The trick is that unlike the old coil kind, where boilovers dripped underneath into the pan (that you could go for years w/o cleaning if you could stand it), any grease spots, spill overs or debris MUST be cleaned off the glass top right away--and above all, BEFORE being used again. You can wait until it is cool and then use Windex - or while hot a wet sponge will work if you are careful not to burn yourself.

The worst thing you can do is re-heat the cooktop after a spill of any kind - even normal grease splatter, bc it bakes it on, hardening it and making it very difficult to get off.

No matter what you do though, you should be able to get it clean, but once you do, you've got to keep it that way. To remove really hard baked on debris you will need the metal scraper that came w it. Kinda like a razor blade w a handle. For less stubborn debris, use windex and a paper towel first to get up anything greasy and easy; then use the mild cleansing cream that came with it. (Cermabrite is good; I have Cooktop Magic now). Put it on a damp paper towel and rub like heck until it is clean, then buff with a clean soft towel (not paper - old t-shirts work well, or any kitchen towel).

These cooktops are great - I love mine and would never go back to the old crummy messy coil type, but you have to "follow the rules" as they are less forgiving. I clean mine after every use - or at a minimum, inspect the burner I intend to use to be sure it is clean before turning on.

L

I love my glass/ceran top stove. I find it's sooooooo much easier to clean than the coil burner with the drip cups. It's one of the few times where my son was right to make me spend extra money........

The appliance store gave me this tiny bottle of cleaner when I purchased it and the replacements were $7.00 - hah!

What I use? Vim - Soft Scrub - works like a charm, no scratches and it looks perfect 7 years later.

On an older glass top, in a household that is immaculate at all times, I have seen what appears to be permanent discoloration within or under the glass. Does anyone know if the older ones became permanently discolored? Perhaps the newer ones will too?

I have demonstrated to my satisfaction that it is not too difficult to rub off the speckles from a modest Kenmore electric. I thought I had a splotch of stuff burned onto the surface in one place and using a cleaner that came with the stove and a 3M green thing I rubbed it too vigorously and removed the burned stuff and speckles around the splotch too.