How To Clean The Hob Rings Of An Electric Cooker

Frequent cooking on your stovetop can cause accumulation of burnt-on food, grease and food residues, particularly under the electric cooker rings. But cleaning electric cooker hob rings thoroughly with products you may already have at home is easy if you know how!

So, if:

• Your cooker rings emit a burned food smell when they‘re hot;
• You can see food remnants on the hob rings;
• You’re not sure what detergents to use;

Then, read on.

What you need to clean electric cooker hob rings

For regular cleaning of your stove’s electric hob, use damp lint-free fabric such as an old t-shirt to gently wipe down all surfaces. You could use specialised cleaning products but natural cleaning solutions are becoming increasingly popular.

Cleaning with store cupboard standbys

• Baking soda;
• Distilled white vinegar;
• Spray bottle;
• Scourer;
• Microfibre cloth;
• Paper towels;
• A soft bristol brush or old toothbrush;
• Oven cleaner;
• Single-edged scraper.

Cutting grease with household ammonia

• Household ammonia;
• Rubber gloves;
• 5-litre zip-top plastic bags;
• Sponge;
• Washing up liquid;
• Bucket.

How to clean electric cooker hob rings step by step

1. Remove the electric stove burners

Cleaning the stove burners will be easier if you take them off. To do so, make sure the burners are completely cool, grip the edge and lift them above the sides of the drip pans. Rock back and forth for an easier release. Detach by tugging out the connections of any exposed wiring. If you encounter any difficulties, consult your user manual.

2. Clean the stove coil

Cleaning the coils is a relatively simple procedure if you follow these guidelines. First, remove the heating coils from your stove. Use a washing-up liquid and warm water mix to wipe off the electric heating coil. Scrub stains with a scourer and then dry with a lint-free cloth.

3. Deep clean an oven heating element

Make a paste with half a cup of baking soda and three tablespoons of water. Apply it carefully to the coils with a soft-bristled brush and let the paste sit for about 20 minutes. Spray with distilled vinegar, then carefully rinse and dry with a clean, lint-free cloth.

4. Clean the cooker rings with ammonia

Take two rings at a time and place them in a zip-top plastic bag. Fill the bottom of the bag with ammonia and leave it overnight. Carefully remove the rings keeping them away from your face, as the fumes will be very strong. Rub the rings to get rid of excess ammonia. After that, carefully rinse and dry with a lint-free cloth. Safely dispose of the bags.

Steam cleaning an oven with ammonia offers great results too!

5. Clean the drip pins

Drip pans are designed to catch any spills and drips and are located under the heating unit. They should ideally be cleaned after each use as allowing food remnants and grease to build up can potentially be a fire risk. If they’re rusty, they need to be replaced.

For fresh spills:

1. Make sure the burners are cool before removing the coils and separating them from the drip pans.
2. Add washing-up liquid to hot water and place pans in the sink or a bucket, and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
3. Wipe down with a clean cloth or sponge.
4. Dry with a clean microfibre cloth before reinstalling.

For stubborn stains:

1. Shake the pans to get rid of loose food particles.
2. Leave pans to soak in hot water and detergent for 10 minutes.
3. Drain the water and add enough distilled white vinegar to cover the pans completely.
4. Leave to soak for another 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle over a generous amount of baking soda which will react and fizz, and leave for 15 minutes.
6. Then use a scourer to get rid of any stains that are left.
7. Rinse the pans in hot water and dry them with a clean microfibre cloth.

Cleaning the drip pans with household ammonia

As previously mentioned, open a window or two and wear your protective gloves when working with ammonia.

1. When the drip pans are cool place them separately in zip-top bags.
2. Pour in a ¼ of a cup of household ammonia and seal the bags.
3. Let them sit for around 12 hours for the fumes to cut through the grease and grime.
4. Open the bags away from your face, as the fumes will still be very strong.
5. Wash the pans in hot soapy water and then rinse well.
6. Dry with a clean microfibre cloth.

Cleaning the drip pans with oven cleaner

1. Place the dirty drip pans in the sink or bucket filled with hot water.
2. Squirt a generous amount of washing-up liquid all over and let the pans soak for around an hour.
3. Rinse the pans before spraying an even thick layer of oven cleaner over the entire area, and let sit for another hour.
4. Rinse again.
5. Repeat if necessary until the pans are clean.

6. Clean the stovetop

Try turning burners to the highest setting to burn off as much dirt as possible. This may cause a smoky atmosphere, so you’ll need to keep your windows open. As soon as the smoke stops rising, turn the burners off and allow them to cool. Then remove the burners and coils to allow easy access to the stovetop.

Check our helpful guide out if you need help with cleaning a stainless steel hob!

How do you clean a glass-top electric hob?

1. Using a damp cloth spritz with a little distilled vinegar.
2. Place two or three sheets of paper towel onto the hob, soak with a glass-approved cleaner and let it sit for a while.
3. Wipe down the stovetop.
4. Gently scrape away any leftover food remnants.

How to clean electric hob solid plates?

1. Spray the vinegar generously over the stovetop.
2. Sprinkle baking powder on top.
3. Place a hot wet cloth on top and let it sit for 15 minutes.
4. Remove the wet cloth and wipe it down with a clean, dry microfibre cloth.

Alternatively, cleaning your solid plate hob can be done with a hob scraper to get rid of excess food remnants and then gently rub in a hob cleaner to remove any grime that’s left. Rinse with warm water before drying with a clean microfibre cloth.

Need help? Contact the experts!

If you don’t know how to clean your electric oven elements or haven’t got the time or the tools to do so then simply get in touch with our professional oven cleaning services. Your cooker will be inspected, disassembled and cleaned on-site.

Book a specialist oven cleaning team and get perfect results! Additionally, If you have experienced any oven related problems, contact our oven repair technicians and get your cooker repaired in no time!

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How do you clean your cooker’s hob rings? What method/s do you use? Let us know in the comment section below!

Image source: Shutterstock / Jade Prevost Manuel