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Get rid of that baked on grease once and for all! This is the absolute best way to clean stove top grates – and guess what? It only takes ONE step!
I found the best way to clean a stove top a while back, which even defeats all that baked-on gunk without much scrubbing, but it doesn’t work so well on the stove top grates. The grates on our stove are heavy cast iron, and anytime something bubbles over while cooking, it just bakes onto the grates and STICKS! Luckily, there is a super easy way to clean stove top grates, no scrubbing required…all you need is ammonia! Just put the grates into a baggie with some ammonia and let it sit overnight, and in the morning all that black gunk will rinse right off!
The great thing about using ammonia for cleaning stove top grates is that it works REALLY well, and requires absolutely no scrubbing! The gunk just rinses off the next morning! Ammonia works great to clean the inside of your stove too; might as well clean both while you’re at it!
But if you’re worried about using such a strong chemical for cleaning, there are other ways to clean stove top grates using baking soda or vinegar. The only issue with those methods is that they require a lot of scrubbing because the chemical reaction between the cleaner and the baked-on gunk isn’t as strong. But it does work, if you prefer a more natural method!
How To Clean Stove Top Grates
- Time spent doing stuff: 10 minutes
- Time spent waiting around: 12 hours
- Total project time: 10 minutes + overnight
Supplies
Safety Note: Ammonia is an extremely strong chemical, so be super careful when using it! It is definitely safe to use, but just use basic precautions and don’t get it in your eyes, etc. You can always wear gloves and/or a respirator when using it to protect your skin and lungs if you want to be extra careful. And NEVER mix ammonia with bleach or any bleach-based cleaning products; it will create a toxic vapor that can be lethal!
Instructions
Take one dirty stove top grate and put it into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. For most regular-sized burners, a gallon-sized bag should be big enough, but if your grates are oversized just put them in a kitchen trash bag.
Add 1/4 C to 1/2 C of ammonia to the bag, then seal it closed. (If you’re using a kitchen trash bag, just tie the bag closed).
You don’t need to immerse the grate in the ammonia; it’s the ammonia fumes that clean the stove top grates, not the actual liquid. Just make sure there’s some air in the bag when you close it up so the fumes can move around.
Repeat for all of your stove top grates, then set the bags aside overnight.
In the morning you may see some condensation on the inside of the bag from the fumes floating around all night. Open the bag over the sink and dump out the contents (be careful, it’s going to be SUPER stinky from those fumes being trapped in the bag all night!) You may want to open some windows or do this outside to get some air circulating!
Then pick up the stove top grate and rinse it off under warm running water. You should see the flakes of black, burnt-on gunk rinsing right off! If your grates are super dirty you may want to rub them a bit with your fingers while holding them under the running water to help loosen the gunk.
If the gunk is really really stuck on there, you can use a scrubby sponge to loosen it, but you shouldn’t need to. My grates have never been cleaned before (as far as I know) and just rubbing a little with my fingers loosened up all the gunk!
All the gunk should rinse right off, and your stove top grates will be totally clean! Look how shiny they are!
I couldn’t believe how clean my stove top grates were the next morning, and I didn’t have to actually “clean” anything! I just rinsed them off for a minute and they were totally clean!
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I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!
Great idea, can’t wait to try it. When I freeze something in these large bags and later use them,I’d like to wash them and reuse. They never can be clean enough to use again. But, they could be used for cleaning stove grates!
What am I doing wrong? The ammonia causes my gallon zipper bags to leak.
Uh oh… are the bags leaking from the zipper or from the actual edges of the bag itself? I haven’t had any issues with the bags leaking from the bag itself, just the closure a few times when I didn’t get it all the way closed correctly. You can also try large kitchen trash bags and just tie the top closed, then leave the bags upright so the tie is at the top and the liquid doesn’t actually touch the knot.
So do you fill bag to cover grates or just spray on grates and close up
It’s the fumes from the ammonia that does the cleaning, so you need to put the liquid and the grates into a bag and close the bag up to trap the fumes. It doesn’t really matter if the ammonia is on the grates or not if you have enameled steel grates, but if your grates are cast iron you want to make sure not to get any liquid on them or it can lead to rust. To be safe you can always set the grates on something inside the bag to raise them up out of the liquid at the bottom of the bag.
Hi, your article refers to cleaning cast iron grates but your photos show enameled steel grates. Have you used this method on cast iron pieces before? thanks
Yep they are enameled but this method works for unfinished cast iron grates as well. Just like for cast iron pans, the important thing for cleaning cast iron grates is that you never want to submerge them in liquid of any kind because it can lead to rust. But for this that’s ok because it’s the ammonia fumes that does the cleaning, not the liquid itself. So just be sure to set the grates on top of something inside the bag to keep the grates up above the liquid and your cast iron grates should be just fine!
The only other thing is that cleaning cast iron in any way can remove the “patina” built up over years of cooking on it, so if you’re worried that stuff will start sticking or want to prevent rust, try seasoning the cast iron grates after cleaning them: https://www.practicallyfunctional.com/clean-season-rusty-cast-iron-skillet/
How do I clean the round disks that are above where the gas comes out on top of my stove? Will ammonia in a zip lock bag work on them, too?
Thanks!
Yep this will work for those too!
Are the grates you cleaned enameled iron? They look very shiney like they may have a coating. Mine do not so I’m looking for a way to clean unfinished grates.
They are enameled but this method works for unfinished grates as well! The only important thing for unfinished grates is that you never want to submerge cast iron in liquid of any kind because it can lead to rust. For this method that’s ok because it’s the ammonia fumes that does the cleaning, not the liquid itself. So just be sure to set the grates on top of something inside the bag to keep the grates up above the liquid and your unfinished grates should be just fine!
The only other thing is that cleaning cast iron in any way can remove the “patina” built up over years of cooking on it, so if you’re worried that stuff will start sticking or want to prevent rust, try seasoning the cast iron grates after cleaning them: https://www.practicallyfunctional.com/clean-season-rusty-cast-iron-skillet/
it really worked but I needed 24hrs and a little brass wire brush from harbor freight to make it perfect
you said you used on cast iron stove top grates? Those look like porcelain. Wont amonia hurt the cast iron?
Yep, they are coated with porcelain but cast iron underneath. But even if you have raw cast iron grates, you can still clean them this way! The only thing I would say is for any pure cast iron products, you don’t want to submerge them in liquid of any kind because it can lead to rust. Luckily it’s the ammonia fumes that do the hard work for this tip, so if you’re worried about it you can put the grates in a bag and set them on top of something else to hold them up out of the small amount of liquid at the bottom of the bag. But I just stuck mine in the bag and left them and they were fine, even the areas where the porcelain coating was worn off and the cast iron was directly touching the ammonia all night.
Also though, cleaning cast iron in any way can remove the “patina” built up over years of cooking on it, so if you’re worried that stuff will start sticking or want to prevent rust, try seasoning the cast iron after cleaning it: https://www.practicallyfunctional.com/clean-season-rusty-cast-iron-skillet/
This didn’t work for me very well. My grates are long, 2 grates together times 3. I put them in a black trash bags outside but my grates ripped the bag open at the bottom. Help!
Ugh bummer, can you try putting the bags in place before adding the grates? Like if you set the bags outside somewhere, then put the grates in carefully, then just fill with ammonia so you don’t have to carry the bags or move them once the grates are in.
My mother-in-law told me about this so I thought I’d try it. However it didn’t really do much for mine. It cleaned some off but I still had to scrub and there is still stuff on it. My bags also leaked from the seam at the bottom. I feel like the ammonia started to eat away the bag. Did I maybe do something wrong?
Hmm, bummer! It’s the fumes from the ammonia that does the cleaning and loosens all the gunk, not the liquid itself. So you could try pouring the ammonia onto a tray or cookie sheet and then put the whole tray into the bag; that will keep the ammonia from touching the bag. Then you just need to put something in the bag to set the grates on so they are lifted above the liquid, not sitting directly in it.
THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!! THANK YOU!!! My Ex was a slob and NEVER cleaned my grates. After one treatment, the majority of the gunk came off with very little trouble. Doing it one more time to get everything off.
I save my gallon size bags for this purpose. I place the grate and small discs in each bag, put enough ammonia to cover grate. I place the grates in a small plastic pan.$ stores sell pans cheap. I leave them outside overnight. by morning, they are ready to clean, with little scrubbing. What a difference! Make sure to wear gloves!
This is magical! Thank you so much for posting it. I was thinking of ordering new grates but they are so pricey (about $70 each) when I came across this tips, so I decided to give it a try; it costs me $1.49 instead. I used HDX lemon scent ammonia from the local store. My grates (there are four of them) look like new overnight!!!
I used an old plastic garbage container and put all four grates in it. Then I put the container inside a big lawn plastic bag, tied the bag tightly and left it in the yard overnight. In the morning, I rinsed the grates outside to clean the chemical and then continued in the kitchen sink with some scrubbing. My husband and I were amazed to see our “new” grates!!!
Does it have to be overnight?
Not necessarily, but the more time it has to work, the easier it will be to wipe away the gunk.
What about stainless steel stove tops? How can I get the burnt on areas around the gas? Will ammonia harm stainless steel?
Thank You!
Ammonia is safe to use on stainless steel, but the vapors are highly flammable to please be extremely careful when using it on a gas stovetop because the pilot light may ignite the fumes.
Your examples are for grates that fit in gallon or 2.5 gal. Bags. My one grate covers two burners. Would a trash bag work ?
Yep, you can totally do it in a large kitchen trash bag too! Just be sure to put the grates in the bag and set it where you plan to leave it before adding the ammonia so that you don’t have to carry it around.
I am in India and it is difficult to get Ammonia in market , what else can I use to substitute Ammonia for the same purpose ?
For disinfecting surfaces, you can use vinegar or hydrogen peroxide in place of ammonia. But a lot of what does the work in this recipe are the ammonia fumes, and the fumes from vinegar and hydrogen peroxide aren’t quite as potent, so the substitutes may not work as well.
This method worked okay for my non enameled cast iron grates. Due to their size they had to be put in trash bags ( I used two, heavy duty lawn bags inside a trash can. They leaked through, so I’m glad I used the can.) It took a LOT of scrubbing and some chipping the next morning to get two of the three grates clean. The third, the one over the main burner, still isn’t completely done.
This may be super fantastic for enameled grates, but for the rougher cast iron, be prepared for a tough job.
Thanks so much for this post! Here it is over a year later and you saved me!! I was ready to buy new grates only to find out they don’t make them anymore! I almost spent $200 on a used pair on e-bay, this was my last ditch effort! This worked so well!! My grates look brand new!!!
hello! can I use bleach instead of ammonia? Will that be too abrasive?
Bleach is mostly just a disinfectant; it kills germs but it doesn’t actually de-grease or “clean” anything. Ammonia will work much better for getting baked-on gunk off your grates.
After years of trying different methods to clean enamel stove top grates and drip pans on my GE Spectra Profile range, I finally discovered how to do it quick and easy. First soak the grates and drip pans in hot dish soap for about 20 minutes and drain. Lay down some old newspaper on a work surface and use a piece of steel wool or an SOS pad to clean the grates. No real hard scrubbing needed. The grates almost wipe clean with the steel wool. After cleaning all grates and drip pans, I put them through the dishwasher. They come out like new.
I hope this works for me; my husband is a professional chef and he ALWAYS has caked on gunk on the grates…I looked them up and they are $80 each to replace!!! Any improvement is a welcome improvement at those prices!
I have a stove outside right now as we are in the middle of a remodel and was wondering, could I put some ammonia in a dish and then wrap the top of the stove with some plastic wrap to achieve the same result on the stove top? I got most of it off with your stove top cleaning method, but it was a TON of work and there were a few spots that I just cannot get off after hours of scrubbing. The burners are cast aluminum, but I already discolored them with the oven cleaner I used, it was ammonia free but apparently the substitute chemical did the same thing. I would probably remove them anyway if I tried that method.
If the burners come off, you can try putting them in a large trash bag, then adding a bit of ammonia to the bag. Close up the bag and let the burners just sit in the bag (if you can, set the burners on top of something so they aren’t sitting directly in the ammonia.) You can leave it overnight and hopefully the ammonia fumes will help loosen up whatever gunk is left.
Its not the burners, its the enameled top, I just cannot get all of the crud off of it. It does look better than it has in years though.
That is cute how that tiny grate fits nicely in a ziploc bag.
Now, mine are 13x18x2. Is there a plan B?
Sure, use a larger bag! You can use kitchen trash bags or even large contractor bags depending on how big your grates are.
How do I dispose the bags with the ammonia in it?
Ammonia is a strong chemical, but it’s not hazardous waste. You can dispose of it in your sink or toilet, though you want to dilute it and run a bunch of water down the drain after it just to be sure it’s all the way flushed down the drain. One exception is if you have a septic system though; you don’t want to put ammonia down the drain if you have a septic system. Instead, you can neutralize the ammonia by mixing up equal parts of baking soda, dry sand, and cat litter. Then pour the ammonia into that mixture and it will absorb and neutralize it. Then you can just throw it away in the trash.