8 Ways to Clean Stove Drip Pans

Cooking is fun. However, it is also a messy venture. Surfaces of all kinds inevitably get stained and smeared, with stoves being particularly soiled. Now, if the range is soiled, just imagine how the drip pans might look.

Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Today, let us show you 8 ways to clean your stove drip pans.

What Are Stove Drip Pans?

Before we get to cleaning, let’s briefly talk about drip pans. What exactly are drip pans?

A stove drip pan, found under the burner, is removable and designed to catch drips and spills. With that, you could expect it to get soiled over time.

Stove drip pans might have a messy job, but they’re not supposed to stay that way. You have to clean them. Not only because you want a clean kitchen, but because it could be dangerous if you leave them soiled for long. They could set off your alarms, and worse, start a fire!

If you’re not familiar with stove drip pans, you might not immediately notice that they’re removable. You don’t have to wait until it’s time to clean your stove to get to them!

8 Ways to Clean Stove Drip Pans

You can’t clean your stove drip pans on the stove. Technically, you could, but we think that would prove to be more difficult, so you want to take them out. However, before you do, make sure you let them cool down first. We don’t want you burned, after all!

Method #1: Good Wash

Sometimes, all your stove drip pans need is a good wash. If you’re not dealing with a particularly dirtied stove drip pan, you can use your dishwasher. Now, if that doesn’t work, you might want to try hand washing them.

However, as you might have already known, this method will not always work. Don’t lose hope just yet! We still have seven techniques for you to try out.

 

Method #2: Dishwashing Liquid

Don’t put your dishwashing liquid away just yet. You could use it in this method.

With this one, what you want to do is fill your sink, a pail, or anything similar with some hot water. After that, put a generous amount of dishwashing liquid in it and put the stove drip pans. Let them soak for a few minutes.

Whatever was on your drip pans should be coming off while the pans were in the soapy water. However, if there is still some stuck-on food there, you might want to scrub that off with some scrubbing foam.

We recommend something like Dawn for this job.

 

Method #3: Dishwashing Liquid and Baking Soda

If the above method does not work, you might want to employ the help of the trusty ole baking soda.

1. Start by mixing some dishwashing liquid with some baking soda, the ratio to be 1:1. You will end up with something that’s like paste or frosting.
2. After that, apply a generous amount of the mixture on the stove drip pans.
3. Next, let your stove drip pans sit with the mixture for some time.
4. After an hour or so, wash your drip pans. Scrub away if some food is still stuck in there.

Method #4: Vinegar and Baking Soda

Maybe that still didn’t do the trick. Well, it might be time to bring out the cleaning duo – vinegar and baking soda.

• First, fill a sink or a basin with some hot water.
• Let your stove drip pans sit there for some time. When the water cools down, drain.
• Next, soak the pans in vinegar and let them sit there for at least around half an hour.
• Then, get some baking soda and work on the problem areas.
• Once you think you’ve gotten most of the problem areas, let the pans sit in the solution for some time before washing them.
• After rinsing your pans, you might notice that there are still some stains there. Put some vinegar and baking soda on the area, scrub, and rinse again. Repeat until you are satisfied.

Pro Tips: The vinegar and baking soda mixture could irritate your skin. Whether you plan on using your hands or a scrubber for this, we recommend wearing some gloves.

 

Method #5: Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, then you might want to try this method instead.

1. First, put your stove drip pans on the sink. You can use a pail or a basin, but we recommend doing it directly at your sink for this one.
2. Next, take your baking soda and sprinkle a generous amount on the dirty pans.
3. Once everything is covered, pour some hydrogen peroxide on them.

You can leave your pans to sit in this solution, but if you’re dealing with an especially tough stain, then you might want to add some elbow grease in there too.

 

Method #6: Ammonia

Now, if that still did not do the trick, then it might be time to bring out your household ammonia.

For this one, you’ll need some resealable bags. Put your stove drip pans in there and put around 60mL of ammonia in there too. Seal the bags and let the pans sit in ammonia for at least half a day. Take them out and wash them.

Make sure you wash your drip pans well!

 

Method #7: Bar Keepers Friend

Don’t want to use ammonia? Well, if you have some Bar Keepers Friend, then maybe you’d like to use that instead.

For this one, you’d want to dampen your stove drip pans with some water. After that, sprinkle some Bar Keepers Friend and let it sit there for some time. Then, scrub, scrub, scrub!

 

Method #8: Oven Cleaner

If that still did not work, then you might want to try using an oven cleaner.

This method is similar to the dishwashing liquid method.

1. Spray your stove drip pans with oven cleaner, ensuring they are fully coated.
2. Allow them to sit for the time recommended on the oven cleaner’s label.
3. After that, rinse thoroughly with hot water.
4. Next, drain everything and rinse your pans.

Before You Go

You now know how to get your stove drip pans looking like new. However, here are some things you might want to keep in mind before you go off and take on your stove drip pans.

When Should You Clean Stove Drip Pans?

Ideally, you want to wipe down your drip pans after heavy use to prevent buildup. This way, the mess would be easier to clean, and you wouldn’t have to deal with hard-to-clean stains and such.

However, we know that that is not always possible. In that case, you might want to clean your stove drip pans every week.

Safety!

We know you want a clean kitchen, but safety first, always!

As we have said earlier, you want to let your stove drip pans cool down before dealing with them.

Additionally, some of the methods we’ve shown you required things that could harm or irritate your skin. Make sure to use some gloves. Furthermore, for some methods, you might also want to wear a mask and safety glasses.

Finally, it might also be a good idea to work in a well-ventilated area for some of the methods, specifically, the one that employs ammonia.

Replacing

If none of the methods above have worked, that could mean your drip pans are beyond saving. In that case, it might be time to consider getting new stove drip pans.

Summary

We trust you now have a clear idea of how to clean stove drip pans! Kitchen messes are usually not fun. However, as you have seen, cleaning doesn’t always need to be that hard.

We hope this little guide was able to help you! If you have any other kitchen cleaning concerns like this one, then you might want to give our past discussions a visit. We’ve got lots of tips and tricks that can help you with your kitchen messes!