Wednesday, August 26, 2009

It's a miracle!

I've tried it all when it comes to cleaning my gas stove top grates.
I've soaked and scrubbed and sworn (j/k, I would NEVER swear ;0)
those nasty grates over and over and when I'm finally done with all that they don't look much better...that is, until last week ...

BEFORE: Now that's just gross people.


I put the grate in a zip lock bag, sprayed some ammonia in the bag, sealed it, and let it set over night. The next day the gunk just wiped off like nothing... I'm serious!

AFTER

Yep, it's pretty much a miracle.

47 comments:

Unknown said...

thank you from someone else with the same gross problem. Now just to find a zip loc big enough, mine is two pieces connected. Great tip!

Shanon Ridenour said...

I'm so excited to try this! I was just telling my husband I'm getting new grates or a new stove because I'm tired of scrubbing with no real success. Mine are connected as well - I'm hoping a garbage bag sealed off very well will work the same. Thanks again!

Amy@TheLemonCottage said...

Wow... thanks so much for the tip!!! Just in time for our big family party this weekend! I'm going to try this tonight!!!
~Amy

Hailey said...

Great! I'll have to try that.

Oh, and btw, I love your blog!

Heidi said...

that's so cool, I don't have a gas stove anymore but I would literally soak my grates in ALL kinds of stuff and they never got clean. Now I wonder if I can put my whole glass cooktop in a ziplock! hehe

Julie said...

thank you for the tip!!!
i remember my mom soaking the oven racks in the bathtub with ammonia and it would stink forever!!!! So glad to know of an alternative!!!!
I'm going to go soak mine right now!!!

Candice said...

what a great idea, I am totally greatfull for the advice, I just spent a day soaking them in hot water, and it did nothing. I am so excited, to clean, thats a miracle if you knew me, I HATE to clean.

Unknown said...

No way!!!

I could hug you right now for posting this. I have a new gas stove (1 year old) and my grates are already getting nasty. I am sooooo doing this over the weekend!

Duzza Bear said...

If this works for me, I might just fall in love with you. I've been trying to clean mine forever, using every conceivable product and lots of elbow grease. Mine are the two attached type, but I'll figure something out!

Heidi said...

If you have bigger pieces than what will fit in a ziplock, throw them in a trash bag and put them in the back yard. I have done this for oven racks, broiler pans, and other larger items. I hadn't thought of trying it for my grates, I think I will give it a try and throw in the grates from my BBQ as well.
Thanks!

*katie said...

Wow! That is a miracle! Thanks for sharing!

mommieof4munchkins said...

How did you know I cleaned my stove today and couldn't get that yuck off????? Thanks for the tip, going to go get some ammonia tomorrow!!!!

Tidy Brown Wren said...

Thanks for sharing this great money saver. I've been able to use this idea on my stainless cookie sheets and old glass baking dishes. It also works on my old BBQ grill rack. It can't be used on aluminum though, because it will discolor it.

Amy Green @ Sweet Home Amy said...

What a great tip!! I have a gas stove and have such a hard time cleaning it as well. Thanks for sharing!!

Debbie's Garden said...

My manicure will be so happy!

Emma said...

Have you ever tried oven cleaner? I spray an oven cleaner, like Easy Off on mine and let it sit for 10+ minutes, no scrubbing required.

Anonymous said...

i have the same problem. thank you so much, i needed this

Lynn Kellan said...

I love to learn something that's brilliant and easy! Great tip!

Nicole said...

you could also try vinegar. it worked amazing on ours. i have long ones, so i put them in the D/W with a touch of soap and some vinegar in the jet dry spot. worked like a charm...until my husband cooked the next time :)

Nicole said...

you could also try vinegar. it worked amazing on ours. i have long ones, so i put them in the D/W with a touch of soap and some vinegar in the jet dry spot. worked like a charm...until my husband cooked the next time :)

Brandy said...

That rocks! I am going to have to do that!

Michelle said...

I'm back to having an electric stove after moving last year but I'm gonna definitely try that with the ones I have now...they're disgusting and I can't seem to get them clean no matter how much I scrub. Thanks for the great tip!

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Everyone is welcome to enter!!

zobars said...

Oh my word !!! I cannot thank you enough for this tip. I have a white and grey color combo on my stove and I hate those grates too. Now I will be off buying me some good ammonia. By the way where do you buy ammonia ??? sorry if I sound silly..but your really helped me out today.

Connie Babe said...

thank you!!!

Love Being A Nonny said...

Those are my exact grates...gray with dirt!! I cannot WAIT to try this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nadia Abbasi said...

The last time I ran my self-cleaning oven, I threw the gates in as one final act of desperation. All the gunk turned to ash - no scrubbing or chemicals required! I have asthma so try to steer clear of even ammonia .....now if I could just find something as easy for cleaning around the burner themselves - the porcelain is definitely in need of attention.

Melissa @ The Cheerful Home said...

I tried this last night...I have an electric stove and my drip pans were gross! I didn't have any ammonia, oddly enough, so I just stuck them in ziplocks and spray oven cleaner on 'em. I let them "soak" while I cleaned up from dinner, and then took them out. The gunk just washed off! Thank you for the awesome tip!

Melissa @ The Cheerful Home said...

I tried this last night...I have an electric stove and my drip pans were gross! I didn't have any ammonia, oddly enough, so I just stuck them in ziplocks and spray oven cleaner on 'em. I let them "soak" while I cleaned up from dinner, and then took them out. The gunk just washed off! Thank you for the awesome tip!

Me (aka Danielle) said...

Now that's a cool trick! Thanks for sharing. I too am always struggling to get those pesky grates clean!

P.S. Love your blog! I'm new here (obviously)..I clicked over after my google reader recommended your blog!!

Mollie said...

You are a genius! Thanks for sharing, as my grates are driving me nutty:o)

Erin said...

Hi Kathryn, I'm Marla's sis-in-law and I just popped over to say hello. Thank you so much for the sweet message you left on my blog. You are so right... motherhood is the best and we are loving ever second of it!

Your blog is SO much fun! I have a million things to do and instead I'm reading through all of these fun posts! I am so not crafty but can copy incredibly well- smile! Thanks for so many fun ideas!

I just got brave and painted a wall in our family room brown. I love it, but my husband is still not convinced of it potential. :) I know with lots of fun pics and shelves it will be fabulous! Do you have any past posts about covering a large wall with decoration that will WOW a skeptical husband? hee hee

Rebekah said...

NO WAY! I just throw mine away and buy new ones. LOL! Jon will be happy that you've shown me how to save him a little money.

Karen K. said...

Thank you! I've soaked mine in the sink with ammonia and soapy water (and it helped some, but not enough). I never thought of putting them in the plastic ziploc with pure ammonia. Genius! I have been looking at Home Depot and other stores for 'grate cleaner' to no avail. I've always been leery of oven cleaner cuz I thought it might be too strong and eat through the finish or something (I dunno, maybe that's crazy!) Anyway, I am a huge fan of ammonia. I used it mixed with soapy water to clean the tops of my cupboards the other day--oh my, the grease that accumulates way up high where one can't see. Ugh! My house smells so much better though. So THANK YOU. I found your blog by 'accident' and it is a blessing for me that it landed on this particular post. :) (Uh, for those who may not know... DO NOT mix ammonia and bleach! It creates chlorine gas which can be deadly...)

msbits said...

Great Idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kate said...

Like minds...I just cleaned my stovetop elements, too. I thought I would try baking soda and apple cider vinegar and it worked like a charm! I just made a thin paste and painted it on with a pastry brush. Let it sit for 15 or 20 minutes and then wiped off the gunk with a sponge.

sonya said...

I had those grey grates in my old house. Beautiful...until you use them. I complained to the manufacturer and they sent me a set of black ones. I used the black ones for cooking and put the grey ones on for looks. And for showings when our house was on the market! Good tip though. Wish I had known it then!

Kim's Treasures said...

OMG I cannot believe that worked! I will need to try this!

em said...

Oooh, good idea! I will have to try this out, thanks!

Randi~Dukes and Duchesses said...

I love you for sharing this idea. I'm trying it tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

I have also found that oven cleaner works great in the same way--I just throw my trivets in the sink--hose them down with oven cleaner--let them sit awhile... and they wipe clean!

Erin said...

You have solved a huge problem of mine. Thank you. It worked wonders!

Brittany said...

I'm going to have to try this! My stove is disgusting!! Thanks for sharing. I'm putting this post on my blog :)

@RestoreMyFamily said...

What a good idea. I will have to try it. The one reason I hate having a gas oven is these babies right here.. hate cleaning them. Thanks for sharing!!

Rachel said...

I learned this trick a few years ago and it works wonders! I had spots on my actual stovetop as well that I couldn't get off (from canning with the water bath, etc.) and I decided to try pouring on some ammonia and then covering the stovetop with a few pieces of saran wrap. Leave it at least 4 hours-I usually do overnight and when you wake up it wipes off without scrubbing anything!!

Anonymous said...

For years I have been using this method with gargage bags ezcept I wrap the grates in newspaper and soak the paper with ammonia and lay out in the sun. Most of the gook comes off with the paper.

jo ann Styles said...

I am definitely goings t try this! mine is new so they area no to bad!