Before & After: The Laziest, Most Effective Way to Clean Your Stovetop

I’d been neglecting my stovetop for a week or two longer than I should have and needed to get it super clean for a different article I was writing about applying car wax as a way to prevent messes (stay tuned for that!). I’d previously used baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to clean my sheet pans and was very impressed, so I tried the same method on my very dirty stove.

First, I poured about a half-cup of baking soda into a bowl and added hydrogen peroxide until it made a thick paste — like the consistency of peanut butter. Next, I dabbed my sponge into the bowl and applied a thick layer of the paste to the stains on the stovetop and let it sit while I worked on another burner.

I applied the paste on the left burner, but cleaned as I went (instead of letting it sit) to see how quickly and easily I could remove the gunk. It took quite a bit of elbow grease, but eventually it came clean — for the most part. There were still a few shadows from stains so I added more paste and let it sit for about 45 minutes.

A little less than an hour later I came back and picked up the sponge and began to scrub away the paste that I applied to the first burner. It almost immediately revealed a much cleaner surface than the burner I’d tried scrubbing right away — and took a lot less effort. I wiped up the paste and rinsed the stovetop with a clean rag. Letting the paste sit for a while was key in this process.

I love natural cleaning methods, using stuff I already have around the house — especially when the process doesn’t take a lot of time and effort. Hydrogen peroxide is all natural, it sanitizes and disinfects, and is super effective at removing all types of stains. Combined with the very mild abrasive qualities of baking soda, it’s a great option for getting tough stains off of a stovetop. Let’s take a look at the before and after.

Note: This method is a bit messy for everyday cleaning, but I’ll definitely be using it the next time my stovetop gets out of hand. I highly recommend using this on a stained stovetop you think is past saving — the results are really impressive! Now, on to the stove grates.