What Is the Right Way to Clean Your Oven?

Posted on 17/05/2016

Easy Methods That Make Oven Cleaning Simple

A clean oven means a happy kitchen. After all, the main point to having a kitchen is to cook, and the oven is where all the cooking magic happens. As logic dictates, if you keep the oven clean, you will have a wonderful place to make your meals and make sure that they will not taste like yesterday’s meals. If you take care of your oven properly, that will hardly be a problem. And yes, there is a right way – it’s the one that doesn’t involve chemicals and you trying to poison your own meals. So roll up your sleeves and check out some easy methods that make oven cleaning simple.

The Baking Soda Bath
Of course, when you go for green cleaning, you always start with baking soda. Take two parts (or more) soda and one part water. The point is to make a slightly thick paste. Then take out all the racks from your oven and spread the soda all over the inside. Once it has been lathered up, let it sit for a while (about 40 - 50 minutes or so) – while waiting, you can actually apply the same soda lather on the oven racks which you took out – and then return with an old toothbrush. Scrub away at burnt-on spots to remove any old grease spots and stubborn buildup. Then take a slightly wet cloth and scrub the soda paste off. Do the same for the racks, if you used the paste on them as well.

You will immediately see the difference. All the blackish parts and the grimy spots should have been completely taken care of. You should be extra careful with the heating element, though – actually, don’t touch it at all. The heat takes good care of it anyway, or contact specialist cleaning services for that particular part.

The Vinegar Shower
This part can come immediately after the baking soda bath for greater effect, or it can be done as a standalone clean for maintenance. Take a spray bottle and fill it up with 3/4 water and 1/4 vinegar. This is what people like to call the ultimate house cleaner as it can be used on pretty much everything. But for the task at hand, spray it in the oven, leave it for a bit so that the acidic properties of the vinegar can take effect, and then wipe with a damp cloth. Bit by bit, and soon you will see the shine protruding from under all the dried up greasy bits. Simple enough, right?

The Rack Solvent
Meanwhile, you should take care of your oven racks or grill as well. If you already applied the baking soda paste, you are halfway there. If not, dip them in a big tub of hot water for about half an hour. After that, use an old toothbrush to scrub at any dried stubborn spots. Add half a cup of dishwashing detergent and lather it up in the tub. Keep the racks for a bit longer, then take them out, dip a non-abrasive sponge or brush in the detergent vat and scrub at any leftover problematic areas. Soon the racks will shine up as well.

The Finishing Touch
And all that is left is to return the racks in the oven and turn in on. Set it at a low temperature and run it empty for about ten or fifteen minutes so that it dries out internally and stop it. Voila! You are done.

Kitchen cleaning is simple when you do it the right way. Use this method and you will have no problems with keeping your oven clean and without using any chemical-heavy house cleaners. Taking care of the tool you cook with will be very rewarding in the long run, so do take care. And happy cooking!