Cleaning an oven can be a thankless task, especially if you haven’t cleaned it for a while – but one cleaning expert shared a quick and easy trick to make it easier
When did you last give your oven a good scrub? For many of us, it’s been longer than we’d care to admit. We’re all aware it needs doing, but the prospect of hours spent battling grease and grime is far from enticing. Ovens can become grimy in no time, particularly when they’re used to cook food that causes oil and grease to splatter, like a juicy joint for Sunday roast or bangers for breakfast.
You could make the task a bit easier by regularly wiping down the inside of your oven, but let’s face it, who has time for that? You have to wait until the oven cools down after use, then clean the racks, door, and interior – not exactly what you want to do after every meal.
Letting weeks or even months pass between cleans only exacerbates the issue. You’ll be left with stubborn, baked-on grime that refuses to shift, forcing you to spend ages trying to scrape off the charred remnants at the bottom of your oven.
But what if there was a simpler way? According to a professional cleaner on social media, you can whip up a DIY solution that will leave your oven sparkling without any elbow grease – and it only requires two ingredients.
In a video shared by The Clean Group on Instagram, a professional cleaner revealed three “scrub-free” oven cleaning tricks she’s picked up during her career. To clean the inside of the oven, she suggested filling a deep baking tray with boiling water and a few slices of lemon to help shift any grime.
She then placed the baking tray in the oven and “cooked” it for 45 minutes at a high temperature, allowing the lemon-infused water to create steam. This steam helps to loosen stubborn dirt so you can simply wipe it away with a cloth – and you’ll have cleaned the baking tray simultaneously.
To spruce up your oven racks, she advised wrapping them in kitchen foil and popping them in the oven for 15 minutes on a low heat. She claimed this also helps to loosen the dirt on the racks, making them easy to wipe clean.
But if you want to tackle spills before they turn into unidentifiable burnt blobs, she suggests sprinkling salt on the spill to help it absorb quickly.
She captioned her post: “Sprinkling salt on fresh spills is the easiest way to wipe off burnt-on gunk that turns to cement.”
How to clean an oven
The steps for cleaning your oven may differ based on the model you have, so you should always refer to your oven’s manual for proper cleaning instructions. However, here are some generic tips that may help:
1. Remove oven racks
- Remove the racks and set them aside. For easier cleaning, soak them in warm, soapy water.
2. Make a cleaning paste
- Mix 100g of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a spreadable paste.
3. Apply the paste
- Wearing gloves, spread the paste all over the interior surfaces of the oven, avoiding heating elements.
- Pay extra attention to greasy or stained areas.
- Let the paste sit for at least 12 hours, or overnight for best results.
4. Clean the racks
- While waiting, scrub the racks with a sponge or brush. Rinse and dry them.
5. Wipe out the oven
- After 12 hours, use a damp cloth to wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as possible.
- Use a scraper or spatula for stubborn spots.
6. Spray with vinegar
- Put white vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz it wherever you see baking soda residue. It will fizz and help lift remaining grime.
7. Final wipe
- Wipe the oven interior with a clean, damp cloth until all residue is gone. Once everything is clean and dry, put the racks back inside the oven.
