Heavy duty enamel cleaning kit instructions

Kit contents…

• Scraper with 5 interchangeable blades
• Steel wool ball
• Specialist cleaning paste
• Microfibre polishing cloth
• Sponge scourer

Extra bits you’ll need…

• Vacuum cleaner (or dustpan and brush)
• Safety goggles
• Rubber gloves
• Wiping up cloth

Thank you for buying our heavy duty enamel cleaning kit! We developed this method of cleaning enamel 10 years ago, it still works a treat. In conjunction with this guide you may find this blog post where I demonstrated the power of the cleaning paste useful!

The first thing you need to know is that enamel is a lot tougher than you think it is. Some people would have you believe that merely breathing on your cooker will cause it to spontaneously collapse into dust; not true! It’s possible you still don’t believe me (the horror!) so if you want to be convinced try running through the instructions below on a hidden section of your cooker like the side of the hob or behind the bottom of the control panel door; the proof is in the pudding.

I have used the verb to ‘scrape’ below a lot; it is purely because I cannot think of a better one! The only thing you’ll be scraping is the grease and burnt on muck don’t worry, the enamel will be fine!

Read the notes below before you start!

A cold cooker is required...
No need to turn off for days. Most efficient is to turn your cooker off after making supper one evening. Leave the doors and lids open and pop your largest pans of cold water on the hob until you go to bed. By morning it will be the perfect cleaning temperature. Do the job first thing and then turn back on. Most cookers will be ready for the evening meal but if not a fish and chip supper is never a bad thing!

Cold cooker? Let’s get going…

1. Don your eye protectors and rubber gloves and make sure exposed skin is covered.
2. The first piece of kit we need is your scraper. I hope I don’t need to tell you to be careful with razor blades but these are super sharp so concentrate! Pop one of the blades into the end by pushing the button on the scraper up and out slightly and sliding the blade in. Click it back into place.
3. Remove the hotplate expansion rings from around the hotplates (lever up gently with screwdriver if necessary), and remove the doors by lifting them straight up VERY carefully (don’t drop ‘em!). Place them enamel up on a soft towel.
4. Place the blade flat against the enamel at the front between the hotplates and scrape slowly towards the hotplate. Use as much pressure as you need. Work your way around all flat enamel on the hob, lid rims, front and doors. The muck will lift in a thin film or in jagged clumps if dried and thick. For corners and joins (like that between the hob and hinge block) use the corner of the blade. If you chip or break the blade then swap it for a new one, do the same when the blade stops working as well, it’s getting blunt! See ‘note 1’ below.
5. Vacuum or brush off the collection of burnt muck you have now created!
6. We have not finished with the blade yet! Use a fresh blade and clean up any bits you have missed (easy to do when it’s all lying around!). Also pay attention to edges and corners like the hinge blocks, around the spring handles and door hinges, it takes awhile but works effectively.
7. Vacuum or brush up again - a tidy workplace is a successful one!
8. When you have done as thorough job as possible of ‘scraping’ it’s time to move on to the next broad stage. You’ll need the specialist cleaning paste, a sponge scourer, the wire wool plus some warm water.
9. Take your sponge scourer and use it to spread the cleaning paste liberally around the enamel surfaces of your Aga. No need to use water at this stage as we don’t want to dilute the power of the paste. Work it into the dirtier areas thoroughly.
10. Now go do something else for a couple of hours!
11. When you return use the sponge scourer from before with a little warm water to agitate the paste on all enamel surfaces and give them a good scrub. Don’t use too much water. The advantage of the paste is that it doesn’t run where it shouldn’t - we don’t want to get it everywhere! You’ll get the enamel 90% clean with just the sponge scourer.
12. Now use your scraper and wire wool to finish off any stubborn deposits. These are commonly around the door latches, hinges and on the ‘lip’ above the oven cavities. Thanks to the paste this should be relatively easy!
13. Use a damp soft cloth now to remove all trace of the cleaning paste. Do a very thorough job as you don’t want any left. Use a little warm soapy water worked into a lather on a clean sponge to do it right.
14. The final stage is to use your Microfibre cloth to polish the enamel. You should not need any sprays or solutions. The result should be a shiny and greasy streak free finish! 

Notes…

1. If your cooker is really bad certain areas may defeat the scraper and blades, usually between the hotplates and below the hotplate rings. Use the specialist paste on this area and effectively just keep agitating with more paste until the deposits erode. You’ll get there eventually!
2. The front’s of range cookers can suffer acid damage from previous cooking spills (like lemon juice, fruit acids or even tomato juice) or from previous use of the wrong cleaners (the dreaded Cillit Bang!). This looks like a ‘whiteish’ water mark(s), usually running down the front of the cooker in streaks. Do not use wire wool or sponge scourers on these areas. The surface glaze of the enamel has been damaged by the acid and in some cases, not all though, you’ll reveal the extent of the damage by scrubbing. Sometimes it’s even better to not clean it at all! Experiment with a small patch to assess what the best plan is with these areas, always happy to chat if you are unsure! 
3. The specialist paste provided is safe for enamel only. Do not get it on the aluminium parts of your cooker (door liners, tunnels & lid liners), on the rest of your kitchen or on yourself! 

Disclaimer…
We’ve used these methods (and tougher) to clean cookers for 10 years now and they work brilliantly. That said if you manage to damage your cooker somehow doing this then I cannot take responsibility! Test on small areas if you are not convinced and if in doubt give us a call on 01225 541006. If you’ve changed your mind don’t panic you can return your kit unused for a full refund!