knew I had to give it a try. 

I read the straightforward package instructions and set out to clean my glass stovetop, which had the type of hard water stains and food marks typical of when I go for a deeper cleaning. I spread the product over the cooktop, smeared it across the surface with the scrubby side of half of a non-abrasive sponge, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, I scrubbed more rigorously and began wiping it off with a damp sponge. I followed up by polishing the stovetop with a dry paper towel. 

I was amazed at the results I got even with what seemed like relatively minimal effort. I didn’t even have to use a razor blade first! Some burner ring residue did remain on one side of the stovetop, but I repeated cleaning just that one area and the mess melted away. (I think this is one of the hardest things about cleaning a glass cooktop; it’s difficult to see exactly where the messes are, so it’s hard to tell where to concentrate your efforts.)

I like that Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleaner got my stovetop sparkling without any extra tools or harsh chemicals (it relies on all-natural ingredients like citric acid). I also like that the product is thicker than the Cerama Bryte, which makes it a bit easier to spread and also makes it feel like a smaller amount goes a longer way. Furthermore, Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleaner is both a less expensive and more versatile product — you can use it to clean ceramic and metal cookware, glass, tiles, bronze, porcelain, and more (in addition to your cooktop). 

Cerama Bryte has served me well for well over a decade and I’ll always think it’s great, but Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleaner may well be on its way to taking its place as my go-to for keeping my stovetop clean. 

Buy: Bar Keepers Friend Cooktop Cleaner, $3.49