No matter how clean our kitchen looks, the hob can soon spoil things. It picks up spills and splatters from our pots and pans, burning to the surface until your'e left with a permanent mess. And regardless of how hard you scrub, those stains just won’t budge.
Thankfully these marks needn’t be a permanent fixture. In fact, we’ve rounded up our top tips to clean your hob to get it looking and shining like new. Whether your hob is ceramic, induction or gas, here's what you need to do. Plus, we cover how to keep your hob scratch-free in the future too.
Before we begin, you should always follow the instructions as recommended by your manufacturer first and foremost. Otherwise, these tips will keep your hob sparkling.
How to clean a ceramic, induction and halogen hob
If your pans spits or spills, take action immediately but do so carefully; you don’t want to burn yourself in the process. Remove what you can by wiping away any sudden spills which aren’t on or near the hot heating elements. Use a damp, microfibre cloth to do this. Look out for sugary stains in particular. These will crystallise once they dry which makes them trickier to remove. Wait until the hob is switched off and has cooled sufficiently before you approach stains on or near the heated elements.
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Keep in mind that ceramic and halogen hobs will take longer to cool compared to induction. That’s because induction heats the pan directly via a magnetic field, rather than through the surface like ceramic and halogen. So any residual heat on an induction hob will be from the base of the cookware itself.
Once cool enough to touch; most modern hobs have indicators to show when this is the case, clean any remaining stains using your damp microfibre cloth. If that’s not enough, you can apply a few drops of washing up liquid to the surface to help cut through any grease, rinse afterwards. Do not use anything abrasive on the glass surface, such as steel wool, as you could scratch it. Alternatively, everyday hob cleaners are available which you could spritz over the surface. Just make sure it’s suitable for your hob.
When your glass-topped hob needs a deep clean, try using a cream cleaner, such as Astonish Hob Cleaner. We also recommend using a coarser microfibre cloth designed to remove food residue from the hob’s surface. This E-Cloth Hob & Oven Cleaning Cloth Set features one cloth for removing residue and one to buff when you’re finished. For really burnt on stains which still won’t shift, a hob scraper will come to the rescue. You just need to hold it at a 30-degree angle to the surface and then push it into the residue to scrape it away. A bit like stripping wallpaper. Rinse once you’re finished and then use a window vacuum for a streak-free finish.
How to clean a gas hob
Wait until your gas hob has cooled down sufficiently before you clean it. This is because heat will travel through your pan supports, and cast iron retains heat well, so it’s easy to burn yourself as you attempt to clean between them.
Once cool enough, you can clean around the gas hob thoroughly with a damp microfibre cloth. Removing the pan supports will help you to reach around the spillage wells; it also gives you an opportunity to view the underside of the supports and spot clean as necessary. You can give stainless steel a quick spritz with distilled white vinegar if needed to remove fresh grease. Give the controls and burner caps a quick wipe over with a cloth if needed too.
For a more thorough clean, remove the pan supports and wash these by hand in warm, soapy water with a soft brush. Some may even be dishwasher safe, but always check with the manual first to confirm. Cast iron should generally be avoided in the dishwasher because it can rust as a result. Remove and clean the burner caps and burner heads with soapy water. Then, rinse and dry.
While these parts are removed, for stainless steel use a degreaser suited for gas hobs, such as HG Grease Away Cleaner to help shift stubborn marks. If you’re dealing with a protein-based food stain on stainless steel, like milk or egg, dip a paper towel or a microfibre cloth into a solution of biological laundry detergent and leave it to sit on the stain. The enzymes will help to break it down. Remove it once the stain has loosened, repeating if needed.
The control dials can often be removed to wash by hand as well if needed. Rinse, dry and replace.
How to prevent scratches on your hob
- Always lift the pan – don’t scrape it across the surface as you shake the contents.
- Check there’s no residue on the base of your pans which could contribute to scratches. This can also transfer dirt to your hob, so it should be avoided.
- Get a hob protector – induction hob protectors exist which prevent scratches but still allow you to cook, such as this Lakeland Hob Protector Liner.
- Don’t drop pans on the surface heavily in use – this could crack the glass, especially if you’re cooking with cast iron.
Hob cleaning kit
Hob Heaven Ceramic Hob Cleaning Scraper
