All electric stoves, including the coiled burners, require a good cleaning every once in awhile. The next time you find yourself cooking and your food boils over onto the burner, take it as a sign that it's time to clean it. No need to worry, it won't take but a few steps to get them looking as before! Follow the tips below and see how easy and inexpensive the whole process really is!
Step #1: Make sure that the coiled burners are cooled down from the last time that you used your stovetop or oven. You can easily burn yourself so please let the burners cool down before you touch them.
Step #2: Remove them from their electric source. They are supposed to easily pop out from the stovetop to make cleaning the appliance safe and easy. If you have any questions or are having trouble, refer to the owner’s manual of the oven. When in doubt, contact maintenance to see if they have any tips on extracting them.
Step #3: Then take a warm damp washcloth and give the burners a wipe down. It's important that you don’t get the electrical part of the coil wet. Never submerge the coiled burners in water.
Step #4: If you have food or liquid that won’t come off with a normal wipe down, then it's time to make a paste with baking soda and water. Take a glob of the paste and let it sit on the trouble spots for about 20 minutes. Then take your damp rag, give it a scrub and wipe off the remainder of the paste. Repeat this process if necessary.
Step #5: Before you put the coil burners back in the stove top, make sure they are completely dry. Air drying is best, but if you choose to dry them off with a towel, make sure that you didn’t leave any fabric strands that could potentially catch on fire, or ruin the electric mechanism.
See, that wasn’t too bad right? Try to clean your burners on a regular basis so that it doesn’t pile up and potentially set off your smoke alarm when whatever you have on the coils burns.
For other tips on cleaning your apartment, download our Cleaning Checklist! There are so many hidden places throughout your apartment that are easily missed when completing your normal cleaning routine. With this checklist you won't miss a single spot and you may even return your apartment to it's former glory (what it looked like before you moved in).