Easy Ways To Clean Your Oven

A dirty oven looks not only disgusting but also poses many health issues. Greasy food stuck on the inside of the oven can create a fire hazard and render it inefficient. That rouge French fry that fell through the racks might have turned into pure carbon, there might be a pool of a few drippings here and there (especially at the bottom), and grease accumulated on the glass may even prevent you from peering in. Plus, your food will take longer to cook, and don’t be surprised if all of your baked goods start to taste a bit funny!

Whether it’s been a very long time since you last cleaned your oven or you had a horrible recipe mishap that has made it so messy, it is time to learn how to clean your oven once and for all. In this blog post, we will share the best and easy ways to clean an oven. We had some easy peasy ways to give your oven the fresh and new look that it had when you bought it.

How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?

The inside of your oven should be thoroughly cleaned at least once after every three months. However, if your oven is fairly new, thorough cleaning after every four to six months should also be sufficient. Cooking food inside a dirty oven will cause fumes and make the food taste bad.

Moreover, how often you use your oven also impacts how often you should clean it. If you rarely use your oven (once in a few months), cleaning it about once or twice a year is enough.

Materials Needed For Thorough And Easy Oven Cleaning

A Store-Bought Quality Cleaner

This is the easiest and fastest way to clean the oven and remove most of the grime and grease.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is used for a quick DIY oven cleaning process. You can mix it with water and vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it all over the inside and outside of the oven. This formula helps to get rid of all the build-up.

Lemons

This is another quick and easy DIY method. All you have to do is mix lemon and water in a spray bottle and apply it thoroughly inside and outside the oven.

Rubber Cleaning Gloves

It is important to wear rubber gloves as you want to have a barrier between your skin and the oven cleaner to avoid contact with harsh chemicals.

Safety Glasses

This is optional safety equipment. You can use safety glasses if you are using potent oven cleaners with harsh chemicals.

Paper Towels

You can use old newspapers or paper towels across the floor and on other equipment to ensure that nothing gets dripped on the floor.

Damp Cloth Or Towel

Once the oven cleaner or DIY formulae have been applied, you will need a towel or a damp cloth to wipe out everything.

Microfiber Sponge

Using a sponge is optional, but it helps if your oven has a lot of grease or build-up.

Pro-Tip

The best tip for cleaning oven racks and trays is to take them out of the oven and soak them in boiling water for 2 hours with a little dishwater detergent or oven cleaner. Once soaked, it will become easier to remove the grease and stains, and you can proceed to clean them as you would clean the oven.

Instructions

Using A Cleaning Agent

1. Clear out your oven by removing everything, such as racks, trays, etc., and layout newspapers or paper towels across the floor. Repeat this step for all methods.
2. Wear your gloves and start spraying the oven cleaner on the inside and outside the oven. Ensure that you cover the top, bottom, back, and sides of the oven (but don’t spray it on heating elements).
3. Allow the cleaner to sit for however long it should (as mentioned on the label). Ideally, you should let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, spray the trays and other equipment of the oven and leave them for about 30 minutes.
5. Once the time has passed, use a damp cloth or a towel to clean the oven thoroughly and wipe off the agent. You can also use a sponge if required.

Using Baking Soda

1. Mix half a cup of baking soda with about two to three tablespoons of water. Make sure that the mixture forms a paste.
2. Spread the paste on the insides of the oven and close it when you are done.
3. Clean the racks and other equipment the same way.
4. You can also pour vinegar on top of the paste for better results and allow it to sit for 10 to 12 (overnight) hours for the best results.
5. Clean up the paste using a damp cloth or towel. If you still notice a few chunks or stains, pour some extra vinegar on top of the paste before wiping it off to allow the stains to be removed easily.

Using Lemons

1. Squeeze the juice from two to three large lemons and mix it with two to three tablespoons of water.
2. Apply the mixture generously all over the oven and on the insides.
3. Let it sit for at least 2 hours before wiping it off with a damp cloth or a towel. If your oven is very greasy and has stains, let the mixture sit for at least 5 hours.
4. You can clean the oven trays or racks in the same manner.

Conclusion

Oven cleaning is one of the messiest and challenging jobs. Nevertheless, it is important to learn how to tackle it. Ovens are one of those basic kitchen appliances that have the ability to turn into a culinary offense super quick if left uncleaned. It may seem like an overwhelming task, but the reward of a grease-free oven and the promise of better food make it worth the entire struggle.