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How to Clean a Franke Cooktop

A Franke hob usually sits in a benchtop with a Franke sink beside it, and on a designer fit-out the benchtop costs more than the appliance.

3 min read · Written by Oven Valets, cleaning cooktops across Sydney and greater NSW for 15+ years

Clean the hob by the standard method for its surface, but treat the benchtop around it as the expensive part, because on a Franke fit-out the stone or composite surface it sits in generally cost more than the appliance did.

A Franke hob is specified as part of a kitchen system rather than chosen alone, and it usually sits in a benchtop with a Franke sink a metre away.

The benchtop is the expensive part

This is the useful inversion on a Franke kitchen. On most installations the appliance is worth more than what surrounds it. On a designer fit-out with engineered stone or a composite benchtop, the reverse is true.

That changes where care goes. Cleaner overspray on a stone benchtop is not a trivial matter: many stone and composite surfaces are damaged by strong alkaline products, and some show etching from acidic ones. A cooktop cleaner that is entirely correct on the glass can leave a dull patch on the stone beside it that is far more visible and far more expensive than anything you were removing.

Spray onto the cloth, work inside the hob perimeter, and wipe the surrounding benchtop with plain water afterwards to pick up anything that carried.

The seal at the perimeter

Where the hob meets the benchtop there is a bead of silicone. It collects spills, it is below the cooking surface, and on dark stone it is genuinely hard to see until it has darkened.

Run a damp cloth around the whole perimeter whenever you clean the glass, and keep anything sharp away from the bead, because it is what stops water reaching the joinery below.

The surface itself

Standard for whichever type you have. Our cooktop cleaning guide covers induction, radiant ceramic and gas.

Flush installations and where water goes

Franke hobs in designer kitchens are frequently installed flush with the benchtop rather than sitting proud of it, which looks superb and changes one practical thing.

On a raised installation, water and cleaner run off the edge of the hob onto the benchtop and can be wiped away. On a flush one there is nowhere for it to go except along the perimeter seal, which means the seal sees far more liquid over the appliance's life than it would in a conventional install.

That is not a fault, and flush hobs are not prone to leaking. It simply means the seal is the component doing the work, so it is worth keeping clean rather than letting it darken and harden, and worth keeping anything sharp well away from.

Wipe rather than flood, and never let water pool along the perimeter while you deal with something else.

What actually goes wrong

Cleaner on the benchtop, which on stone or composite can dull or etch permanently.

A darkened perimeter seal, invisible on dark stone until it is bad.

A Franke hood above it never opened, which is the brand's lead product and usually the best appliance in the room.

Should you do it yourself?

Do it yourself, working inside the hob perimeter and wiping the surround afterwards.

Get someone in alongside the Franke rangehood and Franke oven.

Franke cooktop questions

Can cooktop cleaner damage a stone benchtop?
It can. Many engineered stone and composite surfaces are damaged by strong alkaline products and some etch under acidic ones, so a cleaner that is entirely correct on the glass can leave a dull patch on the stone beside it. On a designer fit-out that benchtop generally cost more than the appliance did. Spray onto the cloth, work inside the hob perimeter, and wipe the surround with plain water afterwards.
How do I clean the seal around a Franke cooktop?
With a damp cloth wrapped around a fingertip, run around the whole perimeter whenever you clean the glass. If it has already darkened, soften it with a warm damp cloth laid along it for ten minutes before working it with a soft brush. Keep anything sharp away from the silicone bead, because it is what stops water reaching the joinery below.
Why is the seal darker on one side of my hob?
Usually the side nearest a wall or a corner, where spills collect and reaching in to wipe is most awkward. On dark stone the discolouration is genuinely hard to see until it is significant, which is why it tends to be discovered late. Running a cloth around the full perimeter as routine prevents it entirely.

How Oven Valets cleans a Franke cooktop

  • Our products are non-caustic and biodegradable, so coatings, trim and seals are not at risk and the appliance is safe to use as soon as we leave.
  • Removable parts come out and are cleaned separately rather than wiped in place, and every piece goes back where it belongs.
  • We tell you what we find, including when a part is past saving, rather than cleaning around it.
  • Fully insured, with fixed GST-inclusive pricing and no call-out fee.

Rather have someone else do it?

Fixed, GST-inclusive pricing with no call-out fee. Non-caustic and biodegradable products, so the appliance is safe to use as soon as we leave. Rated 4.9 from 88 Google reviews.

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Oven Valets is an independent cleaning service. We are not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by any appliance manufacturer named on this page. Brand names are used to identify the appliances we clean.