While many people love the larger counter space with their glass cooktop, it can be difficult to keep clean. You’d think the sleek, flat top would be simple to clean, but the glass surface is so delicate that you must take extra precautions not to harm it, even while cleaning.

Unfortunately, even seemingly harmless practices may wreak havoc on a glass cooktop. To help you out, here are things given by cooktop repair professionals that can ruin your cooktops:

Placing hot lids face down on the cool cooktops

There have been reports of glass cooktops cracking due to hot pan lids left on the surface. How does this occur? Heat is trapped under the lid, forming a vacuum seal, and the pressure causes the cooktop to break.

You can get away with placing hot lids on your glass stovetop with no trouble, but one day, you won’t be as lucky, and your cooktop will break. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so you should start laying your hot lids on a pot holder or dish towel from now on.

Failing to clean your cooktop after every use

Putting off cleaning up your mess can only worsen matters in the long run. If there is a boil-over or spatter, wipe it up with a wet cloth as quickly as possible (remember not to use a cleaning solution while it is still hot, but a moist towel will suffice).

After each use, let your cooktop cool fully before spraying it with vinegar or your favorite glass cooktop cleaner, wiping it down with a damp microfiber cloth, then buffing it dry with a dry microfiber cloth.

Using course cleaning materials

If you have burnt food or stubborn stains on your cooktop, you may be tempted to use heavy-duty scrubbers. You should note that even the scrubby side of a sponge can be too harsh for a glass cooktop’s delicate surface.

Abrasive cleaners and scrubbing instruments (like steel wool) can leave tiny scratches or deep pits on your cooktop. Stick to the soft side of the sponge, or better yet, use cooktop pads.

These sponges are designed to reduce scratches on glass cooktops. You can find them at any of your nearby grocery shops.

If you can’t remove stuck-on trash with a soft sponge, try lifting the food with a plastic or silicone spatula.

You can use a razor blade scraper for particularly heavy messes. If the mess is too dry, try softening it with white vinegar or a glass cooktop cleaner. When using the scraper, avoid puncturing the cooktop with the blade’s corner.

Cleaning the cooktop while still hot

Washing dishes while they’re still warm can help you easily remove grease and grime, but the same idea does not apply to glass cooktops. Allow your cooktop to completely cool before using any type of cleaner, chemical or otherwise, since the cleaner may burn on the cooktop and cause irreversible damage.

There is also the risk of the cooktop breaking, especially if your water is too cold.

Using a glass cleaner to clean the cooktop

Using a glass cleaner on a glass cooktop appears rational, but you should avoid it. The cleaning contains ammonia, which is too harsh for a glass cooktop and can leave lasting stains and streaks. Not to mention that turning on a stove while the cleaner is still on the surface emits ammonia fumes.

To be safe, you should use a cleaner designed for a glass cooktop. Great options include pantry essentials like white vinegar and baking soda.

Leaving dirty dishes on the cooktop

If you’re like other homeowners, you tend to leave filthy utensils on your glass stovetop. As you can tell, this adds to the mess you’ll have to clean up later.

Instead, you should place utensils on a spoon rest or paper towel. Even more critical, ensure that whatever cookware you put on the cooktop has a perfectly clean bottom. Remember that a greasy skillet combined with a hot burner makes a challenging mess to clean up afterward. And you don’t want this, do you?

Sliding heavy cookware on the cooktop

You can still use cast iron on a glass or ceramic cooktop. Many people are using cast iron on a glass stovetop every day.

While this is the case, do not drop or slide the cookware around the surface. Instead, gently lift it and place it back down, moving it from one location to another with the handle. The same applies to other forms of heavy cookware, such as ceramic cookware.

Placing too much weight on the cooktop

A glass stovetop’s weight limit is approximately 50 pounds. Most of the time, this won’t be an issue, but it does imply you shouldn’t stand on your cooktop to reach a high cabinet, and large canners may also surpass the weight restriction of a glass stovetop.

As a result, you shouldn’t place them directly on the surface. Like any surface that you place more weight than it can handle, placing too much weight on your glass cooktop puts it at risk of breaking.

Parting shot

These are some of the mistakes you can make with your glass cooktop. Remember that your cooktop is delicate, so you should be ultra-cautious about how you handle it.

As tough as it seems, don’t use any tough cleaning products. As mentioned, don’t place heavy materials on it as it can easily break. And as you can tell, you can’t hire an appliance repair Northern VA professional to fix it.

Your only solution is to replace it, which, as you can tell, doesn’t come cheap.

The post 8 Mistakes You Are Making with Your Glass Cooktops first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair

After installing a new cooktop, you have good intentions to keep it clean and shiny. Unfortunately, cooktops are subjected to frequent usage and quickly begin to look shabby unless you take great care of them each time you use them. Before long, spills will burn onto the surface, and scratches will accumulate in the burner rings.

To keep your cooktop looking new, you must know more than how to clean a glass. Thankfully, with a little know-how, you can prevent recurring scratches and marks. Here are tricks to keep your glass cooktop in top condition that will ensure that you don’t need to get appliance repair professionals when your unit fails:

Don’t scrape your pans across the cooktop surface

Don’t drag your pans on the glass surface while cooking; always move them away. Most people ignore this cardinal rule when they shake and combine the ingredients, which explains why many cooktops have zig-zag scratches and are all pointing in the same way.

You should stop this.

Even if you’re using a lightweight pan, the base will scratch and pit the surface of the cooktop as it drags, so avoid it. Ensure that you gently lower your pans onto the stove. Remember that lamming them down can scratch or even fracture the glass. You don’t want this, do you?

Keep the bottom of your pans clean.

Most people overlook the bottom of their pans when cleaning them. For starters, stains on the underside are often baked in and impossible to remove. Second, many believe that since the food isn’t contacting it, it doesn’t really matter. Actually, it does.

If your pan has stains and residue baked into the base, it will be much simpler to scratch and damage the stove’s glass surface. In extreme cases, it will also impede your pan from evenly transferring heat during cooking, as well as emitting foul odors as it heats up.

To protect your cooktop surfaces and ensure that your pan is as effective as possible, keep the bottom of the pan clean at all times.

To clean the base of a pan, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it across the surface. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes before scrubbing it away with a non-abrasive sponge or old toothbrush.

Choose the right cookware.

You should make sure that you select the ideal cookware for your stove. This refers to the material of the pan’s base, which ideally should be stainless steel.

Because of its flat surface, stainless steel is ideal for use on glass stovetops, and it has enough weight to keep it steady when cooking. This is not to claim that switching to stainless steel will prevent stove top scratches, but it will be gentler on the surface in use.

When using it, remember not to drag it on the surface as you will cause damage to the cooktop, and you don’t want this.

Get a cooktop cover

There are cooktop covers available that you can use to protect the surface when not in use. These are also useful if you have a limited amount of countertop space, as the top of the stove can serve as an additional room.

If you have an induction glass stove, some mats are safe to cook directly on. These mats decrease scratching and heat exposure from the pan to the glass surface, allowing the cooktop to last longer.

Keep in mind that these mats should not be used on a conventional electric glass cooktop since these surfaces heat up far faster than induction, which would burn most mats. Consult the manufacturer for help if you are unsure how to use them properly.

Stay away from abrasive cleaners.

You should never use abrasive cleansers or scouring pads, such as steel wool and scrubby sponges, on your glass cooktops. This is because they are overly abrasive and may permanently harm the surface, producing scratch marks that you can’t remove.

The scrapes are also likely to contain material that will be difficult to remove.

To be safe, you should use softer materials that won’t cause any damage to the surfaces. In most cases, a sponge, soap, and water are enough.

Be cautious of cast iron.

While cast iron is an excellent cooking material, it is incredibly heavy and can cause significant damage to glass cooktops. Take particular caution while laying your cast iron cookware on the surface, and avoid dragging it over the glass – the weight will increase the likelihood of significant scratches.

As mentioned above, you are better off with cookware made from stainless steel as it tends to be more tender than your glass cooktop.

What should you do if your glass cooktop gets scratched?

Your glass cooktop should still function normally with minor scratches, but if it is chipped or cracked, you should stop using it and replace it.

If you want to reduce the look of the scratches, try cleaning the surface completely, as recommended by the manufacturer. If many marks turn out to be charred residue, a scraping tool can help significantly.

If your cooktop is too damaged and you feel that you have to replace it, don’t go blindly at it. Instead, get the input of experienced cooktop repairs Springfield professionals. These professionals will help you choose a unit that is not only efficient but also one that can take a lot of abuse and last for a long time.

Parting shot

These are some of the tricks you can use to ensure that you don’t damage your glass cooktop. As much as you should be ultra-cautious of the nature of the pans that you get, the unfortunate truth is that any type of pan can scratch your glass cooktop.

Thankfully, you can avoid scratches by choosing a style with a smooth base, such as stainless steel. You can also go with enameled or ceramic pans that also have a smooth finish that helps prevent scratching.

As mentioned, how you use the pan is crucial. Never drag it across the surface; instead, lift it and softly settle it. Also, make sure to wipe the underside on a regular basis to prevent residue from burning to the base and harming your cooktop.

The post How Do I Protect My Glass Cooktop? Here Is How To Go About It first appeared on HVAC Repair, appliance repair. The post appeared first on Express Appliance Repair