7 Steps to Clean Your Oven and Stovetop

“The heat is doing all of the hard work for you,” Holdefehr says. “It cleans with minimal effort without a lot of chemicals.”

Some consumers complain that the high heat of the self-cleaning feature damages their ovens, says Paul Hope, senior home and appliance editor at Consumer Reports, who notes that the oven temperature during this process typically gets up to 850 degrees. But Hope says CR survey data shows that it’s a rare problem — only 1 percent of 40,000 range owners surveyed reported this issue.

“My hypothesis is that the vast majority of people run those oven-cleaning cycles at a really pivotal, crucial time, like Thanksgiving,” he says. “So when it does happen, it tends to have a pretty huge impact.”

If you haven’t run the self-cleaning feature before, do it with plenty of time before a big event, just in case there’s a problem, Hope suggests.

When Elizabeth Skidmore, 58, of St. Petersburg, Florida, moved last year to a new home, she tried the self-cleaning feature on the oven after unsuccessfully trying to clean it herself. “It got it so clean — it was amazing,” she says.

Even if you use a self-cleaning feature, the oven door’s window may not look clean. Spray a glass cleaner on a cloth or spread a thick coat of a baking-soda-and-water mixture on the glass, letting it sit for 20 minutes to overnight and then wipe, Holdefehr said.

Experts recommend cleaning your cooktop after every use — or as often as possible — so spills don’t harden. Wipe it down weekly.

The cleaning process and products used depend on the type of cooktop. Soapy warm water or baking soda paste works on most surfaces, including drip pans, electric coils and gas grates, Holdefehr says. Wipe well, leaving no residue.

For stainless steel, use white vinegar to clean and remove fingerprints, or a specialty product such as Weiman Glass Cooktop Cleaner and Polish, Schulhof says. For glass, use the baking soda paste with liquid soap on burn marks (let sit for at least an hour) and with vinegar for watermarks (let sit for two nights covered in plastic wrap). Also check out Carbona Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner and EZ Brite Glass and Ceramic Cooktop Cleaner & Conditioner.

When it comes to cleaning, a little effort goes a long way. The more your get into the habit of regular cleaning, the longer you can go between deep cleans. And a brighter oven and stovetop make for an inviting kitchen and a welcome place to create delicious meals.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on April 13, 2023. It has been updated to reflect new information.

Sheryl Jean is a contributing writer who covers aging, business, technology, travel, health and human-interest stories. A former reporter for several daily metropolitan newspapers, her work also has appeared in the Chicago Tribune and The Dallas Morning News and on the American Heart Association’s website.

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