How to Get Yellow Buildup off a Stove

Baking Soda

• Baking soda isn’t just for leavening your baked goodies; it has some impressive deodorizing and cleaning qualities as well. Sprinkle one teaspoon of baking soda on a greasy stovetop and use a damp cloth to work the soda into the sticky mess. If the yellowish buildup doesn’t lift off in the first round, give it another go.

Hot, Soapy Water

• Good old-fashioned soap and water may remove a baked-on mess, but not just any soap and water will do. Fill the sink with tap water that’s as hot as you can handle while wearing a pair of rubber gloves; the heat will aid in loosening or softening hardened grease. Add a couple squirts of dish soap to the water; dish soap is designed to cut through grease. If your stove’s knobs are removable, pull them off and toss them into the steaming, sudsy water along with any removable drip pans and grates. Dip a nonabrasive scouring pad, sponge or rag in the soapy water, wring it out and use it to wipe your stovetop, range hood, oven and a glass door.

Orange-Peel Vinegar

• Vinegar and citrus have natural grease-fighting qualities, and they're readily available in most kitchens. Mix up a batch of fresh-scented, grease-blasting cleanser by peeling a few oranges -- or lemons, if that's what you have on hand. Fill a glass, canning jar with the peels, cover the peels with white vinegar, screw the lid in place and set the concoction aside for two weeks. When the wait is over, strain the contents, reserving the liquid in a spray bottle. Dilute the orange-infused vinegar with an equal amount of water. Spray the natural, multipurpose cleaner onto your stove’s greasy spots and wipe with a damp sponge. If the grease is stubborn, spray the stove again and allow the cleaner to sit for a few minutes before wiping.

Ammonia

• If you have a self-cleaning oven, set it as needed, but if your oven doesn't have this easy-clean feature, give ammonia a try. Ammonia smells downright yucky, but those powerful fumes are a grease-wrestling superhero. Pour 1/2 cup of ammonia into a baking dish and set it inside a cool oven. Close the oven door and let the household cleaner's fumes work overnight. The next day, remove the bowl of ammonia, and wipe down the oven walls, wire racks and the inside of the door using a sponge dampened with hot, soapy water. If any greasy spots remain on the oven walls, scour them away with steel wool. Never mix ammonia with bleach, however, since the result will be a potentially lethal gas.