titusnowl | (no subject)

I am an utter failure at the housewifely arts. My stovetop is a huge mess and I'm afraid to take it apart to clean it. It, and the counter next to it, are covered in baked-on flour and cocoa powder and pancake mix and other assorted side products of baking and making dinner. There are cornflakes and sugar in the little metal cupthings under the burners. BOTH of the front burners are making scary "pop" and "snap" noises when I turn them on, one in the back is producing huge epic clouds of smoke when heated, and the other rear burner is all floury. I'm out of lunch-food except for one box of macaroni and cheese, and I'm afraid to turn the stove on to cook it for fear of burning the house down. I don't know how to take anything on the stove apart for cleaning, I don't know what products are safe to use if I *did* know how to take it apart, and in fact I don't *own* any cleaning products besides paper towels, water, dish soap and some Clorox wipes that I keep intending to use to clean off the counters, but forgetting. Cleaning the kitchen is something I really need to do but it seems so hugely impossible that I can't figure out where to start - i need a home for the plastic bags and a better way of storing things and a place to put all the stuff on the counter while I clean the counter and I need to do the dishes and I need to sweep the floor and I don't own a mop or a bucket or a sponge and it's all so intimidating.

I'm in tears over the whole thing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Electric range, or gas?

If it's electric, just pop the burners up (they're hinged) and lift the pans out from underneath. You can use the Clorox wipes to clean the stovetop and underneath the burners, and if you've got sugar and cornflakes and such under there, use the vacuum cleaner hose to suck them outta there.

The pans and beauty rings around the burners can go in some soapy hot water in the sink. You might want to get a bottle of Dawn Power Dissolver at the store and shoot 'em with that and let them set for awhile first, maybe. It's good for getting caked-on gunk off of things like that.

Scrub the pans and rings with an SOS pad, rinse them well, and dry 'em good and they're good to go. The stove top can be cleaned with Soft Scrub or 409 and some rags or a sponge. Dry everything really well and put it back in the reverse order you took it off the stove and you're good to go.

You can do it, Jeffie.

If I can take a stovetop apart and clean it, so can you.

It's really easy.

I'm assuming this is an electric stove. Most electric elements just plug in. Look for where the end of the burner coil goes into the stove, and pull up and out opposite that point, and it should come out with a gentle pull. You'll then be able to take the burner pan out as well.

I've just looked at our current stove, and it has a separate pan and ring around the burner, and those come out without removing the element, just tilt it up and you can get those out.

You also can most likely tilt up the stovetop itself to be able to clean out underneath it, so try pulling up on the front and see if it'll come up.

The above is all good advice.

Just let me add that you need to take it one chore at a time. Don't look at the totality of the the thing, or you'll wind up feeling overwhelmed (which, judging from your post, has already happened).

Instead, just concentrate on one thing. Start with the storage. What things need to be stored, and where's the best place to store them? Put the things you use regularly within easy reach. The stuff you use only occasionally can be pushed to the back, or put in an out-of-the-way spot. Once you get a little organization, you can concentrate on cleaning. Then, when the kitchen is spic-n-span, you can start in on filling the larder. It just takes a little planning.

But take it one step at a time. Small assignments are easier to handle, and you'll get the satisfaction of seeing them through and crossing them off the list.

And don't expect to do it all in one day. Or even one weekend. Your kitchen is a work-in-progress, and small improvements can always be made.