How to Clean Gas Stove Grates (Coated or Bare Cast Iron)

Step by step

1. 1

   Let the grates cool all the way

   Turn every burner off and wait until the grates are cool to the touch. Whirlpool says to clean grates and caps only once they are cool.

2. 2

   Lift them out gently

   Set the grates on a towel by the sink. Do not knock them against each other or against a cast iron pan, because Whirlpool warns that banging grates and caps together can chip them.

3. 3

   Mix the soak

   Put on your gloves. Fill the sink or a plastic tub with warm water and stir in half a cup of washing soda for every gallon, until it dissolves. That is Arm & Hammer’s own mix for range tops, and a sink with 2 gallons of water gets 1 cup.

4. 4

   Soak at least 30 minutes

   Lay the grates in the water so they are covered. Leave them for at least 30 minutes, which is the time Arm & Hammer gives for soaking greasy stove burners.

1. 5

   Scrub with a plastic pad

   Keep your gloves on. Scrub each grate with a non-scratch plastic pad, paying attention to the feet and the spots right over the burners. Whirlpool’s cooktop page says to use a nonabrasive plastic scrubbing pad on the grates.

2. 6

   Rinse well and dry

   Rinse every grate under running water. Arm & Hammer says to rinse well and dry, so towel them off before they go back on the stove.

The bare cast iron wash (no soak)

Bare cast iron can rust if it sits in water, so this wash is quick. Lodge, the cast iron maker, says soaking cast iron is “a recipe for rust.”

1. Let the grates cool. Same as above.
2. Wash with warm, soapy water and a stiff brush. Lodge says soap is fine for cast iron.
3. Dry completely, right away. Use a paper towel or a lint-free cloth. Lodge warns that cast iron left to air dry may rust.
4. Keep washing soda off. Lodge explains that seasoning is oil heated onto the iron until it hardens, which is the same kind of baked-on layer a washing soda soak is meant to loosen.

The dishwasher option

Some coated grates can go in the dishwasher, and some cannot, so check your manual first. Whirlpool says to use the most aggressive cycle, and to soak or scrub off heavily baked-on food first. Bare cast iron stays out, because Lodge says a dishwasher will remove the seasoning and likely cause rust.

Burner caps are a different story. Whirlpool says burner caps are not dishwasher safe, and not to put them back on while they are wet.

When it will not work, and what to do instead

Grates that went years without a cleaning may need more than one try. Here is what to do.

• The grease is still sticky after one soak. Drain, mix a fresh batch and soak another 30 minutes. For one hard spot, Arm & Hammer says you can sprinkle washing soda dry on a damp sponge and scour.
• You are thinking about the self-clean oven. Whirlpool says not to clean grates or burner caps in the oven during a self-cleaning cycle. Stoves differ, so never try it unless your own manual says it is allowed.
• Your grates are aluminum or have aluminum parts. Skip the washing soda, because Arm & Hammer says not to use it on aluminum. Use warm, soapy water instead.

Why it works

Here is what is happening on those grates. Every time grease spatters onto hot metal, it bakes on a little more. Lodge explains that oil heated hot enough changes from a wet liquid into a slick, hardened surface, and that hard layer is why dish soap alone barely touches it.

Washing soda is a fairly strong alkali (the opposite of an acid, like vinegar). That alkaline cleaning power loosens the baked-on grease so the plastic pad can wipe it away. The soak does the hard part while you do something else.

That same power is why it stays off bare cast iron. The seasoning on a bare grate is the very kind of baked-on oil the soak is made to loosen.

Grates are the part of the kitchen that gets cleaned around. You wipe the stovetop, lift a grate, wipe under it and set it right back down. Then one day you notice they have gone from black to brown.