Does your oven desperately need cleaning, but you don’t know where to start? You are not alone. Cleaning the oven is a task that often takes a lot of time and effort.
When your oven has caked-on grease, ash coating the bottom, and a door that has become less-than-see-through, how do you begin to clean it?
In this guide, we will go over all our oven cleaning tips from start to finish so you can clean yours more easily.
Keep reading to learn seven of our best oven cleaning tips.
1. Use the Self-Cleaning Function
Most ovens these days come with a helpful self-cleaning function. This feature locks your oven for up to five hours while heating to around 800 degrees. The extreme heat incinerates any food or grime stuck in your oven.
When all of it has burned off and the oven has cooled down, you can simply wipe out the ash. Typically, this gets most, if not all, of the unwanted muck out of your oven.
One drawback of this easy oven cleaning tip is that your oven uses a lot of energy to get very hot. We do not recommend doing this during the hot summer months. In addition, it can let out a strong, smokey odor.
You will likely still need to do more cleaning after the self-cleaning cycle. Baked on grease and stains require extra attention and elbow grease.
2. Vacuum up the Crumbs
Whether you use your oven’s self-cleaning feature or not, vacuuming is the easiest way to remove leftover ash or crumbs. Don’t strain yourself reaching to the back of the oven with a wet rag just yet.
Use the long hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner to suck up as much debris as possible. Our oven cleaning advice is to use a brush attachment to dislodge stuck-on crumbs before you get to scrubbing.
If you don’t have a brush attachment, you can use another dry brush or sponge to scrape off the gunk before going back in with your vacuum’s hose.
3. Soak the Racks
Before you began vacuuming, you should have removed all the racks out of the oven for easier access. The easiest way to start cleaning them is to soak them in your sink.
Don’t waste your time scrubbing and wiping them right away. By leaving your oven racks in a sink full of hot water and dish soap, much of the job can be done while you attend to other tasks.
The longer you can let your racks soak the better. If you can leave them overnight, they will be almost clean by morning. All you have to do is scrub off what is left, and you’ll have oven racks that look almost new.
4. Don’t Forget the Smaller Parts
Smaller parts of your oven like the oven knobs need cleaning too. You should avoid spraying them directly with a household cleaner. Doing this can lead to short outs in the control panel when the liquid eventually gets back there.
Instead, remove and soak them in a bowl with warm water and dish soap. Soak them for an hour or longer. Then remove them, scrub each knob, then rinse.
Allow the knobs to fully dry before putting them back on your oven.
If you are nervous about removing your knobs from your oven, there is another way. Get a damp washcloth and spray it with a cleaning solution. Then, carefully wipe down your knobs and dry each with a dry towel.
5. Get to Work on the Door
There are many ways to clean the inside and outside of your oven door. The outside of the door normally requires a simple wipe down with a wet rag to become clean. The inside takes quite a bit more work.
Magic erasers can do a great job cleaning the inside of your oven. Yet, if you don’t have any handy, there are plenty of other ways to get the job done.
The humble dishwasher tablet is one way to clean your oven door. Make sure you wear gloves if you try this because their active ingredient is often bleach.
Start by dipping your tablet in a bowl of warm water. Then, scrape at any grease stains to remove them. You can use the edge to get hard-to-remove stains or the flat bottom to quickly scrub the entire door.
One natural oven cleaning tip to clean your oven door involves baking soda and water. Create a paste in a bowl, then wipe it all over the door. Don’t scrub just yet! Let the mixture sit on the door for at least thirty minutes.
When your timer is up, wipe it off with a damp towel and again with a dry towel. This is a trick all professional cleaners know about. Afterward, your door should be sparkling clean.
6. Cleaning the Stovetop
You likely have one of two stovetops. It’s either a smooth-top range or a coil cooktop. Smooth-top glass and ceramic ranges are much easier to clean than the coil cooktop.
If you have stuck on grime, all you need is a razor. Simply scrape off the gunk and wipe the rest of your stovetop clean with a microfiber rag.
Coil cooktops can be cleaned by first removing all your burners and drip pans. Soak or replace your drip pans depending on your preference. Then wipe each of your burners with a damp cloth and cleaning solution.
While the burners and drip pans are off the stovetop, thoroughly wipe down the surface of your stove. Replace everything and your coil cooktop should look much cleaner after using these oven cleaning tips.
7. Keep Your Oven Cleaner Longer
Once you’ve gone through all this work to clean your oven, you’ll want to keep it clean for as long as possible. Here is a list of a few actions you can take to save your oven from extra grease, grime, and crumbs.
- Buy oven liners
- Use a roasting tray to catch flying grease
- Don’t overfill your casserole dishes
- Wipe down the outside after each meal
- Use lids on your dishes when cooking inside your oven
Your oven will struggle if you are the only one taking action. Ask your husband, older children, or roommates to clean up when they use the oven. Wiping the stovetop, knobs, and door can keep your oven cleaner longer.
Get More Oven Cleaning Tips
When you use all these oven cleaning tips, you may be surprised how clean your oven can get. Even though the process can be extensive and dirty, you’ll be proud of the work you have done.
If you need extra help keeping areas like your kitchen clean, Detail Cleaning Services in the Houston area is ready to assist. Our certified cleaning staff takes pride in their work and will do everything to make your house shine.
Contact us today to request an estimate and experience great maid service.
