How to Clean Stove Drip Pans

The Best Cleaners to Refresh Your Favorite Cooking Space

By
Mary Marlowe Leverette
Mary Marlowe Leverette 2018
Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40+ years of experience and 20+ years of writing experience. Mary is also a member of The Spruce Gardening and Plant Care Review Board.

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Updated on 10/21/22
Reviewed by
Katie Berry
Katie Berry
Reviewed by Katie Berry
Katie Berry is a cleaning expert with 30 years of household management experience and 12 years of writing about cleaning methods and routines for Housewife How-Tos. She is the author of several books about homemaking.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Cleaned metal drip pans under stove top coils

The Spruce / Sarah Lee

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 15 - 45 mins
  • Total Time: 30 mins - 1 hr
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $12

Spilled food and boil-overs wreak havoc with a stovetop, but that's why there are drip pans underneath the burners to catch it all. But they take a beating when cooking and it helps to know the methods to clean stove drip pans with burnt-on food and other messes that look impossible to remove.

What Is a Drip Pan?

A drip pan is a small metal shallow bowl that sits underneath your stove's burners to catch drips and liquids. Drip pans are removable for cleaning or replacement.

Knowing how to clean your stove's drip pans can be a challenge because high heat results in burnt-on food that's usually tough to remove. Before you ditch your dirty drip pans, read on to see how to clean drip pans on a stove using just a few household cleaning products. You'd be surprised at how many products you already have to clean your drip pans, from plain old dishwashing liquid to vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, or hydrogen peroxide. You can even try dryer sheets, WD-40, and oven cleaner. Patience is key because you may have to soak your stove drip pans overnight to see them shine again.

How Often to Clean Stove Drip Pans

Ideally, drip pans should be cleaned after each time you use a stovetop burner. By tackling spills and splatters when they are fresh, the drip pans will be easier to clean. Realistically, if you prepare food daily, give the drip pans a good cleaning weekly or as needed when you see stains. Allowing food particles and grease to build up on drip pans can cause smoke and even fires. Resist the urge to use the old method of lining removable pans with aluminum foil to catch spills and splatters. Foil can trap heat or melt and damage the pans and appliance.

Tips

Want a super-quick way to clean your drip pans? There are plenty of ways to clean your kitchen using items you already have. For instance, give pans a quick spritz of the lubricant WD-40, let them sit for a few minutes, scrub, and rinse. Another quick way to clean drip pans is to moisten used dryer sheets—which soften the hard stuff while being abrasive—scrub off the gunk, then rinse.

Before You Begin

When cleaning any type of drip pan or stovetop components, always allow the burners to cool down completely before removing any parts. You should also pay attention to how the components fit as you take the stove apart so that they can be replaced in the correct order.

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What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Sink or bucket
  • Plastic scouring pad
  • Sponge
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Rubber gloves (optional)

Materials

  • Dishwashing liquid with degreaser
  • Distilled white vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Household ammonia
  • Mr. Clean Eraser
  • One-gallon resealable plastic bags
  • Hydrogen peroxide

Instructions

Materials and tools to clean dirty drip pans

The Spruce / Sarah Lee

How to Clean Drip Pans With Dishwashing Liquid

This method is among the mildest and works best for fresh spills and splatters that have yet to cake on or dry.

Tip

Drip pans and removable chrome trim rings that are only lightly soiled can also be cleaned by placing them on the top rack of an automatic dishwasher.

  1. Remove Drip Pans and Components

    When a spill happens, remove the drip pan and any separate decorative rings as soon as possible.

    Dirty drip pans removed from stove top for cleaning

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  2. Create the Cleaning Solution

    Fill your sink with hot water and add a few drops of dishwashing detergent that includes a grease-cutting ingredient.

    Dishwashing liquid pumped into sink with soapy water

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  3. Soak, Wipe, Rinse, and Dry

    Place the drip pans and any other removable components in soapy water. Allow them to soak for at least 10 minutes or longer, depending on the severity of the grime. Wipe them down with a sponge or dishcloth—if there are spots that are tough to remove, use a Mr. Clean Eraser to lightly scrub away the food. Rinse the clean drip pan in hot water and dry with a microfiber cloth.

    Dirty drip pans soaked in soapy water

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  4. Reinstall the Drip Pans

    Replace the drip pans under the burners, making sure that they are fitted smoothly in place.

    Cleaned drip pans reinstalled in stove top

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

How to Clean Drip Pans With Vinegar and Baking Soda

Use this homemade cleaning method when soapy water just won't cut through the food build-up.

  1. Remove the Drip Pans and Components

    When the stovetop is cool, remove the drip pans. Shake them over a trashcan, scraping them with a dry paper towel to remove any loose or burned food particles. This is also a good time to check if food spills have overflowed onto the stovetop. If so, it probably needs cleaning as well.

    Loose food particles removed from drip pan with paper towel

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  2. Soak in Hot, Soapy Water

    Fill a sink or bucket with enough hot water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid to completely cover the drip pans. Allow them to soak for 15 minutes.

    Dirty drip pans soaking in soapy hot water to remove vinegar

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  3. Soak in Vinegar

    Drain or empty the hot soapy water. Add enough distilled white vinegar to completely cover the drip pans and allow them to soak for 30 minutes.

    Vinegar poured into sink with clean water and dirty drip pan

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  4. Scrub with Baking Soda

    Sprinkle the solution with a generous amount of baking soda. There will be a bit of fizzing as the baking soda reacts with the acid of the vinegar—this is normal. Let the mixture sit and work for at least an additional 15 minutes. If necessary, you can use a plastic scrubber (like a Scrub Daddy) to scour the pans, sprinkling additional baking soda onto areas with hard-to-remove stains.

    Baking soda scrubbed on dirty drip pan with blue scrubber

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  5. Rinse, Dry, and Replace

    Rinse the drip pans with hot water and dry with a microfiber cloth. Replace all of the components on the stovetop.

    Cleaned drip pans rinsed in clean water

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

How to Clean Drip Pans Overnight With Household Ammonia

Household ammonia is a very strong cleaner and should always be used in a well-ventilated space. This method takes the longest but is the most effective on greasy drip pans with heavily burned-on food. If you have sensitive skin, wearing rubber gloves throughout this process is highly recommended.

  1. Bag the Drip Pans

    When the drip pans are completely cool, place each drip pan in a separate one-gallon resealable plastic bag.

    Dirty drip pan placed in resealable plastic bag

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  2. Add the Ammonia

    Pour 1/4 cup of household ammonia into each bag. The cleaner is powerful enough that the drip pans do not need to be covered completely. The fumes will cut through the grease and grime.

    Measured ammonia poured into plastic bag with drip pan

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  3. Seal the Bags and Wait

    Seal the bags and allow the ammonia to work for at least 12 hours. When it's time to open the bags, make sure that you open them away from your face, as the fumes will be strong. Remove the drip pans and dispose of the ammonia and plastic bags safely.

    Dispose of the ammonia by pouring it down your drain while running cold water on full blast to dilute it. Do not dispose of the plastic bag filled with ammonia by putting it into the trash, since the fumes could combine with other materials to create a dangerous reaction.

    Plastic bag sealed over dirty drip pan with ammonia

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  4. Wash in Hot Soapy Water

    Fill the sink with hot water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. Wash the drip pans with a sponge and use a plastic scrubber or melamine sponge on any stubborn spots.

    Drip pan washed in hot soapy water with yellow gloves

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  5. Rinse, Dry, and Replace

    Rinse well in hot water and dry each drip pan with a microfiber towel. Return to the stovetop.

    Drip pan rinsed under clean water in sink

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

How to Clean Drip Pans With Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

Hydrogen peroxide, along with baking soda, has a similar fizzing reaction as vinegar and baking soda. The fizzing lifts gunk and the mess burnt on the drip pans. Hydrogen peroxide is sold in concentrations of 3 to 12 percent and even the lowest concentration will work just fine.

  1. Sprinkle Baking Soda

    Put your drip pans in a sink and liberally coat them with baking soda.

  2. Pour on Peroxide

    Pour undiluted hydrogen peroxide over the drip pans on top of the baking soda. You will begin to see fizzing action which is lifting gunk off the pans.

  3. Soak

    Let the drip pans soak like this for about 30 minutes.

  4. Rinse

    After soaking, rinse the drip pans under cool water. Use a sponge to scrub away the baking soda residue. Repeat if necessary.

FAQ
  • How do you clean stove drip pans in the oven?

    Actually, you don't need to put stove drip pans in the oven to clean them, but you can use oven cleaner to make them shine without popping on the oven. Simply apply or spray oven cleaner on the drip pans, let them soak in your sink for 30 minutes, scrub with an abrasive sponge, and rinse.

  • Can stove drip pans go in the dishwasher?

    Chrome and porcelain drip pans are dishwasher-safe. For best results, put drip pans on the top rack of your dishwasher, which is further away from the heating element of the appliance and offers a more gentle washing.

  • How long do stove drip pans last?

    With care, your stove drip pans should last the lifespan of your range and stovetop. If they become caked with food and grease and can't be cleaned, there are replacements readily available in home improvement or home goods stores where range parts are sold.

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