Rex Trulove
I don’t know if anyone else here has a glass stovetop, but I’ve found a neat little trick for keeping it clean. It can also work on glass cooking dishes or porcelain.
The issue with glass stovetops is that splattered food can cook in on the surface. Scraping or using harsh abrasive cleaners can scratch the glass. However, it is unbelievably easy to clean these surfaces using basic chemistry.
Okay, the mention of chemistry probably turns a lot of people off, but I really do mean ‘basic’. Almost everyone probably knows what happens when you put a base and an acid together. The two cancel each other out while foaming as the reaction releases oxides. For example, adding vinegar to baking soda yields water and carbon dioxide.
The glass stovetop cleaning here is using an almost identical reaction.
First, washing soda is sprinkled over the stovetop or whatever is being cleaned. Paper towels are laid over the top of this, to hold the washing soda in place. Then vinegar is poured over the towels in order to saturate them.
This is allowed to sit and work for about 15 minutes, then the towels are removed and the stovetop is wiped off with a damp dishcloth or towel. If the burned on gunk is especially bad, this may need to be repeated and there have been times when I’ve applied the vinegar first, allowing it to sit long enough to penetrate the baked-on food, then the washing soda is applied, with paper towels over the top.
The chemical reaction loosens the baked-on stuff, making it a much simpler matter to wipe it away without scratching the surface.
Washing soda is specifically used because it is a stronger base than baking soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate and washing soda is sodium carbonate.
With a little ingenuity, this can even be used to clean stained toilets and bathtubs. With toilets, the bowl needs to be drained, though, since the water will dilute the vinegar and washing soda, making the reaction weaker.
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Do you have a glasstop stove or have you ever used one?
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Yes
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No
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No, but I know someone else who does
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I had a glass top table top stove before, the glass broke due to high heat.
That can happen, particularly if the glass is hot and something cold is set on it. The glass top can be replaced, but it is expensive.
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I’m very happy anytime I can help expand the knowledge of others. Thank you for the kind words.
We are using baking soda and harpic here …
I had to look up Harpic in order to figure out what it is. This is a cleaner containing hydrochloric acid. Since the reaction is nearly the same when you combine baking soda and any acid, there is no reason I can think of that it wouldn’t work as well as using vinegar, though it would release chlorine gas.
Water with soap is our usual cleansing agent for counter tops.
That works well on countertops, but not so well on glass stovetops or porcelain that has dried-on, baked-on food to be removed.
Thank you for sharing this. I have been using baking soda or washing soda to clean for quite some time. They work well! I didn’t know they are different. I will need to find out whether I am using baking soda or washing soda. 😛
Baking soda is commonly used in foods, particularly baked foods. Washing soda is stronger and harsher, unsuitable for eating, but good for cleaning (including clothing, hence ‘washing’ soda).