How to Clean an Induction Hob

If you own an induction hob, you might already know how much of a boon it can be. (I absolutely love mine) It’s a great way to heat up and cook food at a surprisingly quick pace! However, as you can imagine, this kind of technology will need you to invest some serious time and effort in helping to get it nice and clean. Unfortunately, it’s not always so easy to take soapy water and a sponge to such hobs! So if you are wondering how to clean an induction hob this article is for you.

However, it might actually be easier than you think to get your induction hob looking great again. Whether it’s your first time setting up with induction hobs, or if you’re looking for new ways to get them looking their best, it’s high time you looked at quick and easy ways to make them sparkle. If you look after them well enough, you likely won’t need to break out the oven cleaner too often!

Take a look at our quick guide below to learn more about how to clean your induction hob without headaches.

Should I Use Chemicals to Clean an Induction Hob?

More often than not, no. Whether you own ceramic hobs of full induction hobs, it’s never a good idea to use anything too abrasive. Unlike traditional hobs, these systems are a little more sensitive. They are an ‘on demand’ hob service. Therefore, while you might normally scrub down hard when it comes to traditional hob systems, an induction hob is going to be much less forgiving.

You can buy a specific cleaner or two to take care of an induction hob. However, it makes just as much sense, and might even save you some money, if you use traditional cleaning methods instead. A cooking top or hob is just as easy to clean with everyday items as it is with store-bought sprays. What’s more, going traditional means that you normally won’t have to risk getting abrasive cleaner on your hands. It’s also nicer to the environment, which we could all do with being these days!

What You’re Going to Need to Clean your Induction Hob

Of course, before you get started, you’re going to need to kit up on a few essentials. Before you start reaching for a scraper or two, make sure you have at least the following tools and resources to hand.

A Soft Cloth or Two

Many guides and oven cleaning experts, like us, recommend microfibre. It’s a fantastic all-around cleaning solution!

Cleaning Solution

You may wish to invest in a cleaning solution that’s kind to the environment. It makes sense to have some form of kitchen cleaner to hand, but again, avoid anything too abrasive. Otherwise, yes – soapy water might well be a good option to go with.

White Vinegar

You’ll also need every modern home cleaner’s favourite staple, white vinegar. Is there anything that white vinegar can’t clean? We’re yet to see it!

So – once you’re willing the above, you’re ready with your own fantastic hob cleaner. But how on earth do you make all of this work together for the best?

CAUTION!

Before you get started – and this might seem like a bit of a no-brainer – always make sure that you turn your induction hob system off. Otherwise, your once-friendly induction cooktop is going to inflict some serious burns to your skin. It’s really not worth the risk!

Let’s Start Cleaning Your Induction Hob!

Ok – now you’ve got everything to hand, it’s time to start cleaning. The process is amazingly simple. However, it’s worth doing a little bit of prep ahead of time, just to make sure you don’t scratch your glass hobs or ceramic units.

Make sure you sweep any loose debris clear. This is really important. If you start scrubbing dirt and bits of food into your glass or hob surface – even by accident – you might risk scratching it (and don’t forget to be careful when moving pans across your induction hob as they can also scratch the hob surface if they have some dirt attached to the bottom of them). In case you can’t already tell, induction hobs really are sensitive beasts. Hence the soft cloth!

Then, you’re going to need to get your microfibre cloths ready. Make sure to gently saturate at least one in a little bit of the water, and then gently dab and clean the induction surface.

Grab yourself a bit more water without soap and get cleaning with a swift rinse or two. This will allow you to clear all the suds you’ve built-up. Then, you should make sure to grab your second microfibre cloth, and pad dry. Simple!

However, make sure to use your white vinegar after this if you feel you could do with a deeper clean. Only dab a little around your hobs, leave for five or ten minutes, and then wipe clean. Nice and easy.

What About Burnt Induction cooktops?

In some cases, you’re probably going to benefit from a specific induction cleaner. While we’ve gone all out to extoll the virtues of natural cleaning solutions, burnt-on food can be a bit of a nightmare, all told. Therefore, if you really want to avoid having to scrub deep, you should probably clean your hobs regularly to ensure there’s none of this aggro in future.

However, if you’re really faced with the absolute worst in burnt-on food marks and stains, be sure to invest in a safe, non-abrasive spray or cleaning solution. It is so important to make sure you have a glass cleaning solution to hand, or one which is designed for induction cleans. Otherwise, you could do some serious damage, and what’s more, the effectiveness of the hob is likely to flounder.

What About Ceramic Hobs?

A ceramic hob system is a little bit different. With these hob styles, you might want to look, again, for non-abrasive cleaning products. However, some experts state that you might be able to get the worst stains off this kind of system with a cloth and some newspaper. It’s never a good idea to take any kind of scraper to a sensitive hob surface. What might work for traditional systems isn’t always going to sit well with glass or modern heating services.

Therefore, no matter the type of induction system you run, always have some form of microfibre cloth to hand. It’s a top tool that’s made cleaning our own induction hob systems a breeze over the years. In fact, it’s something of a home staple.

Top Maintenance Tips for Induction Hobs

Want to avoid deep, annoying scrub-downs in future? Here’s a few ideas to help you make the most of your induction systems in the years to come:

Set Up an Induction Hob Glass Cleaning Schedule

Honestly – no matter how often you use your hobs, setting up a cleaning regime has made our own lives so much easier. Whether you own a new hob or want to start getting into good habits, it’s worth being very careful with regular cleans.

Avoid the Use of Anything Like Brillo Pads, Scrubbing Brushes or Steel Wool when Cleaning Your Induction Hob

It might be tempting to take a scraper to the burnt-on bits, but you’re going to have made serious damage including scratching your cooker hob if you go hell for leather.

Clean Up Spills on Your Induction Hob as Soon as They Happen

Once again, this is a really good habit to get into. Otherwise, you’re going to regret having to scrub off some of the more annoying stains along the way. Try and clean your induction hob down with a cloth every once in a while to help reduce the job. Proactive cleaning, essentially, is the name of the game.

Why Should you Keep your Induction Hob Clean?

Induction and ceramic hob systems are fantastic at helping to heat things up quicker than you might imagine with a standard electric or gas cooker. What’s more, it shouldn’t take you that long to get everything cleaned up providing you do so regularly.

Cleaning has many benefits from preventing scratches to strange noises from your induction hob such as ticking.

Use a routine wipe-down with soft cloths and cleaners that you trust. You may want to use something more abrasive for the really rough stuff, but it’s just not worth it.

Worrying about how much a cloth may get up from your induction? Use a home glass cleaner – or use soapy water – and use a little bit of vinegar and you’re away. Just don’t be tempted to leave stains to grind on and go hard, as then you’re really going to need to use some serious elbow grease. Not a bad thing – but hardly recommended!

If you have moved to a new property where the induction hob hasn’t been well maintained your only option might be to purchase a new induction hob…if that is the case you can check out our reviews on the best induction hobs.

Did You Know You Can Buy Portable Induction Hobs?

You don’t have to purchase a full size induction hob, i.e. 60cm (600mm) 4 zones or 90cm (900mm) 6 zones you could also look at a portable induction hob or a domino hob as an alternative.

Portable induction hobs can be singular or double and being portable, you can pick them up and move them around, great if you have a second home or are going on holiday in your country.

Domino hobs are a permanent feature, and can provide the best of both worlds (they may even settle a few arguments if you can’t decide between an induction, gas, ceramic or solid hob).