How to clean your kitchen oven

How to clean your kitchen oven

Learning the best way to clean an oven should be a straightforward process that allows you to focus on enjoying your kitchen. Cleaning your oven can remove any odours and smoke caused by a build-up of spilled grease and food.

Although cleaning the oven may appear to be an extensive and filthy operation at first, it is rather simple when you use the right cleaners. Commercial oven cleaners, excellent natural cleaners such as baking soda and vinegar, and self-cleaning features are all options for cleaning your oven.

Continue reading to learn how to clean an oven properly, safely, and with less effort than you might have imagined.

How Frequently Should You Clean Your Oven

How often you clean your oven should depend on whether you cook in your oven regularly. Spills and overflows need to be cleaned as quickly as possible. If you use your oven daily, it should be deep cleaned at least seasonally or when you see one or more of the following signs:

• Grease or filth has splashed across the door.
• The crusty food or residue on the oven’s bottom appears to be burned.
• When you switch on the oven, it emits burning or oily odours.
• When you switch on the oven, smoke arises.

The Most Effective Methods to Clean an Oven

The best technique to clean your oven depends on the ingredients you use and how dirty it is when you start. Here’s an overview of the three best methods for cleaning an oven:

Using self-cleaning Feature

A self-cleaning option on an electric oven is a way to clean a slightly dirty oven. (Not every gas range includes these features, such as a self-cleaning oven.) It works by melting away tiny amounts of grease and filth in your oven at extremely high temperatures. Do not use this approach if your oven is very dirty, as the high heat might emit fumes and cause huge amounts of grease and food residue to smoke or catch fire.

Using A commercial cleaner

Contains potent components and is the finest way to clean a particularly dirty oven.

Using Natural Oven Cleaner

If you’re concerned about the components in commercial cleaners or if your oven is not extremely dirty, you can clean an oven without using an oven cleaner by using natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar, but this method needs more scrubbing effort.

Things you’ll need

• Protective gloves and safety glasses are essential when you clean the inside of your oven.
• Sponge or microfiber cloths
• Bucket or large tub
• Small bowl
• Spray bottle
• Paintbrush (optional)
• Baking soda
• Distilled white vinegar
• Paper towels or newspapers
• Pumice stone (optional) for scrubbing the oven door.

How to Clean an Oven with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Step 1: Clear the oven and cover the surfaces.

Take out the oven racks and any things that were stored in the oven. To catch drips, place paper towels or newspapers on the floor underneath the entire oven.

Step 2: Prepare a baking soda paste.

To make a paste for deep cleaning your oven, combine 1/2 cup baking soda and 2 tablespoons warm water (use more or less) in a small bowl. If your oven is big, mix a second batch.

Step 3: Apply the paste.

Wear gloves as you apply the paste with your hands or an old paintbrush on all surfaces of the oven, including the door, to ensure the entire oven is covered. Do not apply the paste to any electric heating devices or gas vents.

Close the door and let the paste settle for eight to ten hours.

Step 4: Clean the racks.

Place the racks in your sinks or bathtub and spray with distilled white vinegar. Sprinkle dry baking soda over the mixture and let it foam.

When the foaming has stopped, fill the tub with hot water until the racks are completely submerged. Allow them to soak for 8-10 hours.

Step 5: Clean the oven and the racks.

Open the oven and use a wet sponge or cloth to wipe out all surfaces. Scrub stuck-on food with a melamine sponge or spritz with vinegar and add some dried baking soda so the foaming action loosens the dirt.

Take out the racks from the soaking warm water and wipe with a rag to remove any filth and grime thoroughly. Dry the racks and return them to the oven.

Step 6: Using a Pumice Stone to Remove Burnt Bits.

Scrape burnt-on particles off poorly filthy ovens with a pumice stone to avoid harming the surface. Before scraping with a pumice stone, ensure that the oven door is well-lubricated with warm water. Pumice can scrape away carbon deposits, which are normally cleaned with harsh chemicals.

How to Clean an Oven Using Commercial Oven Cleaner

Remove the oven racks and accessories, put on protective gloves and safety glasses, and ventilate the kitchen through the stove hood and open windows. Keep paper towels on hand to catch drips.

Spray the inside of the oven as directed on the product label. Close the door and take 20 to 30 minutes for the foam to work. While you wait, clean the oven racks.

Wipe the inside of the oven and replace the racks. Check the label to find out when your oven is safe to use after cleaning.

How to Use the Self-Cleaning Feature in an Oven

The self-cleaning feature locks your oven and heats it to 280 degrees Celsius or higher. Excessive heat dissolves and burns off grease and filth.

After around two hours, you will have white ash in the bottom of the oven which must be removed after the oven releases and cools, indicating a successful self-cleaning oven cycle.

You should never leave the house with the self-cleaning feature activated. Be careful not to touch the oven again until it has cooled.

Ways to Maintain a Clean Oven for a Longer Time

Clean your oven on a regular basis to prevent it from becoming too dirty in between deep cleans. To keep your oven clean for longer, follow these additional tips:

• Wrap the bottom of the oven with aluminium foil or oven liners to catch grease and oils that leak. After baking, remove the foil or liners.
• Avoid overfilling your baking pans to allow for the food to bubble up without spilling while cooking.
• To prevent splatters while baking, cover baking pans with oven-safe lids or aluminium foil.
• Roasting bags help to keep splatters contained while also adding flavour to your dish.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of salt over any liquid that boils over from a baking dish or pie. Once the oven has cooled, use a spatula to remove the salty residue. It will be far easier to remove than a hard, baked-on stain.
• After you’ve finished baking, clean your oven with steam. It’s a simple technique to safely remove little amounts of filth, but be careful when taking the bowl of water from the oven after usage.