Cleaning. We are all doing more of it, because whether you are working or not, you’re probably spending more time at home. And you’re probably cooking a lot more. And cooking means more cleaning.

So here’s the deal, after all cooking sessions the stove top is supposed to be cleaned and most of the time, I do this. However, when there is frying or high heat sauteing, the cleaning is more intense than the usual wipe down with a dishcloth or paper towel.

I’m very much a messy, sloppy cook, but I always clean up. Over many years, I’ve tried a multitude of products for cleaning, especially the greasy gunky stove top. In a perfect world, I would have professional style range with a stainless steel top and a tray that pulls out to remove grease and debris from under the burners. But instead, I have low end sealed gas range with a porcelain top. The porcelain is a magnet for dried up burnt offerings that create a challenge. Porcelain, is a pretty shiny smooth surface, but it scratches, can’t use industrial oven cleaners and that means scrubbing mild abrasives to get the gunk off. Baking soda works the best, but after the scrubbing is done the baking soda has to be cleaned up. It’s frustrating. And it takes time.

In my wanderings through my supermarket, I once again began the search for the perfect cleaner for the cook top. And possibly the interior of the oven that wasn’t toxic. And I found one of the best on the market, Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Baking Soda Cream Cleaner. On the first try on a very gunked up stove top, the creamy lotion-like cleaner took off the gunk in one try. With a paper towel, not the usual scrubber. It rinses easily, and after using the cream cleaner, subsequent cleaning sessions are much easier, and I can give the top a squirt with my homemade all-purpose cleaner and the grease and splatters come off with ease. And Mrs’ Meyers smells really good, because of the natural fragrances used in all of their products.