The best way to clean an oven is by doing it with some cadence. The more dire condition your oven is in, the more time-consuming and tedious your cleaning task becomes. Knowing what to clean an oven with and the easiest way to clean an oven will help you preserve your own trusty oven, and hide any leftover pizza-party evidence at your vacation rental.
The sight of a dirty oven should be less of a surprise and more of a sign of how much fun you’ve had baking and broiling the last 6 months, or if you’re like me in my 20s, it’s a sign to move again. Today, we make landlords, parents, partners, and aunties around the world proud by diving into how to clean the inside of an oven, because it is what’s inside that counts.
How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?
If you ask my mother, she will tell you the oven needs to be cleaned each time it is used. If you ask my father, his answer will reflect how often one should replace an oven. For the average household, cooking multiple times a week, the best practice would be deep-cleaning every 3 months. Consider the type of oven as well, if you’re wondering how to clean an electric stove, you’ll also want to know how often it should be cleaned to function properly.
Your oven habits play even more of a role in determining how often you should clean your oven. If you’re take-out for life or use your oven to store clothes, you may only be responsible for annual oven-cleaning. If you became a bread-baker or decided to audition for Top Chef, you may find your oven is particularly messy and in need of some TLC. Lucky for any chefs-in-training or normal humans who eat, a cheese explosion doesn’t have to threaten the flavors of your next dish or the way your oven looks, and functions.
What to Clean Oven With?
The easiest way to clean an oven starts with the right materials. Make sure you have the following materials on hand and read on for how to clean the inside of an oven.
- Gloves
- Microfiber clothes
- White vinegar
- Power towels, coffee filters and/or newspapers
- Small brush
- Magic sponge
- Garbage bag
- Oven (not optional)
Best Way to Clean an Oven in 6 Steps
1. Remove the Racks
Best way to avoid any damage and set them aside to wash separately.
2. Clean the Oven Interior
First use any self-cleaning selection that may be built into your oven. Turn fans and open windows to minimize smells and smoke.
3. Apply Oven Cleaner
Use a clean that’s suitable for your type of appliance. Most commercial cleaners are great options for big messes because they’re formulated to cut through grease and baked-on food with a quickness that will have you questioning the term ‘elbow grease’.
4. Wash the Wire Racks
Wash the wire racks using hot water and a strong dish soap, removing excess food and stubborn grease. Use a wire sponge or your dishwasher for extra support, hot water and dish soap, and let them soak overnight.
5. Clean the Oven Interior Door
Clean the oven interior door by mixing equal parts baking soda and filtered water into a paste. Apply the paste and let it sit for 8-12 hours or overnight, wiping off completely after treatment with a wet cloth.
6. Polish the outside of Oven Door
Use equal parts baking soda and water, adding a teaspoon of white vinegar for shine.
How to Clean My Oven with Baking Soda?
One of the easiest ways to clean an oven is with baking soda. It’s a natural antiseptic ingredient that absorbs bacteria, brightens surfaces on contact, and kills pesky free radicals. Remember, baking soda is sodium bicarbonate which extinguishes fire, so make sure you’re cleaning the oven not the top of your stove with this powerful cleaner.
1. Remove the Racks
Sett them aside to be cleaned separately.
2. Create a Baking Soda Paste
Use equal parts filtered water and baking soda.
3. Spread and Leave the Paste
Spread and leave the paste to saturate for 8-12 hours while you tell everyone about your new job as a chemist.
4. Wipe the Oven and Racks
Clean the racks using baking soda and water solution – you can eliminate essential oils in this step, especially if you place food directly on your racks.
Cleaning an Oven FAQs
How to clean oven racks?
You may clean your oven entirely before you realize you don’t know exactly how to clean oven racks, but believe it or not, you can clean these racks as you would any piece of filthy metal you forgot about for several months: Angrily, aggressively and thoroughly.
How to clean an electric oven?
You can clean an electric oven similarly as with any standard oven. If you need more support than the self-cleaning selection has to offer, you can use either a spray oven cleaner or a baking soda solution inside the oven. Just be sure to avoid all the heating elements.
How to clean a greasy oven?
Obviously, the easiest way to clean a greasy oven is by hiring a Tasker to come get the job done. If you’re one of the lucky ones who inherited powerful elbow-grease, you can create a spray-solution with filtered water, white vinegar, and baking soda as a natural degreaser.
How to remove burnt-on food from the oven floor?
How to clean the bottom of an oven is a lot about how you remove leftover food from its floor. Use a spatula to extract any stubborn food from the oven floor and apply the same vinegar, baking soda, and filtered water solution.
