Bring Your Cast Iron Stove Grates Back To Life With This Cleaning Routine

Regularly cooking in the kitchen leads to spills and messes on your countertops, floors, and stovetop. While the countertops can get a quick wipe down and sweep the floors, cleaning the stovetop takes more time and effort. You have to deal with the sticky food, grime, and grease messes on the iron grates. Removing the stains and burnt food can be tougher if you don't frequently clean them or don't know how to clean them adequately. However, creating an effective cleaning routine you can follow every week will benefit your iron stove grates. The hack is straightforward; all you need is a degreasing soap and water.

When cleaning your cast iron grates, it's vital to do so with gentle ingredients and lots of care. You don't want to damage or scratch their surface by using harsh products or metal scouring pads. Instead, opt for dish soap, a powder cleanser, or baking soda. Before cleaning your grates, ensure they're seasoned to prevent damage. The owner's manual will say if they're coated. However, if you don't have the manual, it's easy to tell by touching the surface. If it feels smooth and slightly greasy, it's coated, but if it feels rough and matte, it's not. You'll need dish soap, a non-metal bristled brush, and hot water for coated iron grates.

You'll want to use your sink or bathtub to clean your iron grates. Using a tub will be easier if you don't have a deep double sink. Place your iron grates in your sink or tub and fill it with hot water until it covers them. Then, add dish soap to the water and mix it until it's well combined. Let the iron grates soak for 15 to 20 minutes. Using a dish soap with grease-cutting ingredients is best when cleaning your iron grates. It'll help lift any stains, grime, and grease while it's soaking. As they soak, you can clean your gas stovetop and burners with a damp cloth. After the timer goes off, scrub the grates with your brush to remove any tougher food or grease stains. Once you're satisfied with the cleanliness, rinse them with warm water, dry them, and replace them on the stovetop. Give the grates a deep clean once a week.

If you don't want to use dish soap, baking soda is an excellent alternative to bring your cast iron stove grates back to life. Mix three parts baking soda with one part water to create a thick paste. Then, apply the paste all over the grates with a brush, ensuring you cover the hard-to-reach spots. Make additional baking soda mixtures if you need more to cover the entire surface. Let the paste sit for 20 minutes. Scrub stickier spots with a brush, then rinse the grates in hot water.