# Removing melted plastic from a glass stove top? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 11, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497 "2007-01-11T02:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/1 "2007-01-11T02:20:57Z")
Yeah, I’m a total moron and turned on the wrong burner. Melted plastic food packaging onto my glass electric stove top. It looks awful and now I’m afraid to mess with it for fear I’ll scratch or otherwise damage my stove top. Does anyone know a good way to remove this without remelting it and filling the air with toxic fumes? Will acetone work? Or some other solvent? Or should I just open all the windows, remelt, and wipe furiously? Thanks for any insight. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/2 "2007-01-11T02:24:58Z")
If it is going to come to scraping, a straight razor is the tool. It works like a charm for all kinds of spills and won’t scratch your top. I am not sure about the plastic if it is a large solid spill though. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/3 "2007-01-11T02:26:57Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] If it is going to come to scraping, a straight razor is the tool. It works like a charm for all kinds of spills and won’t scratch your top. I am not sure about the plastic if it is a large solid spill though. [/QUOTE] It is a large solid brown blob. If it matters I can take a picture of it and post it. It’s about 2"x3" and covers more than half the burner. I can’t believe I did this. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/4 "2007-01-11T02:32:23Z")
I’d use a single edge razor blade, easier to come by than a straight razor. Carefully work around the edges of the blob at the bottom, keeping acute an angle as possible. (as much blade as possible close to the stove. What you’re trying to do is separate the blob from the glass. With a little luck, it’ll come away in one piece. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/5 "2007-01-11T02:36:56Z")
[Here ya go.](http://frigidaire.stores.yahoo.net/glcecosc.html) ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/6 "2007-01-11T02:41:42Z")
Depending on the plastic, covering it with an ice pack for 20 minutes might loosen it up quite a bit. The plastic and glass should have quite different [coefficients of thermal expansion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_thermal_expansion). You might get lucky, and the plastic’ll pop right off, or at the least you’ll make it more brittle and less able to hold onto the glass as you scrape. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/7 "2007-01-11T02:47:04Z")
[QUOTE=Chefguy] [Here ya go.](http://frigidaire.stores.yahoo.net/glcecosc.html) [/QUOTE] Got out the single-edged razor and went to work. Half of it peeled off, but took a white layer with it. The glass top is white… so did I just take the surface off my stove top? Should I lay off the razor and go for solvents now, or what? :smack: :smack: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/8 "2007-01-11T02:49:05Z")
Solvents are more likely to turn the plastic into an evil gooey mess that covers your entire stovetop than help you get the stuff off. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/9 "2007-01-11T02:52:51Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Got out the single-edged razor and went to work. Half of it peeled off, but took a white layer with it. The glass top is white… so did I just take the surface off my stove top? Should I lay off the razor and go for solvents now, or what? :smack: :smack: :smack: [/QUOTE] Oooops. You didn’t tell me about any white layer. I think you’re better off continuing, than messing about with solvents. Get as much as possible off, then give it a good scrub with soap and water (or what the manufacturer recommends). You may be left with a reminder of your misadventure. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/10 "2007-01-11T03:00:38Z")
carry on with the razor. Tomorrow you can get a stovetop cleaner and polish it off. If the plastic already bonded with whatever white film was there, it is done. Starting out with solvent can only make it worse. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/11 "2007-01-11T06:08:32Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Yeah, I’m a total moron and turned on the wrong burner. Thanks for any insight. [/QUOTE] No insights on how to fix your stove, but I’m married to a total moron, by your standards. He once shattered a Pyrex glass dish that way. The scary thing is, he’s smarter than me- what’s _dumber_ than a total moron? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/12 "2007-01-11T07:29:23Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] No insights on how to fix your stove, but I’m married to a total moron, by your standards. He once shattered a Pyrex glass dish that way. The scary thing is, he’s smarter than me- what’s _dumber_ than a total moron? [/QUOTE] Well, since you asked, an idiot is. On the old-fashioned IQ scale, idiot takes the bottom, followed by moron, followed by imbicile. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/13 "2007-01-11T12:29:47Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville] No insights on how to fix your stove, but I’m married to a total moron, by your standards. He once shattered a Pyrex glass dish that way. The scary thing is, he’s smarter than me- what’s _dumber_ than a total moron? [/QUOTE] Although it appears as pulykamell has better knowledge of the matter, I would have presumed that absolute moron or maybe ultimate moron would be dumber 🙂 Still, Pyrex shattered because of heat? You are supposed to be able to get those from the freezer onto an open flame and they won’t shatter. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/14 "2007-01-11T14:34:06Z")
I had to do it recently, from a countertop that had been installed five years ago but was still unused (the two previous tenants thought eggs came out fried). The spatula that comes with the freezer came in very handy. The pastic would sometimes, uhm, try to imitate the cheese on a pizza and I solved this by putting iceballs on it. Iceballs are plastic balls filled with water; you freeze them like ice cubes but adding them to a drink doesn’t water it and using them to cool and harden the plastic didn’t make it anywhere near as wet as using ice cubes. The back (i.e., not cutting) edge of a knife can substitute for a spatula if used with tender care, just make sure you use that edge and not the cutting edge or the point. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/15 "2007-01-11T15:58:21Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Well, since you asked, an idiot is. On the old-fashioned IQ scale, idiot takes the bottom, followed by moron, followed by **imbicile**. [/QUOTE] Gaudere strikes! ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/16 "2007-01-11T17:01:06Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] carry on with the razor. Tomorrow you can get a stovetop cleaner and polish it off. If the plastic already bonded with whatever white film was there, it is done. Starting out with solvent can only make it worse. [/QUOTE] There are plastic blades specifically for scraping on gentle surfaces (where a plain metal razor blade might scratch things up). If this is still an option, check local auto shops or hardware stores/home improvement centers. They look just like razor blades only they’re plastic. A good paint store might carry them as well. You could also try some cheap plastic putty knives, I use those for various scraping tasks. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/17 "2007-01-11T17:22:24Z")
Tried an ice pack, no luck. Will have to look at a plastic scraper thingie, since the bit that’s left on isn’t going to go easy. So acetone, not a good idea, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/18 "2007-01-11T17:28:57Z")
[QUOTE=Rubystreak] Tried an ice pack, no luck. [/QUOTE] Oh well, it works with _some_ plastics. Acetone _might_ help, but as I said before, you risk a horrible mess. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/19 "2007-01-11T17:30:06Z")
am I alone when I begin to worry about the fact that we haven’t heard from the OP since? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497/20 "2007-01-11T18:49:26Z")
[QUOTE=Sapo] Although it appears as pulykamell has better knowledge of the matter, I would have presumed that absolute moron or maybe ultimate moron would be dumber 🙂 [/quote] I’m not sure if I’d rather be a “total idiot” or “ultimate moron”. I think I like “ultimate moron” better. > [@](#): > > Still, Pyrex shattered because of heat? You are supposed to be able to get those from the freezer onto an open flame and they won’t shatter. Yeah, well, putting them directly on a stove burner (electric stove with the coil burners) and turning on the burner isn’t a good idea. There were little bits of glass _everywhere_. Fortunately, at least, he wasn’t hurt. He has also melted a plastic colander onto a stove burner. The burners, fortunately, are removable, so we had an easier time of it than the OP- we just went to Home Depot, got a new burner, and installed it, and that was that. And he wonders why I get so paranoid every time he puts something down on the stove, and why I seem so obsessive about making sure nothing is on any of the burners if I’m turning any of them on (in case I turn on the wrong one, which has happened)… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-melted-plastic-from-a-glass-stove-top/387497.md?page=2)