How to Clean Large Stove Grates with Ammonia

There’s bound to be a splash or spillage of something like fat, gravy, or tea on your stove when you cook. A quick wipe with a cloth will clear some of it off, but some of it escapes and cakes into your large stove grates. This can prove difficult to clean off using your conventional methods, at which point only ammonia will do. But do you know how to clean large stove grates with ammonia?

To know how to clean large stove grates with ammonia, you’ll need a set of instructions on how to do it effectively and safely because it’s a harsh chemical. The large stove grates present quite the task since you can’t just throw them into the wash or scrub them.

If this is giving you sleepless nights, hang on close as I share detailed information on how to get your large stove grates squeaky clean with ammonia.

Why Ammonia?

If you’ve never come across ammonia or ammonium hydroxide, you’re missing out on a useful home cleaning agent. It’s one of the best cleaners you can use to add sparkle to windows, tiles, kitchen tops, and sinks. Its most critical use, though, is perhaps in dissolving and clearing out grime and caked up grime and grease stains.  

Ammonia is budget-friendly and is easy to use on its own or with other products. Being a strong chemical ensures you’ve read all instructions on usage to avoid destroying some sensitive materials or injuring yourself or loved ones. Ammonia has a pungent odor that irritates the eyes, throat, or lungs, even in low concentrations. 

If you’re asthmatic or someone in your household is, I’d advise you to avoid ammonia altogether. Even low concentration can aggravate your respiratory system and trigger an attack. Excessive exposure may lead to severe damage if you have liver and kidney issues. In others, it can lead to new problems like bronchiolar and alveolar edema.

When mixed with bleach, it emits toxic fumes, which could cause burns on your skin and even your eyes. Hence if you must use bleach at some point in your cleaning routine, it’s best to avoid ammonia. You should only consider ammonia as a last resort and if you do use it, take all the necessary safety precautions.

How to Clean Large Stove Grates with Ammonia

1. Prepare the Cleaning Materials 

• 2 cups of ammonia
• Large ziplock plastic bags or trash bags
• Stainless steel bins
• Spo or cloth
• Safety gloves
• Respirator hook
• Protective goggles 

2. Cleaning with Ammonia

Place each large grate in a plastic bag and put in a quarter cup of ammonia, then seal the bag and place it in a stainless steel bin. This is ideally how to clean your large stove grates with ammonia. 

You don’t need to smear any ammonia on the stove grates because you only need the fumes, which are sufficient to break down the grease for easy cleaning. Leave them overnight, outside in a secure place free from any tampering. 

3. Rinse the Stove Grates

Don’t open the bags at a go because the fumes are toxic. Instead, poke the bags with holes to release the fumes and ensure you have safety gloves and masks.

Remove the grates slowly and wipe any residue on them with a damp sponge or cloth. Next, rinse the ammonia with hot running water until they’re spotless, and then place them back on the stove.

Regular Care Tips for Stove Grates 

Since you can’t afford to use ammonia at every convenience, here are some sure-fire ways to keep your large stove grates clean.

If possible, avoid any spillage or pouring by using deep enough pots when stuff starts boiling.

If you spill anything, wipe it off immediately, scrub, and wash the stove grates in hot running water. Quick action is always the fastest way to avoid the caking of grime.

Mix distilled white vinegar with water in equal amounts in a spray bottle. You can add a few drops of your dishwashing detergent into the mixture and then spray and wipe your stove grates until they are clean and sparkly.

Spot clean your stove with salty water if you don’t have time for thorough cleaning. This helps to prevent any stains or dirt from sticking around.

Schedule a regular cleaning day and figure the frequency based on your usage. Doing this will ensure your stove stays clean most of the time and rarely requires any thorough ammonia cleaning.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can You Use Ammonia on Cast Iron Grates?

Yes, you can. However, ammonia is a harsh chemical that can damage them if proper care isn’t used.  The best way to prevent damage is once you’ve degreased them, rinse them thoroughly in hot running water and then dry them off with a cloth before placing them back on the stove.

How Do I Make My Gas Stove Grates Look New?

The best way to make your gas stove grates look new is by degreasing them with ammonia. You don’t even need to smear them with ammonia. Keep them in a ziplock bag with some ammonia, and the fumes will dissolve all the grease leaving them as good as new.

Should I Clean with Ammonia?

Ammonia is the most effective home cleaning agent. It works well as a dissolving agent; hence all the vegetable fat and other greasy gunk on your appliances easily come off. But when cleaning with ammonia, ensure you read instructions and apply all the necessary precautions.

Conclusion

You’re now an expert because you know how to clean large stove grates with ammonia. This doesn’t have to be a headache for you anymore. You can quickly get the gunk off your stove grates with an easy no scrub method.

But remember using ammonia requires extra caution because it’s a harsh chemical with toxic fumes. You should never use it together with bleach, and while using, always ensure your space is well ventilated away from anyone with particular sensitivities.

Aside from that, ammonia is the most effective degreaser to get your stove grates looking as good as new. No scrubbing is required, just 12 hours of ammonia fumes.