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How to Maintain Your Kitchen Hob
A well-maintained hob should last for approximately 10 to 15 years, but if you neglect it, it can begin to deteriorate. Carrying out maintenance on a regular basis will save you time scrubbing away at particularly stubborn stains and will ensure your hob lasts for as long as possible.
This guide covers everything you need to know to carry out effective regular maintenance for a shiny and well-performing hob.
Contents
About Appliance City
We stock stunning kitchen appliances at fantastic prices at Appliance City. We only stock appliances that will stand the test of time and the same is true of every kitchen hob we supply.
We’ve been helping households find products that improve their day-to-day lives for over three decades and are proud to be one of the UK’s largest independent appliance retailers.
Is a Hob Difficult to Maintain?
The good news is that maintaining your hob is incredibly simple. All you need to do is clean it regularly to prevent the build-up of grease particles. The more often you do it the quicker and easier it gets.
Out of all types, ceramic and induction hobs are the easiest to clean thanks to their completely flat surfaces.
Do Hobs Need Servicing?
The only cooker hob that requires servicing is your gas hob. According to the Gas Safe Register, most manufacturers recommend scheduling a service once a year. There should be additional information about this in your owner’s manual. The service should be carried out by a Gas Safe Registered professional who will check that:
- Your gas hob is burning properly,
- All the pipework is correctly connected,
- There is no damage or wear to your pipework,
- There is sufficient ventilation,
And more.
How Often Should You Clean Your Hob?
To answer this you have to answer the following question: how often do you use your hob? Some people use their hob every day, while others may only use it once a week. This will affect how often we recommend you clean your hob, so as a rule of thumb we recommend wiping your hob down after every use and cleaning it thoroughly every three uses.
This will allow you to remove any stains and spillages before they set and cause problems.
This strategy will also save you time – largely because spillages won’t have time to harden, which is when they become difficult and time-consuming to remove. Sticking to this advice isn’t imperative, but if you do, then your hob is certain to last much longer.
What Parts of Your Hob Need Cleaning?
The answer to this depends on the type of hob you have. If you have an induction hob with a flat surface then the cleaning process will be relatively easy; you will just have to clean the surface and dials (if there are any).
If you have a gas hob then you will need to lift any removable hob plates and clean these individually, as well as all attachments. If your gas hob has a griddle then this will need to be removed and cleaned too.
The trickiest hob to clean is arguably the air-venting induction hob – an extractor fan and hob combo, meaning it’s not just the hob that needs cleaning but the extractor fan and filter, too.
Check your appliance’s manual to find out how to clean your kitchen hob filter correctly, as each model can be different.
If you use the information above to keep your hob in great condition then you will find it continues to perform well for many years.
Can I Use Bleach on My Hob?
We don’t recommend using any cleaning product with bleach or ammonia as an ingredient. The harshness of these chemicals could leave permanent stains. Before cleaning your hob, double-check your owner’s manual to ascertain what can and can’t be used.
If you are cleaning your hob down after every use, there shouldn’t be a stain so stubborn that it requires bleach.
Why You Need to Deep Clean Your Kitchen Hob
Wiping kitchen hobs down with a damp cloth after use is perfect for daily maintenance to remove excess grime, but you should plan and carry out a deep clean regularly too.
When cooking, minuscule grease particles and other food residue are released into the air and what goes up must come down. They will ultimately land on your otherwise clean hob.
So, it’s not enough to simply wipe away visible stains. To keep your hob clean and hygienic, you need to do regular deep cleans to remove all the grease and grime that accumulates every time you use your hob. Be sure to wait until it has cooled so you don’t burn yourself and the heat doesn’t cause a reaction between the cleaning product and the hob surface.
How to Clean a Kitchen Hob
Staying on top of the cleaning of your hobs is highly recommended. The longer you leave it, the tougher it is to clean up, plus stubborn stains are not a good look on an otherwise pristine surface.
Regular cleaning:
- Increases kitchen safety,
- Can elongate the life of your pots and pans, and
- Will prevent any nasty odours from developing.
Make sure to remove any and all signs of stains, along with all removable parts of your hob to get into the hidden areas of the appliance that can collect oil and grease residue.
Let’s take a look at hob cleaning for different kitchen hobs:
How to Clean a Gas Hob
Follow these easy steps to get your hob looking squeaky clean again:
- Before you begin the deep cleaning process, make sure the oven is switched off at the mains.
- Using a paper clip, or anything like it such as a pin or needle, unclog your burner from grease and food. Be careful with this, you don’t want to cause any damage to the hob, you’re simply removing larger, stubborn debris that won’t come off with a wipe of a cloth.
- Once you’ve removed debris from the burners, go over it with a cloth, hot water and some kitchen cleaner and any blockages should be gone.
- If you haven’t already, remove all the parts of your hob. The removable burner plates and grates can go into a sink of hot water and washing-up liquid and left to soak away any food deposits whilst you tackle the rest of the gas hob.
5. Remember, don’t use too much water or a soaking wet cloth on the hob. Use a compatible cleaning product on the hob whilst the burners soak in the sink. If you don’t have any hob cleaners, you can make a paste that is half water and half bicarbonate of soda to remove stubborn stains.
6. Once all the stubborn stains have been removed or loosened up, just go over it with a damp cloth and make sure it’s shining.
7. Give the soaking burner plates and grates a wipe-over with warm soapy water and dry completely.
8. Once dry you can put everything back in place ready for the next use.
How to Clean a Ceramic Hob
Electric ceramic hobs are one of the easiest types of hobs to clean, thanks to their flush, glass surfaces. Additionally, there are no hidden and sheltered parts that can accumulate debris, making things even easier.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Switch off the main power supply to your appliance so you can safely clean your ceramic hobs.
- Wipe the surface of the ceramic hob with a damp cloth or sponge. Use warm water and apply a little washing-up liquid if needed.
- Wipe the residue off with a dry cloth and that’s really all you need to do.
Never try to scrape dried-on food deposits with steel wool or other abrasive materials or you’ll risk scratching the surface. If needed, you can use a glass scraper – a specialist tool that will help to protect your oven.
How to Clean an Induction Hob
Here’s how to clean electric induction hobs quickly and easily:
- Disconnect all power to the hob.
- Wipe away any loose food deposits with a microfibre cloth.
- Use a small amount of hob cleaner and a damp cloth to gently work away any other dirt and grime.
- Finish up by using another cloth to dry the surface and give it a buff so that it shines.
How to Clean an Air Venting Hob
From the easiest to arguably the hardest. Air venting induction hobs are trickier to clean because it involves cleaning the extractor fan too.
You can clean the actual hob using the instructions in the above sections. When it comes to cleaning the vent, some models include a grease filter that you simply remove and wash in your sink or dishwasher.
Grease and grime will build up on the outside of your vent. To stay on top of this, you have to:
- Wipe the outside with a damp soft cloth using a little bit of washing-up liquid.
- Next, you just need to wipe away the washing-up liquid residue with another damp cloth and then either dry it or leave it to dry naturally.
- If the lightbulb cover housed within the vent is removable (if your model has one), remove this and let it soak in warm soapy water for half an hour.
- Use a soft sponge to wipe it over before drying and reinstalling it.
- Lastly, clean the vent filters by removing them and soaking them in hot water, washing-up liquid and white vinegar.
- Leave to soak for a minimum of 30 minutes and then apply bicarbonate of soda and scrub it.
- Let the filters dry completely before reinstalling.
While cleaning your air venting induction hob is a little more fiddly, it’s still incredibly simple.
How Do You Get Burnt On Grease Off a Stovetop?
Sometimes life gets in the way, and even with the best intentions, you may not always be able to clean down your hob straight after use (once it’s cooled down, of course). So, if you find yourself with a build-up of burnt grease, here are a few methods you could try:
1) Soak It
Don’t forget to switch off your cooker before doing this!
Pouring a small amount of warm water with washing-up liquid and letting it soak a little before using a wet cloth may make it easier to remove the grime as you’ll have loosened the particles.
You’ll need many, many cloths to soak up the water afterwards, and be sure that the water doesn’t drip or run down any holes or anywhere it can cause a problem.
2) Use a Scourer
Don’t forget to check what can and can’t be used on your stove
When we say scourer, this can be the rough side of a sponge, a steel wool cloth or similar. Just be sure not to scratch the stovetop.
We mentioned this method earlier on. It can be a great way to get residual food and grease off your hob but you may need a little elbow grease.
3) Natural Cleaners
Don’t forget to check what can and can’t be used on your stove
If you prefer natural cleaning methods we highly recommend checking out our post on How to Clean a Kitchen Naturally Without Chemicals. Natural remedies like vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda can also help release food debris and grime from your stove.
What Is The Best Way to Clean Hob Rings and Support Stands?
Hob rings and pan supports always bear the brunt of our cooking. Whether it’s spilt pasta sauce, clinging food or grease residue. The easiest and quickest way to clean these is to take them off the stovetop and soak them in warm water with a little washing-up liquid.
After they’ve soaked for a while, wipe them over with a soft cloth, rinse them and set them aside to dry completely before popping them back in place.
If there is some burnt-on food residue in hard-to-reach areas, try a soft old toothbrush to get the angle you want and apply light pressure.
A Little Maintenance Goes a Long Way
We hope that the advice and cleaning tips within this guide will help you increase the expected life cycle of your gas, induction or ceramic hob.
If, however, you’re thinking about upgrading we have a wide range of high-quality hobs to choose from, supplied by well-known and reputable brands.
You’ll find the best prices when you shop with us. If you do happen to find a better price elsewhere, we will price match.
We will even recycle your old appliance on your behalf, doing what we can to protect the planet as much as possible.
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