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Stove knobs soaking in a bowl of soapy water on the counter beside a white gas stove.

Keeping the stove out of trouble

Maintenance and prevention
guides.

The small weekly habits that keep a stove out of the repair book, from wiping spills before they bake on to keeping knobs dry and looking after a stove that belongs to your landlord.

(844) 415-7620

Mon–Sat, 8am–8pm

  • Three guides
  • Read before you book
  • Says where to stop

Book a visit

Three short steps, about a minute.

or call (844) 415-7620

Maintenance and prevention,
guide by guide.

These guides cover the everyday care that keeps a stove out of the repair queue: a cleaning routine that stops grease from building up where it can burn or short a switch, the right way to handle and wash the knobs, and what looking after a stove means when you rent the home and the landlord owns it.

All 18 guides
A white electric coil stove in a lived-in US home kitchen on a Sunday morning, two drip bowls drying on a dish rack by the sink, a bowl of soapy water and a folded cloth on the counter beside the stove, a potted herb on the windowsill.
4-minute read

A weekly stove cleaning routine for burners, knobs and the oven

A two-minute wipe after cooking, a ten-minute weekly pass for gas, coil and glass stovetops, and the monthly spots under the drawer and along the counters that nobody remembers.

Close view of the front of a stainless gas stove in a lived-in US home kitchen, one plain black knob pulled off and resting on a folded towel beside a small bowl of soapy water, the bare metal shaft visible on the panel, a pot simmering on a back burner.
4-minute read

Keeping stove knobs working: cleaning, loose knobs and the parts behind them

What each knob turns on a gas, electric or induction stove, the habits that crack and loosen them, how to wash and refit them, and what a spinning or stiff knob points to.

An older white freestanding electric stove in a lived-in US apartment kitchen, a phone propped against the backsplash photographing the smooth glass top, a set of keys and a folded lease envelope on the counter beside it, moving boxes stacked in the doorway behind.
5-minute read

A stove in a rental: what the tenant looks after and what the landlord repairs

Who is usually responsible for a stove that came with the apartment, a ten-minute move-in check, how to ask for a repair in writing and how to hand the stove back without losing deposit money.

Keeping the stove out of trouble.

Nothing here needs tools. Each guide says how often a job is worth doing, which parts of a gas, coil, glass or induction stove need different handling, and which habits, such as spraying cleaner at the controls or soaking knobs in the sink, quietly cause the problems people later call about.

Read them when you move into a new home, rent a place with a stove already in it, or notice the burners clicking longer, the knobs loosening or the oven smoking when you bake.

Not sure where to start?

The short answerA weekly stove cleaning routine for burners, knobs and the oven

A good stove cleaning routine is a short wipe after cooking, a weekly pass over the burners or elements, the knobs and the oven, and a monthly check under the drawer and behind the grates.

The short answerKeeping stove knobs working: cleaning, loose knobs and the parts behind them

Stove knobs stay working when they are pulled straight off, washed in mild soapy water without soaking, dried and pushed back with the flat side lined up to the shaft.

The short answerA stove in a rental: what the tenant looks after and what the landlord repairs

With a stove in a rental, the landlord usually maintains and repairs an appliance they supplied, while the tenant keeps it clean, uses it as intended and reports problems promptly in writing.

When reading
is not enough.

If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop.

What repairs cost
  1. 01The stove, tried the way you use it
  2. 02A number before the work
  3. 03Common stove parts already on board
  4. 04Put back, then cooked on

The problems
these answer.

Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking.

All 17 problems
A close view of the front knobs of a stainless gas stove in a US home kitchen, a folded dish towel drying the panel beneath the knobs and every knob turned to off, the burners on top dark. Problem

Stove Clicking

7 causes, cheapest first

 A US home kitchen with a stainless slide-in stove, a heavy lid resting on a skillet on a front burner, a thin trail of smoke rising from the edge of the lid, every knob turned off and no one standing at the stove. Gas, fire, sparks or a burner stuck on

Stove Smoking

6 causes, cheapest first

 A US home kitchen with a white freestanding electric stove, three coil burners glowing orange under pots and the fourth coil lifted out of its socket and resting on a towel on the counter. Problem

Stove Burner Not Working

6 causes, cheapest first

 A close view of the front of a white freestanding stove in a US home kitchen, one knob missing to show the bare metal shaft, the cracked knob resting in an open palm held beside it, and the other knobs in place. Problem

Stove Knob Broken or Loose

6 causes, cheapest first
A grandparent and a child stirring a pot together on a white gas stove in a lived-in family kitchen
For the heart of your home.

Questions about
maintenance and prevention.

What is the single habit that prevents the most stove repairs?
Keeping liquid out of the controls and burner openings. Wipe with a damp cloth instead of spraying, and let igniters dry after a spill before lighting the burners.
Does a stove need a yearly service visit?
Most do not. A stove that is cleaned regularly and lights, heats and switches off normally can go years without one; a heritage or heat-storage stove is the exception, and its maker's manual says how often.
Where does owner care end?
At anything behind a panel. Grates, caps, drip bowls, knobs and the glass are yours; gas connections, wiring, switches and valves belong to a technician, with the breaker off or the gas utility called if something smells or sparks.

The other
sections.

Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns.

All guides
A white electric stove with one coil burner dark while the others glow, a saucepan waiting.
Why the stove is doing that

Common problems

A hand resetting the clock on the back guard of a stove after a power cut, the display blank.
Stove checks an owner can safely make

Troubleshooting

A metal lid resting on a pan on a switched-off gas stove, every knob at off.
Keeping the household safe around the stove

Gas, fire and burn safety at the stove

A white gas stove and a stainless electric stove side by side in a bright kitchen, both clean and off.
Deciding what stove to keep or buy

Choosing and comparing

A freestanding stove on a moving dolly in a kitchen doorway, wrapped in a blanket.
Moving, hooking up and bringing a stove back

Installation and setup

Not sure which section?

Start from your question

The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it.

18 guidesWhere to start Where to start

Back to your everyday

Let’s get your stove working again.

Three short steps online, or one call. Tell us what you are seeing and pick a window that works.

Schedule a repair Call (844) 415-7620
(844) 415-7620 Schedule a repair