Did we just ruin our brand new $3000 stove?

[earthbelowus]

My wife saw something sticky on top of the soapstone woodstove, and tried to clean it... with mayonaise... while it was still hot (around 200F)...

Apparently she's always used mayo as a magic cleaner whenever something sticky won't come off. (No idea what was on there in the first place.) And she didn't realize it would basically cook on the stove top. Now we have two big dark splotches on top of the lovely soapstone.

I can't be mad at her. She feels awful enough already. What can I tell her to make her realize everything will be alright? What do we do now? Did we ruin it?

The stove is still hot. Once it cools, what should be my game plan? Should I clean it with dishsoap? Harsh chemicals? I've read you can use anything to clean soapstone without damaging it. I've also read people use mineral oil to bring out the natural darker tones in soapstone. (That's kinda what she did I guess.) Are we going to have to coat the whole surface in mayo to hide the splotches? Give it to me straight.

 

[jetsam]

Soapstone is supposedly not porous, so you may just be looking at a surface coating of oil that is making the stone shinier.

Many natural stones are porous. I once dealt with a lady who didn't seal her granite countertop, then set a steak on it... The granite was permanently discolored.

I don't think you can/should seal stove parts, though. I would honestly clean the whole thing with the same mayonnaise and hope for the best.

Don't take my advice until someone who actually knows something about soapstone weighs in, though!

 

[electrathon]

Whatever you do be cautious not to scratch it. ANYTHING abrasive will damage the finish. My guess is that you wil need to do the same thing to the rest of the stones to make it match again. Short of that you will likely need to re-polish the top of the stove, that is an advanced stone technique. If you are going to do that you need to practice on lots of other pieces before atacking the stove.

 

[Woody Stover]

I've seen stains when dropping small chips of SuperCedar (paraffin) on the stove top. I rub with a dry paper towel and that seems to soak most of it up. It might work to pull some of the soybean oil out of your stone, if the stove is hot, or at least warm. If I just left the paraffin stain, it eventually would absorb into the stone and disappear. I don't know about the Heartstones, with the polished stone they have. You might try emailing Hearthstone, or Woodstock, as see what they would suggest.

 

[begreen]

Oil is commonly used to seal and darken soapstone. One option might be to oil all the top stones for a uniform look. Over time the oiling will fade and the stones will lighten, but at least that way it would fade uniformly. Ask Hearthstone what they think.

 

[fibels]

My wife saw something sticky on top of the soapstone woodstove, and tried to clean it... with mayonaise... while it was still hot (around 200F)...

Apparently she's always used mayo as a magic cleaner whenever something sticky won't come off. (No idea what was on there in the first place.) And she didn't realize it would basically cook on the stove top. Now we have two big dark splotches on top of the lovely soapstone.

I can't be mad at her. She feels awful enough already. What can I tell her to make her realize everything will be alright? What do we do now? Did we ruin it?

The stove is still hot. Once it cools, what should be my game plan? Should I clean it with dishsoap? Harsh chemicals? I've read you can use anything to clean soapstone without damaging it. I'm also read people sue mineral oil to bring out the natural darker tones in soapstone. (That's kinda what she did I guess.) Are we going to have to coat the whole surface in mayo to hide the splotches? Give it to me straight.

View attachment 195800

Email Ray Mayer at Hearthstone. [email protected]'ll tell you what you can do.They might use a fine steel wool.

 

[mstoelton]

Just finish oiling the remaining areas on the top of the stove with mayo - you won't hurt the soapstone. It is not porous but the "stains" will not come out easily. My soapstone hearth is somewhat stained around the insert mostly because people put their hands on this area when loading the stove. some staining of the soapstone is inevitable. It gives the soapstone character. You could use mineral oil, but if you want it to be more uniform I would use the mayo that stained it in the first place!

I actually like the darker colors of the soapstone when it is oiled.

 

[Highbeam]

Soapstone most definitely does absorb oil/water. Do not use steel wool on a hearthstone, unlike other brands they are polished to a near mirror finish. You wouldn't use steel wool to get bug guts off of your car's hood would you?

I owned a hearthstone and a hearthstone soapstone kettle that sat on top. I oiled that kettle and it looked really good. It absorbs the oil and then over time the darkness will fade as it burns off. It didn't take long. Months of burning is all. You can soap and water wash the stove to remove some of it. Even just wiping water on the stone will make it darken.

Absent any advice from Hearthstone, I would treat the whole stove top just as you've done with the mayo and get a uniform application of oil which will be likely to result in a uniform lightening of the stove over time unless you decide you like the oil look enough to reapply.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Well, the good thing is you don't have to be careful eating sandwiches over the stove anymore...

 

[iron]

flip the stones over?

 

[bholler]

just oil the rest of the top. I would use mineral oil though.

 

[Dobish]

that is why you should never use mayo.... on anything. ugggghhhh

 

[Highbeam]

flip the stones over?

The stones on a hearthstone are attached to each other with a spline (kinda like t&g) plus glued into the castings. No flipping. The stone exterior is single wall meaning the inside of the same stones is covered with firebox creosote.

 

[Woody Stover]

that is why you should never use mayo.... on anything. ugggghhhh

Except with peanut butter on celery, and when making a salmon salad sammich.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Except with peanut butter on celery, and when making a salmon salad sammich.

Tomorrow we'll hear about the pb on a tile...

 

[jetsam]

I think it looks nicer where it got the oil on it. I may have to try mayo on my outdoor granite at home.

 

[weatherguy]

I had a stain on mine, no idea what it was and was going to take care of it after the burning season. After 2-3 weeks it disappeared, maybe yours will too.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

It will burn off. Hit 600F.

 

[Rearscreen]

I can't be mad at her. She feels awful enough already.

Relationship 101. This is called inconsequential leverage. Of course you forgive her, even though she wont forgive you when the cat pan wasn't emptied.

 

[Carlv123]

Do the stones come out? From 25 years of brick oven experience ANYTHING will burn off at the right temp. If they come off, see what the othe side looks like, problem solved. If not, do this CAREFULLY. Take a small amt of red hot coals and spread on the stain and it will cook off. I know if works for raw fire brick.

 

[rdust]

Ruin? Nah just added a bit of character. Can't see the top unless you're standing over it anyway.

 

[begreen]

Except with peanut butter on celery, and when making a salmon salad sammich.

 

[fbelec]

pm this member he knows the stove in his sleep. kevlar_vw.

 

[Dmitry]

Any stone is porous to some degree and will absorb water or oils. Polished surface will absorb less than honed or flamed surface. Water will evaporate, oil will not if its absorbed. The only way to prevent it is to use sealer on a clean stone. Most likely you will not extract that oil completely if it's penetrated deep. I would cover the rest in mayo ( I can't believe I'm writing this) to even the color . It might burn off after some time.
How much would be to replace whole top? You can seal it after to prevent damage like you had.

 

[webby3650]

It will burn off. Hit 600F.

Absolutely, there's no need to do anything. Just burn it! Soapstone will only absorb oil or water into the very outermost layer. Thats why it's used for countertops in science and chemistry labs, all the experiments won't soak in... also why counter tops need to be continuously resealed with mineral oil.