Elbow grease, soap can help restore grimy range
DIY work can do wonders, but begin with care instructions from manufacturer
A how-to guru explains the best way to restore a range to likenew condition.
Q I own a Viking Professional Range, a 36-inch, black enamel model with a hood that I bought in 2003. The range works fine, but the top, steel backsplash and oven are really grimy. I have had some success in cleaning these parts but would really like to have the range restored to a near-new condition. Do you know if any companies can help with this?
A For the kind of deep-cleaning you want, you may need to do it yourself or hire someone who will perform the specific tasks you want.
The combination of food spatter and heat makes stoves hard to clean. Complicating the issue is the variety of surfaces involved: stainless steel, bare steel, cast iron, porcelain enamel and, in your case, aluminum and a printed surface.
The materials used for specific parts vary by manufacturer and model. Some online sites recommend using baking soda. But baking soda and other alkaline cleaners discolour aluminum.
So, for you, the best solution is to periodically scrub the burners down to a uniformly shiny surface with extra-fine (000) steel wool, said Dorian Olson, a Viking service technician.
Begin by reading the care instructions for your range on the manufacturer’s website. If you have questions or want to substitute cleaning products, call the manufacturer’s customer service number.
For stainless steel parts, Viking recommends hot, soapy water and a soft cloth, with a rubdown using a microfibre cloth at the end. But when the spatters build up or if there is rust, Olson recommends a soft cloth and WD -40 Multi-Use Product or Goof Off Heavy Duty Remover, which won’t scratch the stainless steel.
If that’s not enough, switch to superfine steel wool (0000) and rub only in the direction of the brushed finish.
Griddles on Viking ranges are “machined steel with a blanchard finish,” notes the company’s cleaning brochure. That means it is bare steel that was ground flat with a rotary grinder. The key problem is that it can rust if it is left damp. Viking recommends cleaning after “heavy cooking” by pouring room-temperature club soda on the griddle when it has cooled down but is still warm. The bubbles dislodge grime, the griddle warmth keeps the residue mobile, and the middle-of-the-road temperatures of the soda and griddle prevent shock, since flooding a hot griddle with cold water could lead to warping or even a crack. After this cleaning, Viking says, season the griddle by rubbing it with a paper towel moistened with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon (2.5 to 5 mL) of unsalted vegetable oil. Wait an hour for the oil to sink in, then wipe off the excess.
When a griddle needs heavyduty cleaning, the company suggests buying its Griddle Cleaning Kit (US$179). That may be too pricey; alternately, you can buy the main components on your own: 3M’s Scotch-Brite Liquid Griddle Quick Clean
No. 701 is US$10.49 a quart at webstaurantstore.com (can be shipped to Canada). A box of 20 Scotch-Brite No. 46 scrub pads is roughly $25 on Amazon.ca.
Olson scrubs his still-warm grill with cooking oil and a grill screen, an open-mesh abrasive that resists clogging. A grillcleaning kit with a holder, 20 grill screens and 10 polishing pads is US$15.49 at webstaurant store. com; a box of 20 replacement screens is US$2.29.
Grates on your stove, like many, are cast iron. Olson recommends cleaning them with Bon Ami.
Under the grates, the bowls are black enamel. It’s safe to use oven cleaner to loosen stubborn spills on porcelain enamel, but manufacturers don’t always recommend it for stovetops because of the risk of spatter on other surfaces, Olson’s remedy: Apply the oven cleaner to a cotton rag or paper towel, then place the saturated cloth against the spill. Wait the recommended time for the debris to soften, then wipe it off and rinse thoroughly. Or, on parts that are removable, take them outside and spray them with newspaper underneath.
Most new range ovens have self-cleaning settings. If you need to spot-clean, Olson’s trick of moistening a cloth with oven cleaner works here, too. But use caution if you are cleaning the oven door. Do not get cleaner or rinse water in the vent holes or the liquid might seep down between the panes of glass on the door.
To clean the surfaces of the window, Olson recommends using a new single-edge razor blade held at a sharp angle for the oven-side glass. Moistening the glass with a little water or glass cleaner helps. On the outside, glass cleaner and a soft cloth usually do the trick.
For the knobs, the cleaning instructions say to remove them and clean them with hot, soapy water, but not to soak them, which could cause print on them to rub off.