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In recent years, having a cooktop glass surface in one’s kitchen has become increasingly popular. They provide a modern, stylish look for any kitchen, are very efficient, easy to use, and for the most part, easy to clean. However, there is no denying that ceramic hob scratches are common on all glass top hobs including induction hobs!
The fact that these unsightly scratches can appear so easily and that it is very difficult to remove them are definitely huge drawbacks to owning a glass cooking surface.
Thankfully, there are ways to prevent scratching on your ceramic hob and induction cooktops and ways of handling minor scratches before they become bigger problems.
How Do You Clean to Prevent Ceramic Hob Scratches?
In order to best protect your glass-ceramic surface or induction cooktops, there are a few things that you can do:
- Consult the manufacturer: Before looking for any new and interesting ways to clean ceramic glass hob, first, consult the manufacturer’s guide. They will know better than anyone what could be causing scratches on your cooking surface, and best of all, they will know how to handle it. You can either check your instructions manual or the FAQs on their website.
- Never clean your ceramic or induction hobs when they are hot: Although you will likely be tempted to clean the basic stuff off of your hob once it drops, from hot soup to sugary spills, you should never clean a glass cooktop when it is hot. Yes, it is a danger for you, but it could also damage the glass! Any products that are quickly heated on the hob could be burnt on, leaving pits on your glass surface.
- Avoid cleaning your ceramic hob with a rough sponge or a wire scrubber: Never use anything rough that can easily scratch your glass top. Instead, safely wipe it with a universal sponge on the soft side, a clean cloth, then buff dry with a soft tea towel.
- Avoid any harsh chemicals: Although some of us are drawn to using window cleaner or car wax to clean our glass cooktops, these harsh chemicals will actually damage the stove more than anything. Instead, you can use a specific induction hob cleaner or white vinegar or baking soda to clean your stove.
- Frequent cleaning: Instead of leaving your cooktop to be cleaned vigorously every now and then, it is best to clean your hob after use every day. It will not take you long and will avoid any stubborn dirt from making big scratches.
- Use a ceramic hob scraper: If the soft cloth and baking soda mixture aren’t doing the trick, then use a glass scraper to remove any stubborn debris.
How Do You Stop a Ceramic Hob from Scratching?
Of course, the best way of dealing with scuffs on your glass cooktop is to avoid scratches altogether!
First of all, always remember to clean the bottom of your pans thoroughly. We all tend to remember to clean the inside of our pans and maybe wipe down the bottom as we clean, but that is not enough for glass stoves. Any residual grease, crumbs, etc., can scratch your glass tops easily.
Secondly, remember to always use a soft cloth on your stove. Microfibre is usually the best for glass stoves as it is very soft and can easily dry and buff the stove as you wipe. Using a damp cloth with a bit of warm water will also help to remove any stubborn dirt without you having to scrape it off.
Thirdly, prepare your food away from the stove. If you have the space in your kitchen, use it! Preparing your food over or next to your glass stove is an excellent way of getting spices, oils, and large deposits of foodstuffs dropped onto the stove only to be cleaned away later. The more you have to clean, the more scratches you risk getting, so be careful to only use the stove area for cooking!
Finally, never slide your pans on the hob. Whether you are moving the pan from one hob to another or removing it entirely from the stove, never slide it across. Your glass surface can be easily scratched by the pan as it slides all of the spills with it. Sliding pans can become second nature for those of us who have had a gas hob, but sadly, it can also make terrible scratches on your otherwise perfect hob!
How Do I Get Scratches Off My Ceramic Stove Top?
Getting scratches off ceramic glass hob tops is a bit of a different issue. To remove the scratches from your ceramic cooktop, you’re going to need to use specific products and materials.
Some people swear by good old soap and water, and that’s good enough to get various stains up and moving. However, when it comes to deep scratches on your ceramic stovetop, you’ll need a cleaning product such as Hob Brite. This is an affordable bottle of fluid that can be gently worked into your ceramic hobs to lift up scratches.
However, there may be cases where there are scratches that cannot be easily lifted. Again, this is a good time for you to consider getting in touch with your manufacturer! They may be able to recommend specific products on their unique ceramic hobs.
So, again – the best thing to do is to prevent scratches as much as you can. If you are really set on magnetic induction cooking or using a ceramic surface, it’s worth considering your current habits. That means no scraping pots and pans across the hob top if you can help it!
What are the Advantages Of a Ceramic Hob?
Since scratches are a part of having a ceramic hob, and they are not as energy-efficient as induction ones, it is only natural to wonder whether or not glass-ceramic hobs are worth it. However, yes – they are still worth the money if you have it available!
First of all, if you are on a budget but would like a more stylish, more efficient kitchen, then a glass-ceramic hob is perfect. It will be cheaper to buy than an induction one and more affordable for the other materials needed, too!
Unlike an induction cooktop which will work with few cookware materials, your ceramic hob will work with just about any pan or pot that you already have, from cast iron to aluminium.
Glass-ceramic surfaces are also genuinely easier to clean! Unlike the surface of a gas cooktop which needs cleaning between all of the nooks and crannies, a glass one simply needs a quick wipe with some baking soda solution, and it’s all done. Yes, you may get a few scratches over time, but on the grand scale of things, they’ll be worth it!
Did you know that you can also get a new hob from an in-store or online shop now that is scratch resistant? Recent technology has meant that cooking on a glass hob has never been easier or safer!
When you add scratch resistance into the equation, ceramic hobs become all the more appealing. Why not take a look and see what’s out there?
Conclusion
If not well looked after, ceramic hobs do scratch easily. Cooking with them is nice and easy – and cleaning them does not have to be difficult, either. With a soft, damp, clean, old cloth, some specific product or even just baking soda, your ceramic hob can be wiped down quickly, easily, and without being scratched. Moreover, now that you know that there are plenty of easy ways of preventing scratches, you might want to give them a second look!
If you’re keen to find out more about induction cooktops, there’s plenty of information available from us right here on Which Kitchen Appliance. Induction hob and ceramic hob tops might not be for everyone – but they are certainly more appealing and better value than ever before!
Just make sure to take care of potential scratching before it happens – otherwise, you might need to put in quite a bit of elbow grease to get things looking great again!
