How to clean induction cookers: proven methods and life hacks

Induction cookers look elegant in modern kitchen interiors. They do not take up much space, serve for a long time and without interruption, and do not require complex maintenance. But this does not mean that you can use any cleaning products or metal sponges on these surfaces. To keep glass-ceramic tiles safe and sound, it is important to follow the recommendations.

Rules of service

Induction panels quickly gained popularity among users not so much due to the properties of heat transfer without heating a larger surface area, but due to their stylish and laconic design.

Such hobs provide a smooth (and even mirror-like) surface. The material from which the boards are made can withstand impacts and high temperatures, but it is very easy to scratch (even accidentally). If a knife or fork falls on the stove, it will leave a mark on the surface. This must be taken into account when maintaining the unit.

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In order for glass-ceramic tiles to last for many years, you need to follow some recommendations:

Wash the stove after it has cooled completely. Otherwise, in 100% of 100 cases, soap stains, remains of burnt food, drops and other dirt will remain on the stove. You can also easily get burned on such a surface.
It's best to wipe down your stove before you start cooking. This may sound strange to some, since the surface is already clean. But there are already small stains on the tile, they will begin to burn and stick during work, and from small such stains will quickly turn into noticeable and difficult to remove.
Carefully ensure the cleanliness and smoothness of the bottom of the dishes that you place on the tile. Rough, oily, uneven bottom may damage the surface.
Make sure that there are no water droplets or streaks left on the stove after cleaning. Be sure to wipe the surface after washing with a paper towel or dry soft cloth.
You should not use the same sponges or rags to clean your induction cooker that you, for example, use to wash dishes, wipe furniture or windows. Cleaning with such rags will leave stains and streaks.

Daily care

To ensure that your induction hob lasts longer and its appearance remains presentable, clean the surface daily.

IMPORTANT! Daily care includes normal damp cleaning with a suitable mild detergent and a clean sponge without any abrasives. After cleaning, wipe the surface dry with a cloth or paper towel.

Do you have an induction cooker?
Not really

Step by step cleaning:

Wait for the hob to cool completely.
Dampen a soft and clean (!) sponge in a soapy solution and wipe the surface of the tile.
Leave the product on for a few minutes so that it has time to eat away any burnt-on food debris.
Wipe the surface with a clean, damp cloth to remove any remaining soap, grease or scale.
Dry with a paper or cloth towel.

Major cleaning

If you just can’t get rid of old stains on your induction hob, then regular wet cleaning will no longer work for you. Here you need to approach the problem radically. For major cleaning you will need rubber scrapers and specialized cleaning products for glass-ceramic surfaces (stoves) :

Apply your regular detergent to the entire tile surface. Place a cloth soaked in detergent on especially problem areas. Leave everything for a few minutes.
Wipe with a damp, clean cloth, and remove any remaining burnt food with a rubber scraper. At the same time, hold the spatula at an angle of 30-45 degrees so as not to scratch the panel.
If the detergent cannot cope with the stains, then it’s time to move on to using specialized preparations that are designed for cleaning induction hobs. Typically, the instructions call for applying a small amount of the product to stains and carbon deposits for a few minutes, after which you need to remove the remaining solution and loose grease with a damp sponge or cloth.

ATTENTION! You can use specialized cleaning products for hobs only with gloves, as they contain aggressive chemical compounds that can corrode the skin.

General cleaning

Not everyone is able to care for the stove every day; as a result, the surface requires cleaning using more serious methods. To get rid of burnt food particles, you must first soak them. To do this, soak soft cloths in the detergent solution and place them on all problem areas. After a few minutes, the dirt will soften, and you can easily clean it off with a scraper (hold the scraper at an angle of 45 degrees to the surface). Finally, follow steps two and three from the previous section.

The scraper for induction cookers is equipped with a replaceable nozzle

If after such manipulations there are white spots on the glass panel, remove them with table vinegar. Soak a soft cloth in it, wring it out and walk over the whitened areas.

In a situation where caked-on deposits just don’t want to be cleaned off, sometimes you just want to use an aggressive cleaning agent for plumbing fixtures or tiles. Under no circumstances should this be done! Exposure to caustic chemicals can cause permanent damage to the slab surface. To remove “stubborn” dirt, re-place the cloth with the cleaning solution on it, but hold it a little longer, and then repeat the scrubbing.

What rag to wash with

Only soft sponges or cloths without rough surfaces or texture can be used on induction hobs. You should not use metal sponges or scrapers, they will leave scratches on the surface and you will damage the hob. If you don’t have enough sponge to remove heavy carbon deposits, then use a rubber scraper (and then be careful).

What to do is strictly prohibited

Careless handling of the device may lead to damage. When operating and cleaning, you need to be as careful as possible and avoid the following actions:

Do not clean the cooking surface with preparations containing abrasives. They will leave scratches that will significantly impair the performance of the tile in the future. The same applies to metal sponges, scrapers, knives and other sharp objects.
Do not rub the surface if there are any hard particles left on it, for example, salt, sugar, etc. First, gently brush everything off or soak up any solid particles, only then proceed with the rest of the cleaning steps.
Do not start cooking on the stove until you have removed any remaining food from it. Once the panel heats up, any residue will burn. It is very difficult to clean them when they are burnt.
Do not expose the panel to sudden temperature changes. For example, you should not place objects from the refrigerator on it, splash ice water on it, scatter ice, etc.

How to clean various stains

IMPORTANT! In order for cleaning the hob to be as effective as possible, you need to take into account the type of contamination and its origin. Based on this data, we select a method for removing dirt.

From carbon deposits

Quite often, drops and pieces of food that are not wiped off the surface of the tile in a timely manner turn into soot. If you have started the problem, then you will no longer be able to do without a rubber scraper. You will have to soak the burnt residue for 10-40 minutes in detergent (or in a specialized cream for induction cookers), and then, after the carbon deposits have softened and come off a little, just carefully clean them with a scraper. At the end of the work, be sure to remove any remaining cleaning products and dirt with a damp sponge and wipe everything dry with a paper towel.

Read more about how to clean a ceramic hob from carbon deposits at home.

IMPORTANT! When using a rubber squeegee, always wet the surface before you begin scrubbing to avoid cracking or scratching the surface.

Fat

Regular dishwashing detergent is suitable for removing grease from the cooking surface. It dissolves fat perfectly.

However, it is better to entrust such contamination to specialized sprays, gels or cleaning creams for induction cooktops. They work much more efficiently and will not harm the hob.

How to clean the inside of the oven from grease, read this article.

Sugar

Sugar particles from the induction hob must be removed very carefully (this also applies to products that contain it):

Cool the stove first.
Use only silicone scrapers to avoid damaging the panel.

These two rules also apply to other low-melting materials such as polyethylene and plastic - they quickly melt on a hot surface, and then bake and stick tightly to it.

To remove sugar, you need to use major cleaning methods: specialized cleaning products, rubber scrapers, dishwashing detergents, etc.

Stains and plaque

Stains remain on the glossy and perfectly smooth surface of the tile. This is fine. But when these stains start and are not removed in time, they turn into a rather thick layer of plaque, which cannot be removed with ordinary wet daily cleaning.

IMPORTANT! Window cleaner is best for removing stains that appear after using tiles. These products contain chemical compounds that do not leave stains or streaks after drying.

Simply spray the surface of the tiles with the solution, then wait a while and wipe dry with a soft, clean cloth or paper towel.

Read here how to clean your kitchen hood from grease.

How to properly clean a glass-ceramic panel

Housewives are wondering: how to wash an induction cooker quickly and efficiently?

Step-by-step instruction.

Once the oven has cooled, carefully remove any debris with a scraper.
Wipe up spilled liquid with a regular sponge or napkin.
Wipe the surface with any soap solution.
Remove permanently burnt stains with glass ceramic cleaner. Cover the glass with it so that a protective film remains.

The glass ceramic coating must be dry and clean.

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Removing various contaminants

Cleaning stains and deposits will take a few minutes if you know the rules for effective washing.

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Removing dried sugar

Before washing off caked-on sugar, jam, caramel or sticky sugar syrup, place a wet rag on the problem area. After 15 minutes, remove with a sponge everything that has become soaked. If the contamination becomes stubborn, repeat.

Before washing off caked-on sugar, jam, caramel or sticky sugar syrup, place a wet rag on the problem area.

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Burnt food

Soot and burnt residues can be easily washed off with sunflower oil. If the cleaner doesn't do the job, apply vegetable oil to the stain. After 25-30 minutes, remove the dirt using a scraper. Wipe down the panel.

Soot and burnt residues can be easily washed off with sunflower oil.

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Fat

The easiest option is to wash off the grease with dishwashing detergent. Did not help? Spray glass cleaner and go over with a melamine sponge. Remove any remaining sponge and wipe the induction assistant clean.

The easiest option is to wash off the grease with dishwashing detergent.

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Limescale, stains

Stains disappear with 9% vinegar. Dampen imperfect areas with it and wipe with a damp cloth. Ammonia will also do the job. It must be mixed with water 1:5. Apply to the surface, after 10 minutes wipe with a paper napkin. After vinegar and ammonia, the surface shines.

Stains disappear with 9% vinegar.

Important! Products containing glycerin or silicone will add additional shine to the glass-ceramic panel.

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Folk remedies

It seems that there are a lot of popular methods to solve any problem. This also applies to cleaning the induction hob.

Vegetable oil

For cleaning, you can use vegetable oils (sunflower or olive):

Apply a small amount of oil to a cloth and apply to the stain for 30 minutes.
Wash the tiles with your regular detergent.
Remove any remaining cleaning agent with a damp sponge.
Wipe the panel dry with a paper towel.

How to clean with baking soda

Not the best option for cleaning an induction hob ( soda can leave scratches on the surface ). Use it only if you are absolutely confident in your abilities:

Apply baking soda to the stained area.
Cover the stain with a towel soaked in soapy water.
Leave the baking soda and soap on the stain for 15-30 minutes.
Carefully remove any remaining detergent with a damp cloth. But under no circumstances rub the surface!
Wipe dry with a clean towel.

Baking soda is widely used for cleaning household appliances. In this article you can learn simple recipes for cleaning the oven with soda and vinegar.

Removing scratches

The glass-ceramic surface of an induction hob is strong enough to support the weight of pans and pots. She is not afraid of strong heat. However, scratches may appear on it. Most often they are microscopic and visible only in light and glare. If they irritate you or there are so many of them that the appearance of the hob suffers, the surface can be polished.

GOI paste will help you cope with the task. It can be found at the car market. Costs about 50 rubles. for 300 g. This volume is quite enough to polish an induction cooker.

Paste numbers 1,2,3 are softer and mask microscopic scratches.
Number 4 – abrasive. It is used in tandem with a sanding machine (felt attachment).

To put the stove in order, you need to dilute the paste with a few drops of machine oil, apply it to the scratched area and rub vigorously with a thick cotton cloth. The process is quite labor-intensive, but certainly worth it. After polishing, the surface will become perfectly smooth and shiny.

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In most cases, GOI paste completely solves the problem of scratches. It may not work only if the glass ceramics is covered with cracks and chips. In this case, there is only one option left - to completely change the top protective layer. On average, glass-ceramic coating costs 10,000 rubles.

Additional recommendations

Finally, I would like to give one more important piece of advice on caring for your induction hob: do not neglect daily wet cleaning. This will change the way you care for your hob for the better.

ADVICE! Immediately remove all burnt food particles from the stove, brush off sugar from the surface only after the stove has cooled, remove stains using specialized cleaning products and wipe dry with a clean soft cloth after use.

These recommendations will help you keep your induction hob in its original condition for many years.

Recommendations for caring for an induction cooker

If you already own an induction hob or are just about to purchase one, then you should know that caring for it differs from conventional devices with an enamel surface. Induction cookers require special attention because, given their design, they are still different from all other types of kitchen appliances.

Recommendations for care, in principle, are not too special. The basic rule is that any food debris that gets on the surface must be removed immediately. However, it is worth noting that an induction cooker has one important advantage: its cooking surface cools down as soon as you remove the cookware from the burner. That is why problems with soot and burnt food, as a rule, do not arise.