How do I clean melted plastic off of a Ceran cooktop?

October 20, 2006 9:46 AM

Is there any way to clean a melted plastic spatula off of a Ceran cooktop?

The damage was done in a short-term rental, so just replacing the cooktop would take too long.

here is a really low-quality photo:

posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great to home & garden (9 comments total)

Can you scrape it off with a razor blade? A former landlady used one to great effect on her stovetop.
posted by glip at 9:47 AM on October 20, 2006

Oh, the added challenge. We are in Sao Paulo, and do not speak Portuguese.

As such, how would we go about safely purchasing a suitable razor blade?

(God I feel stupid.)
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 9:56 AM on October 20, 2006

You could try reheating the element (take care, go slow) to bring the material back to a viscous state and attempt to pull/scrape it off with a combination of cardboard and paper towels (or other handy trash items), then you could see if there was actual pitting or damage to the cooktop itself which will most likely be filled with residual material, etc.
posted by prostyle at 9:57 AM on October 20, 2006

It's glasslike, right? Razor blade, sure. Go to the local hardware store and get a push razor blade paint scraper, normally used for scraping paint off windows and gum off linoleum.

on preview: maybe someone will tell you how to say "I need a razor blade scraper" in Portuguese.
posted by jellicle at 10:00 AM on October 20, 2006

here's what I mean by razor scraper.
posted by glip at 10:18 AM on October 20, 2006

Situation isn't quite fixed yet, but it's much better now.
It looks like the cooktop is unharmed except for a few remaining bits of burntness.

I heated it up and used a combination of a metal spatula and wet paper towels to clean it off.

I'm printing out pictures of razor scrapers, so hopefully I can go to a hardware store, show them photos, and have them get me the right thing.
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 10:28 AM on October 20, 2006

Tacos, there is a great product called Hot Iron Cleaner (another brand: Iron Off) that I've used to remove melted plastic bag from a cooktop. The surface needs to be hot when you use the cleaner. No abrasives, no bad smell. Could be useful to you if there's residue after you use a blade.

When you use the razor scraper, you'll be less likely to scratch the glass if you wet the surface.
posted by wryly at 12:56 PM on October 20, 2006

hoorah!
posted by Tacos Are Pretty Great at 1:52 PM on October 20, 2006

For future reference, the semi-abrasive cleaner meant to be used to polish these cooktops works well to remove the last tough bits without scratching. Coupled some of the polish with a premoistened ceramic stove wipe to fix a similar blemish on my own range. Don't be afraid to scrub harder with the polish - it's not supposed to damage anything. The leftover plastic and associated mess was scraped cold with a razor and then subjected to treatment with the polish, now looks brand new again.
posted by caution live frogs at 2:10 PM on October 20, 2006