Fire your housekeeper? AARGH. Talk to your Viking dealer and find out if/how this can be remedied. I am sure you are not the only person this has happened to.

It might help if you know what kind of metal they are. Try Kosher soap (comes in a bar, made by Rokeach, should be on the Jewish food shelf of your supermarket). This is the soap in Brillo and is has been known to do miracles on stainless and aluminum, bringing up the shine. Like chicken soup, it can't hurt.

I had a housekeeper who used godknowswhat on my range and big blobs of the black paint came off, leaving a mess and no way to read the temperature on the oven. Need a new range - they don't make 'em like that any more (one-piece, upper and lower ovens form the '80s) and we are going to end up with a whole new kitchen. But you obviously already have one. Good luck - let us know how you make out.

Oh no chiefneil--that's a shame! I hope it can be rectified.

I'm a nervous wreck about our cleaning lady destroying our new stuff, too!

The bezels look more like aluminum than stainless. A brief exposure to lye (the main active and very alkaline ingredient in oven cleaners) should only remove residue and brighten stainless. On the other hand, aluminum is very reactive to acids and alkalines, and what usually results is a whitish powdery residue and potentially pitting if the substance is left on long enough. That is what looks like is on the bezel on the left. If pitting has occurred, there is no remedy. If you just have the whitish residue and some base metal discoloration, an abrasive metal polish and some elbow grease can bring back some of the luster but maybe not all. Replacing the bezels may be your only solution if you really want them o look like new.

I have a stainless steel Viking cooktop, my burners look like yours and like live wire oak I think the burner rings are aluminum. Cleaning those burner rings almost always requires soapy steel wool, but gently. I would start on yours with fine steel wool from the hardware store, not the kind you use for pots, using gentle pressure and many repetitions. The metal is soft and you may be able to polish it down to new metal.

I think if I hire cleaning services then it's my responsibility to give the cleaner specific instructions. If they don't follow instructions then fire them.

Looks like aluminum to me too.

We all make mistakes when using cleaning preparations. I almost used oven cleaner on my Kenmore selfcleaning wall oven. I stopped what I was doing and referred to the users manual.

When it comes to the issue of hired help...well, they have no access to written directions and no oral ones, unless you specifically provide them. Otherwise, it's best of luck and hope it goes well.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Interestingly, the Barkeeper's Friend got off all the darkened spots. BKF has oxalic acid, which I think is actually alkaline, so I'm surprised the rings didn't react even more to it.

I actually purchase all the cleaning supplies and I've never bought oven cleaner in my life. My housekeeper brought it over on her own to use that one time. What a drag, huh? I like her and she's offered to buy me new rings, but now they're just looking a bit dull but not discolored. I have some 0000 steel wool and 600 and 1000 grit sandpaper, so I'm going to see I can put some shine back on the rings with them this weekend.

My rangetop is pretty hardworking and is generally a mess anyway, so I think I can live with dull-looking rings for a while.

Chief
Glad you got this resolved at least to your satisfaction. I am glad you like your housekeeper. I looked at the pictures and realized that if this happened to me I would be in jail and unable to post bond.

My mother had several incidents with housekeepers destroying things. Many of my neighbors have HK's even the ones that stay home all day but I resist because of the fear of these kinds of incidents and also because I am just too much of a pain to deal with even though I am not a super clean freak. I have specific products, cloths and methods for each thing and it is just too hard for anyone to deal with so I clean my own.

As I am writing this I thought of my neighbor who has a "thing" about dirt. She wants each floor of her 4 story house cleaned with different cleaning equipment so that the dirt from one floor does not go to the next. Of course they have an open stairway so................?

Maybe I need to get her person..anyway I am glad this is fixed good enough for you. I know I would still be upset.

Know what? It looks like a well loved and used range. As a life long "serious food person" I'm always suspicious when ranges and ovens are pristine. Showing a little wear is ok by me (as long as you have it cleaned up to the point where it isn't making you nuts).

Since you already got the dark spots off, I'm betting that with the 4-0 steel wool you're going to get a nice satin sheen on the rings. The sandpaper might be too aggressive. Good luck !