About a year ago, I bought a 4 burner, plus center griddle gas range from Sears. The grates and griddle are all cast iron and, according to the owners manual, can be cleaned in the dishwasher or sink and do not need seasoning.

12 months later and the grates are a sticky, stained mess and the everything sticks to the griddle. Washing the griddle in the dishwasher or sink seems to destroy any non-stick properties it built up.

So, how do I clean the grates and griddle? I'm thinking of throwing the grates into the oven when I run the self cleaning cycle. Would that help burn off the mess?

Should I season the griddle and ignore the owners manual's cleaning instructions? I cooked on it last night with a slight amount of grapeseed oil and it's very sticky right now. Should I throw it in on the self clean cycle, sticky oil and all, and start seasoning it?

Many thanks!
Kim

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/CastIronPans.htm

i just recently heard of this clean-by-color system , they have separate solutions for diff. places around the house, it's something called GotGreenKits.
this is a natural green cleaning system that actually works a lot better than most products; It was first used by professional cleaning service to clean doctor's office and real estate buildings. It's got very high ranking b/c the system is intended to IMPROVE AIR QUALITY for the kids and family members. I believe u can only get their products online.