How to Get Melted Plastic Off Your Oven

How to get melted plastic off your oven

Ever melted plastic on the stovetop or oven accidentally? Well, this is a common accident in the kitchen that can happen to anyone. In some cases, people end up placing food in plastic containers in an oven.

Whether it’s bread bags, plastic cutting boards, or plastic containers, when they get heated, they melt and create a mess. When that happens, there’s nothing you can do. But the important question is, can you remove the mess? Well, fortunately, you can with the right procedure.

Melting plastic creates an unsightly appearance. In the worst-case scenario, it can release toxic fumes that can affect you. In some instances, flash fires may result causing damage to your appliance or the entire kitchen.

So when you’re removing the melted plastic from the stovetop or oven, ensure the place has good ventilation. If possible, disconnect the appliance from the power. Most importantly, you must be patient. You may try several times before the melted plastic gets off.

How to Get Melted Plastic off Your Stovetop

The stovetop is another potential place where plastic can get melted on. Accidentally, you place a plastic container or item on the stovetop when it’s still burning. In some cases, you might place it when the stovetop but still red hot. If you experience this in your kitchen, stay calm and look for ways to ventilate the room. If the stovetop is still on, you should switch it off first.

If the kitchen hood is off, switch it on. It will help remove the fumes from the kitchen before they spread out and taint the entire place with a bad odor. After a while, you should check if the stovetop is cool. Once it cools, you can begin to remove the melted plastic. If the item was large, you can pull most of it off with your hands. Thereafter, use a dull blade or knife to remove the remaining bits.

Of course, not all of it will come off. Some small bits will cling onto the stovetop. If it’s an elective stovetop, melted plastic may get into the drip pans. Therefore, you should check before proceeding to the next step. To remove the remaining plastic, turn on the stovetop and set it to the lowest temperature. Use a wooden spatula to scrape it off as it melts gradually. When most of it is off, turn on the full heat to remove the last bits.

How to Get Melted Plastic off Your Glass Cooktop

Even after switching it off, the ceramic cooktop will remain hot. Therefore, when you forget that and place plastic material on top of it, rest assured it will get melted. And the same goes if plastic bags and lids end up on it.

When this happens, do not panic. Instead, turn on the kitchen hood to let out the toxic fumes. Meanwhile, there’s nothing much you can do except wait for the cooktop to cool. When it finally cools, get a plastic scraper or dull knife and begin scrubbing the melted plastic. Do your best to remove as much as possible.

When it comes to the final stubborn bits, you will need a more persuasive approach. Chemical cleaners can help remove the clinging plastic through reaction enabling you to scrap it off easily. The chemical reaction weakens the bond between the glass cooktop and the plastic. If you’re looking for such products, check out the following:

• Baking Soda

If you want a natural approach when handling the clinging plastic, the baking soda will do. First, take a given amount of baking soda and mix it with water until a paste forms. Thereafter, spread it on the melted plastic and use it as an abrasive material to scrape off the remaining melted plastic.

• Acetone

Apply acetone to the plastic until you cover it completely. Let it sit for not less than five minutes. Thereafter, you can start scraping it off. Acetone softens the plastic allowing you to remove it from the cooktop with ease.

• WD-40

 WD-40 is also a powerful plastic remover. It works similarly to acetone. First, spray it over the affected areas and leave it there for not less than 5 minutes. Thereafter, use a safety blade to scrape off the plastic remains and clean up your cooktop. For effective removal, hold the blade at a 45^o angle.

Regardless of the technique you use, clean up the glass cooktop and eliminate all the residues. If left, they can get burned and stain your cooktop.

How to Get Melted Plastic off Your Oven

• Gas Oven

First, switch off the gas oven. Thereafter, remove the panel with the melted plastic. If it has screws, unscrew it with the appropriate tool. Once you take it off, lay it on a heat-resistant countertop. Immediately, get ice from the freezer and place it on the plastic. Once it cools off and the plastic hardens, use a dull blade to scrape it off.

• Electric Oven

When the oven cools after switching off, take off the metal racks with melted plastic. Similarly, get ice from the freezer and apply it to the melting plastic to harden it. Once it hardens, it will be easier to break it off the metal rack. Using a razor blade, you can eliminate the last bits of plastic.

Final Take

Melting plastic will not only cause a mess in your oven but in your living space as well. The fumes from it will leave an awful odor throughout the surrounding space. If there was food in the oven, you should throw it. Thankfully, you can remove it and restore the freshness of your appliance. However, with the level of patience you need to have, you can hire cleaning services.

Let them handle the entire process as you wait to walk into a nice-smelling kitchen. Equinox Cleaning Services can help you with this. Just contact them and specify the services that you want. In addition, they can give your appliance deep cleaning to eliminate the odor permanently.