Kelly's Korner - Cleaning the top of your Electric Stove

(Flickr User Horia Varlan/CC)

Hey, All,

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about cleaning your oven.  Today we will concentrate on the top.

With everyday cooking you get spills, spatters and boil overs and you wipe them up as they happen, right?  Well, what about underneath those burners?

Yes, there are drip pans under the burners, and even though you may wipe the out, they may be looking pretty sad.  Best bet - toss them and come down to W L May and get replacements (bring your model number as all pans are not the same!)  Then you have nice bright, shiny pans for the holidays.

But as you may notice, mose of these pans have a hole at the bottom.  And your spillovers have dripped down to the liner.  Take your elements and pans out (tip the elements up and pull out - most conventional coils will do this - and look.  This may be a big ICK!  Spray your cleaner in there and let sit a while and wipe out.  It may be a bit tricky getting in there through the holes but unless you know how to raise the top, I suggest just reaching in there through the holes.  We get a lot of calls from people who have tried to raise the tops and have torn out wiring and damaged the coils, so be careful!

I would be very careful, also, about cleaning your control panel.  If your panel is all electronic just use a damp sponge and do not spray cleaner on them - it could get into the electronics and short things out and then you're in real trouble.  If your panel is mechanical (knobs to turn things on) you can very carefully pull those knobs straight off and clean them and underneath.  Do not use abrasive cleaners or steel wool type scrubbers - you can take any markings right off, then you would have to buy another panel and that may be tricky with an older stove - may not be available any longer.  Your best bet before starting any cleaning of your appliances will be consulting your use and care guide.  Don't have one?  You can usually go to your manufacturer's website and download them.

If you have a solid glass top, most of this advice is unneccesary but you still need to use care.  W L May has some cleaning kits made especially for glass tops.  And we have several lines of different cleaners - for regular finishes and stainless steel - and some are eco-friendly.

Don't forget your range hoods, also - may be time for a new filter and W L May can help you get the correct one for your hoods.

Next week, I'll talk about cleaning your gas ranges - I'll have to do some research into this as I know very little about the care of these - we'll both learn something!

Have a great week!

Broan

Yesterday, one of our rookies asked me if we carried Broan products.I was happy to say that we do. Let me tell YOU about it, in case you were not aware.

Broan specializes in ventilation products and has done so since 1932. They are most known for their range hoods and bathroom fans. We have access to their full product line from Range hoods are available from inexpensive options popular with rental houses to high end units for designer homes. A wide variety of bath fans are also available.

The Broan 30 inch range hood is a very popular budget entry in the category and comes in three flavors. Broan offers the hood in a non-vented variety, as well as providing options with either a 7" round vent or a 3-1/4"X10" vent access. We stock the white version. It is also also is available in bisque/biscuit, almond, stainless steel, and black.

In addition to complete products, we are also an authorized distributor for Broan parts. With a model number we can get any available Broan part to help you get that air moving again. The most popular parts are waiting for you in our warehouse. If we don't stock it, we would be more than happy to order it in for you.

As a side note, Nutone is another well known brand in the home ventilation arena. The Nortek corporation acquired Broan in 1981 and followed up by acquiring Nutone in 1998. In 2000 the companies were merged as Broan-Nutone LLC. It is an unusual arrangement as both names are hand;led independently. We can often get parts for Nutone, but they use a different numbering and ordering system than Broan which can sometimes interfere with our access.

We are entering that time of year where houses tend to be sealed up against the cold weather. This is the time of year that it is most important to have your home ventilation in good working order. Its also a good time to check your filters and replace them if needed.

Like Apple says in their famous press conferences, there is "just one more thing". Even if you have a range hood made by a company other than Broan/Nutone we can get replacement filters. Our supplier American Metal Filters will custom make filters to any specifications. Just call us with your needed specs and we can get the ball rolling.

If you know you need to do some repairs on your range hood. For your own sake, DO NOT put it off until the holidays. As the holidays approach servicers get busier and it becomes more difficult to schedule a service call. If any parts need to be ordered, that can result in a delay. An early request means you can get the repair done with time to spare before the holiday, that leaves you more time to do the fun stuff-like planning, shopping, cooking, cleaning, and...well, you get the picture.

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