Trusted Reviews is supported by its audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
Just as your kettle doesn’t work efficiently when it’s clogged with limescale, dirty, greasy induction hobs won’t perform as well either. This is because burnt food and fat build-ups stop pans from sitting perfectly flat on the surface, making it more difficult to complete the magnetic circuit that enables the pan to heat up.
While it’s a good habit to wipe down your induction hob after every use (once it’s cooled), if mess has had a chance to build up and burn on, a thorough clean is a must. It’s essential to use the right products too – abrasive or metallic scourers, caustic products, and sharp metal scrapers can all scratch and scuff the ceramic glass surface. While this won’t affect how the hob works, over time, those scratches can start to harbour grime, making your hob less hygienic, as well as obscuring guide marks showing the induction zones.
That’s why we’ve put together this handy step-by-step guide to getting your induction hob sparkling clean in less than five minutes. We’ve suggested some products to use, although there are plenty of alternatives that perform the same function.
Make sure your hob is cool before you start cleaning, and always protect your skin from different products by wearing rubber gloves. You can use the same method if you have an electric ceramic glass hob or cooktop on a range cooker.
Start by removing the burnt-on or stubborn mess. For this step, we’ve used a mild abrasive paste cleaner (we used the Pink Stuff but Barkeeper’s Friend is also good), but you could as easily use a gentle cream cleaner, or white vinegar (leave for 30 mins to work). Apply with a soft cloth, or a sponge, and rub gently – too much pressure risks scratching the surface. If you’re not sure that the cleaner you’ve chosen will be suitable, try it on an inconspicuous area first, such as a corner.
Wipe away the cleaner using a wrung-out damp cloth soaked in hot water. The burnt-on debris should wipe away too. If not, it should now be softened, which means you can use a blunt plastic scraper to remove anything left behind. Wipe away any residue.
While your hob’s surface may already be looking sparkling, cream and paste cleaners can sometimes leave smears behind, and may not always remove lingering grease. A kitchen degreaser is an excellent follow-up product for cutting through fatty streaks – as well as a good one to keep on hand for everyday cleaning. Spritz it lightly across the hob – there’s no need to soak the surface in product.
Wipe the degreaser away with a damp soft cloth – you shouldn’t have to give it a full rinse. We’ve used microfibre cloths to prevent fibres being left behind, but any soft, lint-free cloth will do. Washing-up liquid suds can be used in a pinch too. For a natural alternative, try using half a lemon. Rub it across the hob’s surface and wipe away with a warm, damp cloth. You can use the same method on a glass oven door. Lemon juice can also be used if fresh lemons aren’t to hand.
Your hob is now hygienically clean and mess-free. But for a sparkling finish, you can’t beat glass cleaner – it’s great for bringing back that shiny showroom look, and getting rid of any watermarks or streaks. Lightly spritz over the surface – again, just a few sprays should do the whole hob.
Polish the glass with a soft, dry lint-free cloth – we’ve used a microfibre cloth again. Avoid using paper towels as they’ll leave fibres behind. Again, you can use natural products for this step if you would like to – just mix a solution of two parts warm water and one part white vinegar in a spray bottle and use in place of the glass cleaner. Some recipes for homemade glass cleaners will include drops of essential oils for a pleasant smell, but it’s best to avoid them for this type of cleaning.
Stand back and enjoy your good-as-new looking induction hob. Keep a soft cloth and kitchen degreaser nearby, so you can prevent greasy build-up with a regular clean, once cooled, in future.
Burnt food on the hob is usually caused by liquids spilling over and getting trapped between a pan and the hob surface. Make sure you use the right hob settings to prevent this in future.
Founded in 2004, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Founded in 2004, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Products tested and reviewed since 2003