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.

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