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Ovens get dirty with each use, yet we don’t clean them with every use, leading to buildup and grease piles forming at the base.
Here we’ll show you how to clean an oven quickly with a few simple tips.
Baking Soda Solution
Instead of scrubbing your oven for hours on end, only to see minimal improvements, consider this solution instead for quick and easy cleaning. You’ll use
- Baking soda (four parts baking soda)
- Water (about one part water)
- A few spoons of vinegar (which will activate the baking soda)
With this solution, take a sponge or a cloth you can dispose of, and place it in the bowl with your baking soda solution.
Start dabbing the base of the oven with the sponge/towel until you cover the entire base of the oven with this solution.
Place the bowl with the remaining liquid solution on a rack in the oven, so that it can penetrate cleaning the sides of the oven and the oven door.
Set the temperature in your oven at 100 degrees C, for 45 minutes.
When the oven cools, you’ll notice that the dirt, burnt marks, and other food that was stuck on the base of the oven, will have lifted and softened.
With a clean sponge, you’ll simply wipe the base, the sides, and the door of the oven.
This should get rid of stuck on stains, dirt, oil, and any other food particles that have gotten stuck in the oven over the many months that you have failed to clean it.
Cleaning Oven Grates
Take some dirty towels and place them in the base of your sink or a bathtub in your home.
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Take about one cup of liquid detergent, and place the oven grates in your sink or bathtub.
Allow the grates/racks to soak in the warm water and detergent, for about one hour (two hours will help further soften the stuck on food/particles).
Once you remove the racks from the water bath, you’ll want to use a Dollar Tree bristle brush, to remove the food particles that have loosened off of the racks.
Once you remove all food particles, you can simply dry off the oven racks, and place them back in the oven, after cleaning the oven’s interior of course.
Glass Pane Cleaning
Using a fly swatter and a rag, you’ll place a little bit of glass cleaner (Windex) onto the rag.
Opening the bottom of the oven drawer will allow you to gain access in between the two glass panes on the front of your oven.
Some ovens have grates at the top, allowing you to stick the fly swatter and rag through the top for cleaning.
Although it won’t clean perfectly, this is a great way to get those stuck on hand-prints, smudges, and large chunks of food that have gotten stuck inside the pane window, to dislodge.
Cleaning Oven’s Interior with Baking Soda Paste
Similar to the first method of cleaning your oven with baking, you’re going to create a paste with this solution to clean the oven. To do this you’ll need
- Baking soda, about four parts/cups
- Water, about one part/cup
You’ll mix this solution together and it should form in a thick paste-like consistency.
You can use a spatula in order to spread this paste onto the base of your oven, after you’ve removed the racks.
Make sure to spread the paste onto the dirtiest parts of the oven.
You can clearly see dark marks, burnt marks, stuck-on food, and other debris that’s covering the base of your oven.
Make sure to apply the thickest layer of the baking soda paste over these areas, to ensure you get the best clean possible.
After you have applied the paste, allow it to sit in the oven for about 30 minutes.
You are not going to turn on the oven, and you can leave the oven doors opened or closed during this time period.
You’ll also want to apply this paste to the tops and sides of your oven, as well as to the front glass/pane.
You will apply the paste onto the areas liberally, although you don’t have to apply as much to areas where there isn’t much dirt.
It may be a good idea to take some garbage bags and place them onto the floor underneath your oven door, as chunks of food and the baking soda paste are going to fall off and onto the floor.
Once the 30 minutes has elapsed, you’ll use a Dollar Tree scrub sponge, and you will dip the sponge into a vinegar bath.
The vinegar is going to help activate the baking soda, and it is going to cause it to bubble, further working into the dirtiest parts of your oven, to remove the dirt and food particles that have built up.
Scrub vigorously to ensure you get the toughest stains and food spots off your oven.
If there are stubborn spots, or food that won’t come off, a plastic scrapper will easily dislodge the food after the vinegar and baking soda have penetrated the base of the oven.
You’ll use some paper towels to wipe off the paste.
When the oven is mostly cleaned, you’ll use a sprayer bottle and spray the interior of the oven with vinegar, then you’ll just wipe the interior off with paper towels or a rag.
This will truly enhance the appearance of your oven, and shouldn’t take more than 30 to 45 minutes to complete the process.
Preventing Dirt and Cleaning Products
Oven liners are a great solution to place at the base of your oven while cooking.
They help prevent foods from sticking onto the oven, and you can just remove and dispose the liners after each use to keep your oven looking clean and fresh.
Do not use aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven. This is a fire hazard!
A second product to invest in is Howard’s Steel Cleaner. Just spray it to metal areas of the oven’s exterior, and it will instantly remove smudges and fingerprints.
A third item is bar keeper’s friend. This is perfect for cleaning off the stove top, and will remove everything off the glass stove tops which show so many stains.
Removing the drawer below your oven, you’ll want to work with a vacuum or small broom to remove dirt, dust, and food particles that make their way below your oven.
A final cleaning tip to work around crevices where food might get stuck is to take a butter knife and a paper towel.
Place the paper towel over the butter knife, and simply work around the edges of your oven and countertops.
You can also use a Clorox wipe instead of paper towels, as this has built-in cleaning agents to help get out the dirt, and foods that got stuck from everyday use and cooking in the kitchen.
How to Clean an Oven Quickly
