The Restoration Process
Cleaning an enamel stove is a labour intensive process that typically will take 1 day to complete.
It is always better to clean an enamel stove when it is turned off – COLD CLEAN. However, many enamel stoves can be routinely cleaned when on – HOT CLEAN.
Please note that a HOT clean will not be as comprehensive as a COLD clean and can also take longer to complete.
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We wipe the stove with warm water and a dishcloth to remove accumulated dust and loose dirt from the surface. Using an old tea towel, wipe dry
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Carefully remove the doors, cowl and place on a blanket either on a secure table or on the floor. When handling doors we provide a shock absorbent mat and blanket. ‘We are handling the doors and cowl many times, so it is important that they are securely placed either on a suitable workplace or the floor. There is a risk that they may fall and may cause minor damage to either tile floors or to the stove door itself’.
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Open the lids and remove the expansion rings. The expansion rings will be cleaned using the wire brush and possibly the screwdriver if needed.
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Remove the internal racks and place in a degreaser bath. Leave for as long as possible and clean with wire wool and warm soapy water. ‘This is usually done at the end of the cleaning process allowing the degreaser to work effectively’.
5. Using the Razor Scraper, scrape around the rings and the surface of the stove. Use the vacuum on a regular basis to catch the debris.
6. Use the same technique for the front if required. Continue to use the vacuum to collect debris. ‘Enamel is a tough compound that will not be damaged by either the scraper or the wire wool’.
7. Using the Chrome cleaner and the sponge scourer, apply the paste to the chrome lids (if applicable) and leave for as long as possible.
8. Using the Enamel cleaner and different sponge scourer, apply the paste to the enamel. ‘When applying we use the scourer in a circular motion that makes the stove look whitish in colour. We clean it all off at the end of the process’.
9. We do the same for the doors and cowl that are located either on the secure table or the floor.
10. Using the wire brush, we then brush the inside of the ovens and vacuum the dust or debris from the ovens.
11. Using more degreaser, we apply to the inside of the oven shelf and leave for a period of time to allow the substance to work.
12. Using warm water we clean the inside of the lids with a normal dishcloth and sponge scourer. We also use degreaser here for really dirty inside lids.
The finishing process.
13. In the reverse order i.e. inside lids, inside oven shelf and plates, we start to remove the cleaning agents with a clean sponge scourer and a small amount of warm water.
14. We do the same for the doors and cowls, then the front and eventually the top of the stove as well as the lids.
15. Once all the cleaning agents have been removed and using the wire wool, we then go over the enamel to remove stubborn areas of the stove.
Polishing
16. Using the powered polisher, we go over all of the enamel to really bring up the shine on the stove.
17. Using the hand glove we then go over the cleaned surface one more time.
Racks
18. We clean the racks in warm water and place back in the ovens.
