Unless you rely solely on your microwave oven for dinner every night, the chances are that you use your cooktop on your oven pretty frequently. Of course, you know that when you spill on your cooktop you should immediately wipe it up, but sometimes you need to clean a little deeper. After all, if you have a home warranty, your kitchen’s exhaust fan, cooktop and range are all covered, but you can’t get the benefits of a home warranty if you don’t take care of your appliances as recommended by the manufacturer. Home warranties will repair and replace your appliances for a $60 service call fee if they fail from normal wear and tear, but not if the appliances fail due to lack of maintenance or gross neglect. That’s why Landmark Home Warranty is going to teach you safe and easy ways to clean the range and cooktop of your oven. If you want to see how to clean the rest of your oven, go to our post about Cleaning your Oven to Extend its Lifespan.

Clean your filters

The first step in cleaning the range of your oven is to clean your filters. The filters trap grease, smoke and food smells from your cooking and vent them outside of your home. Thus, if you haven’t cleaned your filters lately, chances are they are exceptionally greasy. The longer you go without cleaning out your kitchen’s air filters, the less effective they are at trapping grease and smoke. Luckily, there’s a simple solution to cleaning them. 

1. Remove your filters

Most ovens have filters above the cooktop and they are simple to remove.

The oven that was used for this example had two different filters. One was above the range, inside of the microwave and popped out easily. The second one, which was much dirtier than the first, was inside of the cooktop. 

2. Boil hot water

Make sure the pan is large enough for your filters to fit inside. If the pan is too small, you can boil each side of the filter.  

3. Slowly add 1/2 cup of baking soda, one tablespoon at a time

Adding too much at one time can make the baking soda fizz. You can add some dish soap as well, if your filters are especially dirty.

4. Put the filters in the boiling water

Let the filters boil for about 10 minutes. (Beware! This will start to smell up your house!) Flip the filters if they don’t all fit in the pan at once.

5. Scrub with brush

Get the remaining grease off with a scrub brush in the sink.

There you have it! Cleaned filters. Put the filters back into the range and dispose of the grease water that you have accumulated properly. (Remember, grease shouldn’t go down your pipes!) We threw ours away in a large bottle. If there is grease on your pan, you will be able to get it off with a quick rinse of  water and dish soap.

Clean your cooktop

Cleaning your cooktop immediately when you spill is the best way to make sure your home warranty will cover your range. Putting some salt directly on a spill when it occurs can help to absorb moisture and make it easier to clean up. If you’re trying to clean an already dirty cooktop, here are some suggestions:

Electrical Cooktop

Take the burners off of the cooktop to clean them. Never submerge burners in water. Instead, clean them using a damp cloth. Clean the drip pans in the dishwasher, or if you’ve burnt on spilled food, soak them in a mixture of baking soda and water for at least 8 hours, to get the food particles off of them.

Gas Cooktop

First, remove the covers off of the burners. Wash them in the sink with some dish soap and water. Clean the burners using a towel dipped in vinegar. Don’t spray cleaner directly on the burners.

Your kitchen exhaust fan and a home warranty

If your kitchen exhaust fan isn’t working as well as it used to, and it is old, it may be wearing out from normal use. If this is the case, having a home warranty on your house can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Repairs or replacements for appliances and systems in your home are just a $60 service call fee, instead of the hundreds of dollars you would usually spend. If your kitchen exhaust fan fails from normal wear and tear, call your home warranty company. The best home warranty company will cover kitchen exhaust fans, and repair or replace it for $60.

For more information about home warranties, go to Landmark’s webpage at www.LandmarkHW.com. There you can learn about home warranty plans, read home warranty reviews from real customers and see what sets Landmark apart from the rest of the home warranty companies.