How to Clean Stove Burner Drip Pans – Step-by-Step!

Cleaning stove drip burners pans is a hefty and time-consuming task. Scrubbing them from coal-black to shiny silver can take a lot of work.

Frequently dripping oil and food add up to a crusty mess on the drip pans. However, no matter how stubborn the mess seems, there’s a way to get rid of it.

Read on for some kitchen tricks to know how to best clean your stove burner drip pans!

How to Clean Stove Burner Drip Pans

Your stove burner drip pans can’t remain spotless and clean all the time. There will always be a mess to clean any time you cook in a kitchen.

Whether you’re frying fish or boiling potatoes, your drip pans will get dirty. And each time that happens, you will think hard about how to clean them. The biggest reason why stove burner pans turn black is that they’re not regularly cleaned.

The oil, grease, and food residue that falls over the pans become hard over time. Each time you light the stove, the crust burns and hardens. The mess might even impel you to pour harsh, smelly chemicals to clean the drip pans.

However, there are many natural and far safer ways to tackle dirty stove burner pans.

Most of the ingredients might just be lying in your kitchen cabinet. With that said, let’s discuss some easy ways to clean stove burner pans.

Step 1 – Remove the Burners Drip Pans and Wash Them

The first step is to dislodge the burner pans from the stove. You can’t clean them while they’re still on the stove (of course).

This way, you might miss out on the dirty stains or grease underneath the pans. Collect all the stove drip pans and run them under tap water.

This will allow the loose gunk to fall over from the stove burner pans. By doing so, you will have removed the first layer of dirt.

Before washing, you can also shake them in a garbage bag. This will also help any loose food pieces to fall out.

While washing the drip pans, make sure to use warm to hot water. The resulting steam will help soften any stubborn gunk.

Turn the tap on to the fullest to put pressure on the stove burner pans. By doing so, all the loose bits and pieces will quickly fall into the sink.

Once you’ve washed them thoroughly, move onto the next step.

Step 2 – Prepare a Homemade Stove Burner Pan Cleaner

Using baking soda and dish soap, make a homemade cleaner for the drip pans. Baking soda is an excellent abrasive and cleansing agent. It can help in dissolving the most stubborn grease and dirt stains.

Combining this with dish soap can take your cleaning job to the next level. Even mild dish soap has the power to eliminate grease in a single swipe.

Combine both the ingredients in a 1:1 ratio. Mix them up nicely to form a thick, white paste.

The paste will have a foamy texture and look like frosting. Once the cleaning solution is ready, get on with scrubbing the drip pans.

Step 3 – Scrub the Stove Burner Pans with the Homemade Cleaner

Now, it’s time to clean the real mess. Generously apply the mixture to each drip pan.

Make sure not to leave any spot. You can even apply multiple layers of the baking soda mixture. This homemade cleaner will provide powerful physical exfoliation.

Use a sponge to scrub down on the side and edges for a few minutes. Overall, you should be scrubbing the drip pans for at least 5 minutes.

This is a good time frame for cleaning even the dirtiest drip pans. By this time, some of the gunk will loosen up.

Don’t wash the mixture immediately. Allow it to sit on the stove burner pans for a while. This will allow the ingredients in the mixture to work even more effectively.

Step 4 – Transfer the Burner Pans to a Ziploc Bag

The next step is to place each burner pan into a separate plastic bag. Seal the bags properly and let them sit for about an hour.

Don’t skip this step as the wait time is crucial to ensure all the gunk has loosened up.

You can even let the drip pans sit with the mixture on for 4-5 hours.

Step 5 –Remove From the Bags and Scrub One More Time

Your drip pans will need a second turn at scrubbing. Using a soft sponge, apply a little pressure to clean the mess on the drip pans.

Scrub each burner pan thoroughly in circular motions. Go back and forth with the sponge to ensure all the dirt and grease comes off nicely.

If you wish, you can also take the help of a gentle scouring pad. By this time, most of the black crust will have been cleaned off.

Your burner pans will slowly begin to look shiny and clean.

Step 6 –Rinse the Drip Pans

After all that scrubbing, now it’s time to give the pans a good rinse. Run them through a powerful blast of hot water.

Use a cleaning brush to get the gunk and the soapy mixture off. Wash each burner pan thoroughly until it looks squeaky clean.

Step 7 – Use Apple Cider Vinegar

If the drip pans look clean and shiny, they can be used on the stove. However, if they still look dirty and crusty, try an ACV solution.

Apple cider vinegar is rich acetic acid, which is a terrific all-natural cleaner. ACV is naturally antibacterial and can effectively remove stains.

If you burner pans have lost their shine and have discolorations, use ACV on them. Prepare a second solution with equal parts of ACV and baking soda.

A powerful reaction takes place when these two ingredients mix. You might observe bubbles followed by thick foam when mixing the two together.

When the mixture turns into a thick paste, apply it on the burner pans. Use a toothbrush to scrub the burner pans.

The small size of the toothbrush will allow you to get around the holes of the burner pans. The acidity of the ACV will melt any remaining gunk.

At the same time, the baking soda will physically slough off the dirt and grease. Scrub the drip pans using a brush or a soft sponge for at least 2-3 minutes.

Now let the mixture sit for at least half an hour before rinsing it off. Use a long dish brush to clean the pans under the running water. Wash the mixture off thoroughly and then leave the burner pans to dry.

The burner pans are not fit to be placed on the stove. This method is great and effective and will surely remove the gunk.

However, to restore the shine and luster of your drip pans, you will also need something more powerful. Here’s what you can do:

Step 8 – Overnight Ammonia Solution

Household ammonia may not be the first cleaning solution that comes to your mind. It is quite harsh as compared to baking soda and ACV.

However, in desperate times, it can prove to be quite useful. If the baking soda method isn’t as effective, soak the pans in an ammonia solution. It will cut the grease and dirt that the baking soda wasn’t able to clean away.

For this, you’ll need half a cup of ammonia for each plastic bag. You can easily purchase household ammonia from your nearest department store.

Make sure to wear gloves when handling ammonia as it’s a corrosive agent.

Place each stove burner pan in the plastic bag containing the ammonia solution. Allow the solution to sit overnight.

This is a surefire way to remove the greasy layer off the burner pans. However, keep this method as your last resort.

Remove the drip pans from the bag and scrub away with a sponge. All the remaining dirt and grime will now easily come off.

Remember to dispose of the ammonia solution in the plastic bags. After scrubbing, rinse the stove burner pans in hot water.

Follow it up by washing them again with only dish soap. Once dried, your stove burner pans can be placed back on the stove.

3 Easy Tips to Look After Your Stove

With the above-mentioned methods, your stove burner pans will be brand new in no time.

Here are some tips to keep your stove and pans looking flawless.

Regular Cleaning

Negligence can cause the grease to harden over the drip pans. The only way to keep them looking shiny is to scrub them regularly.

Weekly cleaning will prevent any grease or food residue from sticking to the surface of the drip pans.

Any time there’s an oil spill, take off your drip pans. Wash them with dish soap and a vinegar solution.

Once squeaky clean, put the stove burner pans back in place. Additionally, clean your stovetop with a small toothbrush dipped into dish soap.

Scrub the dirt and grease to reveal a shiny stovetop in no time!

Use Aluminum Foil

Another great tip to keep your stovetop looking flawless is to layer it with aluminum foil. This way, the surface will remain clean and spotless.

All the grease, oil spills, and food pieces will fall on the foil.

You can then change the foil weekly.

Vacuum Out the Mess

A quick and easy hack to avoid stovetop mess is to vacuum it. Lift the gas range and vacuum out any suspected bits and crumbs.

Do this before putting the stove burner pans back on the stove. Vacuuming will ensure that your stove is never clogged with grease or debris.

This way, the gas will flow smoothly and the flame will be powerful. Clean stovetops will also prevent your pans from getting dirty.

To Sum it Up

Baking soda is a magical solution for cleaning your stove burner pans. When coupled with ACV, the solution is even more effective.

However, if the drip pans still don’t look clean, you will have to resort to a stronger solution. In that case, using household ammonia is your best option.

Use the guide above to use each ingredient safely and effectively. By following these tips, you’ll have squeaky clean and shiny drip pans in no time!

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