I've never cleaned mine. Brush off the burned food. The holes are where the flames come out, right? If it's an older stove, you may have blown out the pilot. Look up the make and model number of the stove and do a search. You can probably find a owner's booklet online.

Gloria

I've never cleaned mine either. Its best to leave the burner ring and parts leading to it alone. Can't even imagine how yours is getting dirty with a pan over it.

And I hope your last sentence was a typo. "I would HAVE to get oven cleaner down there!" Hope it was meant to say HATE to get oven cleaner down there. If the top is electronic ignition, so is the oven. Its best not to mess around cleaning under the floor of the oven too. All those parts are calibrated and "cleaning" could clog or mess them up, as you found out by scrubbing with a toothbrush. Sandy

The holes where the gas comes out are scientifically designed to allow a certain amount of gas out to mix with air. If you get those holes plugged up with soap, for example, the "fuel/air" mixture will be off giving you a cooler flame with more soot and possibly carbon monoxide. If you ever see any yellow tips on the flame, then you need to have your burners cleaned and adjusted by a pro.

Yes... I meant hate not have! I don't know why they are dirty either... I would think that there is some kind of film on them at is attracting stuff. Maybe food or oils from nearby burners spash over... I will just leave them alone and let the dirt/film burn or wear off with time. Thanks!

I am a huge fan of Dawn Power Dissolver! It is near the dishwashiing detergent and comes in a spray. I spray my burners, let them sit for 30-60 minutes and then wipe them with a wet paper towel. Keep wiping until all the scum is gone. It also works wonderfully on the grates of the stove and the oven racks.

I had a gas oven and used Easy Oven Off--make sure the kind you get is ok for gas ovens. It worked great. I didn't have to turn off the pilot light in the oven.

As for the burners--I don't know. I just use soap and water and a scrubby--it's not perfect, but it's not terrible.

Okay so 3 out of my 4 burners are now not working since I attempted to clean them. Most likely they are clogged. I hear the "tick tick tick" of the gas trying to ignite but nothing.
I have a huge fear of gas explosion/fire so I am hesitant to try turning it on again...any suggestions....besides more cleaning solutions to clog it up?
thanks