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One of the most frequented places of my house is definitely the kitchen—that’s where all the food is! So of course, it’s at the top of my ‘favorite places’ list (the bedroom is a close second).
I would often turn a blind eye to all the equipment in the kitchen and zero in on the food. But once while I was poking around, my gaze fell on the stovetop…only to realize just how dirty it was.
Specifically, the stove drip pans.
Then my lazy butt had to scour the internet and ask my mom for tips and tricks to clean those greasy stains and remaining cake batter that was nesting on these pans. You can go ahead and try them out too!
Outline
6 Ways to Clean Stove Drip Pans
1. Cut Grease and Cleaning Time with Ammonia
Even though items like baking soda, ammonia, and dish soap are very useful to have in your cleaning arsenal…..they’re not the Iron Man or Captain America of your arsenal. That honor actually goes to your hands for all the scrubbing it does.
A lot of the time, you don’t want to have to scrub so hard that your arm falls off. But, that’s the reality. To avoid this, use ammonia to cut the grease and scrubbing time. Take the drip pans and place them in one gallon, sealable plastic bags. Pour a quarter cup of ammonia into each bag and stack them in the sink overnight (about 12 hours).
The next day, in a ventilated area, open the bags and take the drop pans out. Any remaining grease can be scrubbed away with a sponge. Make sure you wear gloves and cover your eyes, nose, and mouth since opening the bag release strong fumes.
2. Water
While I’m aware that this is pretty much the simplest technique but there’s a reason they say, “Never overlook the power of simplicity.” If your sink has a removable spray faucet, your work is 10 times easier.
You’d be surprised by how much gunk you can get rid of just by hosing your drip pans down. A powerful spray faucet can blast the gunk away, reducing the amount of scrub time. Always a good thing, considering not all of us have arms like Chris Hemsworth.
3. Dish Soap and Baking Soda
Create a mixture of dish soap and baking soda in a 1:1 ratio. I swear I hallucinated and thought it was frosting at one point (quarantine effect). Slather this frosting-like mixture all over the drip pans, and be generous with the amounts you use. Pretend that you’re buttering your pan to bake brownies.
The more, the better! Then scrub each pan for a few minutes, and store each pan in a one-gallon plastic sealable bag. Pans with a greater amount of gunk should be scrubbed harder. Let it rest for an hour or so, depending on the amount of gunk on each pan.
Run each pan underwater, and once again scrub the pans of any remaining dirt.
4. Coating with Baking Soda
Baking soda is apparently the best item to have at your home—can use it to cook, clean, AND garden. Granted, during this crisis, I’m not going to go out and buy an endless supply of it…kinda like what people did with toilet paper during the pandemic.
It’s mildly abrasive, so coat the entire drip pan with the powder. Be generous with how much you’re using. Place a plate or bowl underneath the drip pans to reduce the amount of clean-up afterward.
Spray the coated pan with a mixture made of equal parts of essential oil and vinegar. There will be a fizzing reaction, a milder version of the Coke and Mentos experiment. So, be sure to do spray the mixture while the drip pans are in the sink. Let it sit for about 3 hours, until a burnt residue forms.
Run the pans under running water, and do a little cleaning choreography with a steel wool pad. Good as new!
5. DIY Hydrogen Peroxide Clean Up
Coat the drip pans with a generous amount of baking soda. This is the one item that many of the cleaning techniques have in common! Then drizzle the necessary amount of hydrogen peroxide over the baking soda.
The baking soda will start to fizz, which means that it’s getting rid of the gunk that’s sticking to the drip pans. Leave the pans for an hour or so, depending on the amount of gunk on each pan.
Rinse the pans under running water, and scrub away the excess with dish soap and a steel wool pad. Steel wool pads are much more effective compared to sponges, so make SURE you’ve got this on hand.
6. Dishwashing Detergent
Take a large saucepot and boil enough water to cover the drip pans. Add approximately 1/2 a cup of dishwashing detergent and mix it in until it dissolves.
Add in your drip pans, and bring the water to a boil. Then let the pot simmer for about 30 minutes, before removing the drip pans and rinsing them under running water. Be very careful as you remove the drip pans since they’re burning hot.
Safety 101: Wear gloves and handle hot objects with caution. And common sense.
FAQs
Can you use an oven cleaner to clean stove drip pans?
Yes, you can. Submerge the drip pans in liquid dish soap and hot water solution for an hour. Then take the pans out and spray a generous amount of oven cleaner on them. Set them aside for one more hour.
Now take a nonabrasive sponge and scrub away the debris. If the build-up is stubborn, spray over cleaner again. Else, wash the drip pans in hot water and dry them.
How to clean rust from stove drip pans?
You can soak the rusted pans in vinegar for some time—until you see the rust beginning to dissolve. Then take a toothbrush and rub away the remaining rust particles. Rinse it in water and it will be as good as new!
When should I replace stove drip pans?
If you care for your drip pans and clean them regularly, they can last longer than 5 years. If you see that you’re unable to clean the rust or food debris, then it’s time to replace them.
Now that we’ve covered some of the effective ways of cleaning your drip pans, I hope you use up any free time to give your drip pans some attention. Happy cleaning!
