Clean Melted Plastic Off Your Stovetop With This Heating Hack

There are many things that can go wrong during meal preparation. Spills and splatters are to be expected as are burnt pots and pans. You may also place a plastic utensil or bowl on a not-yet-cool stove only to have it melt from the heat. Not only do you have to throw away the plastic if too much of it melts off, but now you're stuck with a hardened glob of it attached to your stovetop. Scraping it off might only get most of it off if it's big enough. But, you'll likely still have traces of the plastic left on the stove. And, you may find that no amount of water or soap will dissolve it. Instead of stressing yourself out, just use this TikTok cleaning hack that involves turning up the heat again.

The solution to cleaning melted plastic off the stovetop is to simply re-introduce the original culprit: heat. Because plastic dries up pretty quickly after liquefying, you'll need it to melt again before you can clear it away. Then, all you'll need is some dish soap and a good sponge to wipe up the mess.

TikTok home cleaning page @householdsolutions demonstrates getting plastic off a stovetop by heating it up until it melts again. The high temperatures denature the bonds holding the plastic together. Before you turn the stove on again, have your dish soap and a clean sponge poised and ready. The creator used Dawn Powerwash spray for easy application. Once you turn the heat up and the plastic starts bubbling, you'll only have a few moments before it hardens again. So, quickly sprinkle water on the area, spray it with the wash, and wipe it up with the sponge. Repeat this process until all the plastic is gone.

Additionally, if you don't want to use the soap, you can try scraping the plastic off while heating the stove. Turn the burner on and leave it on the lowest setting, just hot enough to re-melt the plastic without burning it. Then, use a wooden or metal utensil like a spoon or spatula to gently scrape off the plastic until it's all gone.