How to clean stove knobs?

I have a stove that has been in use for 9 years. I have always found cleaning the knobs difficult, with nothing helping me to remove the oily dirty residue on top of them, so the state of the knobs has deteriorated over time. Especially near the stove plate that I use for frying pan, the stove knobs feel now quite sticky, due to thickened frying oil. They also look quite dirty, since the oil attracts dirt and it's difficult to remove the dirt.

I know some stoves have removable knobs, but I don't know if my stove is one of these. Furthermore, I don't have a dishwashing machine, so the most obvious way to clean removable stove knobs, the dishwashing machine, is out of the question.

How to clean these stove knobs with items nearly every house has?

The knobs are usually removeable just so that they can be more easily cleaned, and are about the easiest parts to clean. Any stiff brush in a bowl of water and a cleaning agent will do the job. Toothbrushes can be useful for cleaning, but a soft brush won't be as effective as a stiff one, nor will a dishwashing machine clean caked-on grease very effectively.

I cleaned a stove that was in occasional use for many years, and dish washing detergent was of little use. So I applied some commercial hob power cleaner foam, waited, and removed it with a scourer and wet cloths. Then repeated.

However, the glass door still had noticeable burnt-on grease spots and would not come clean despite repeated applications. It could not be scrubbed with a harsh scourer – that would scratch the glass. Then the carpet cleaning contractor gave me a tip which was quick and easy:

• Shave off the grease spots with a razor blade.

After that, another application of the cleaner finished the job. The chromed steel racks were also difficult to clean, and the blade was helpful there, too.

Caveat: using a razor bade might damage other surfaces.