Best way to clean burnt black stainless?

[turkeybone]

Well I hope its straightforward.. the backsplashes at work are pretty burnt up from the burners and such, and we have some time to devote attention to getting them clean.. anyone have a sure-fire method?

So far oven cleaner, stiff wire brushes, and persistence seem to work but if theres some better way, Im all ears.

[pax]

Can you drape something over the back of the backsplashes or are they tight against the wall?

I've had good luck soaking kitchen towels in noxious chemicals and draping them over the filthy bits, and leaving them there overnight. Stuff wipes right off in the morning.

Paper towels will stick if you can't drape something, but they dry out faster and don't work as well.

[turkeybone]

One side is the wall itself and the other has a pan shelf overhanging.. but Im sure I could jury-rig something. Any chemicals you have in mind for such a task?

We do powerwash every week, though generally there is service between any sort of soak time and then clean time.

[pax]

I used oven cleaner. It ruined the towels but I used cheap old ones that were worn out anyway.

And I ventilated the kitchen to a fare-thee-well and made my husband turn off the gas because I was afraid I'd blow the house up.

Mine is a 36" with a back splash only halfway up the wall, the rest is a passover.

Edited for spelling and to add:

This works on various things, like sinks/baths you can't de-scum because the overflow valve is too low, *ahem* the insides of the john (use tp), etc.

Cheers,

The Queen of Lazy Ass Town

Edited June 4, 2009 by pax (log)

[Timh]

There is a serious carbon cleaner that you brush on and leave overnight, then wash off the next morning. Ask your rep who delivers your chemicals(sysco, us foods. et al). Worked great for me rehabbing a used stove and backsplash. Make sure you have some sort of protective gloves also, this stuff is bad news. I felt guilty using it.

[Joe Blowe]

That would be Carbon-Off by Discovery Products...

[sng sling]

Most of the heavy duty cleaners are also an eye hazard. Be sure you are using some kind of eye protection -- especially while applying or scrubbing when the stuff can get splashed around...

[Timh]

Thats it, the WMD of kitchen chemicals.

[tim]

Hi,

I place a sheet of Saran over the oven cleaner to keep the fumes down. This also keeps the cleaner working for a much longer period of time.

Tim

[andiesenji]

Joe Blowe is correct. Carbon-Off works better than anything else I have tried.

I've used it to clean the inside of my barbecue and the stainless steel looked almost new.

I use one of the heavy-duty utility brushes to get it into the corners and knock off the crusty stuff then use a second application to finish it off.

Edited June 5, 2009 by andiesenji (log)

[Edward J]

The question is, once you get the crud cleaned off, what do you do to keep it clean?

For years I had a 4 eye-36" griddle range with a s/s low back wall and plate shelf, bought it new and kept it looking that way too.

I'd hang sheets of aluminum foil on the wall. Spray the wall with water and wipe on the foil with a rag. Then crimp the foil underneath the backsplash (when the burner grates are removed) and scotch tape the overhang on the sides of the backsplash.

Once a week I'd take apaart the whole stove to clean anyway, so that was the time I'd either flip the foil over to the "clean" side (either call me cheap or enviromentally concious, but I use both sides of the foil before tossing it out...) Once the backsplash is clean, it's just a matter of covering it with foil to keep it clean.l

[jmolinari]

I do what Tim said at home. Spray with oven cleaner and then cover with plastic wrap to not let it dry out. Overnight, and everything just wipes right off.