Taking care of the appliances in your kitchen is essential to creating a space that sparkles. Unfortunately, not many people know the proper way to take care of appliances like their oven. Food can get baked into the surfaces of this tricky appliance, making it difficult to keep it clean.

If you want a kitchen that shines, you need to know these best home remedies to clean an oven.

Many people wonder how often it is necessary to tackle this cleaning project. Experts typically recommend scrubbing your oven clean, inside and out, at least two times per year. In between deep cleanings, you should wipe it down once a month at least. Some homeowners prefer to just wipe things down when they begin to look less than clean.

From the best natural ways to clean your oven to those that are tried and true, you can walk through this guide to find the way that works best for your oven. These home remedies are sure to be something that you can take into your kitchen for sparkling results.

What Are Some Home Remedies to Clean an Oven on the Inside?

You baked a pizza and the cheese fell to the bottom of the oven, permanently attaching itself to the metal surface. Maybe you had a casserole that bubbled over. No matter how those nasty food particles got there, it’s time to banish them for good with some of these easy home remedies to clean an oven on the inside.

Baking Soda Method

cleaning oven with baking soda

If your oven has a self-cleaning feature, you might be tempted to use it. After all, isn’t that what it’s there for? Unfortunately, this can create a pungent odor that is difficult to eradicate. You may instead prefer to scrub your oven clean using a more natural approach with this baking soda alternative.

  1. Clear the space. Start by removing all of the racks and accouterments from your oven. You want to be able to reach all the way around your oven without anything impeding you. These items can be cleaned separately.
  2. Make your paste. Mix together a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until you have the consistency of a thick paste. Make sure that it is thick enough to make a paste but thin enough that you can spread it around.
  3. Spread it out. Spread the paste over the entire oven, excluding the heating elements.
  4. Let it sit overnight or at least twelve hours.
  5. Make your first wipe-down. Using a damp dishcloth, wipe down the baking soda mixture in the morning. You may need a plastic spatula or scraper in order to get rid of especially stubborn spots. However, most of the grease and grime should come off easily with your rag.
  6. Bring in the back-up. Spritz the inside of the oven with a little vinegar, paying attention to areas that still have baking soda attached. The end result should be a little bit of foam.
  7. Make the final wipe-down. Wipe down your oven one more time, making sure to thoroughly remove all of the baking soda and vinegar from the oven.

As you can see, it takes very little time and few ingredients to effectively clean the inside of your oven. Home remedies to clean your oven can be especially effective.

How to Clean an Oven with Lemon

How to Clean an Oven with Lemon

Do you want to make your house smell amazing while you do your cleaning? Choose the lemon method for another effective home remedy to clean an oven. Your guests and family members will smell the bright citrus scent of the lemon, and you’ll know that your oven is thoroughly clean.

Citrus oil is naturally able to cut through the grease and grime that your oven has stored up over the long months of use. You can cash in on that natural tendency with just a handful of steps and two lemons.

First, you cut the two lemons in half and squeeze the juices into a baking pan filled up a third of the way with water. Stick this pan into the oven and bake it at a low 250 degrees for thirty minutes or longer based on how dirty your oven is. During this time, your lemon juice will attach itself to the grime and cause it to loosen from the walls of your oven.

When the time is up, turn off the oven and remove the pan. Remember to save the liquid from the pan to wipe down the rest of the oven later. Wait for the oven to cool down before you move forward.

Get ready to put in a little elbow grease! Take your scouring pad or scrub brush and go to town getting rid of that leftover gunk. A rubber spatula or scraper may be necessary to get rid of large chunks of baked-on food. Use the leftover lemon water to wipe down the oven as many times as you need to until it comes out clean.

When you finally finish, dry everything off with a towel.

Home Remedies for Cleaning an Oven with Ammonia

clean oven with ammonia

Some people prefer to use stronger chemicals to get their oven clean quickly. This method requires you to plan ahead and set up your cleaning materials overnight. It should only be used on an electric oven. Gas ovens can be cleaned with ammonia but you must make sure the pilot lights are out and you must shut off the main gas lines.

First, you must turn on the oven to a low temperature such as 150 to 200 degrees. Place ½ cup of ammonia on the top shelf and a large pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf. Allow these two bowls to sit in the heated oven overnight.

In the morning, you can remove the bowls and turn off the oven. Allow it to air out for a little while and then wipe the inside of the oven down using the ammonia and some dishwashing liquid that has been diluted with the warm water.

You may need to scrape some particularly grimy areas clean, but most of the grease should simply melt away. Ammonia is a strong cleaner and can easily loosen up old dirt, debris, and grease that have been sitting in the bottom of your oven.

Cleaning your oven racks with ammonia is also a breeze. Simply remove them and place them in a large tub of water mixed with ½ cup of ammonia. They only need to soak for fifteen to thirty minutes to loosen up their grime. Then, all you need to do is wipe them clean for oven racks that shine like new.

The Chemical Way

Krud Kutter 305373 Kitchen Degreaser All-Purpose Cleaner

However, you might prefer a store-bought oven cleaner that can attack grease and grime head-on. If this is the case, you should look for a bottle of Krud Kutter (on Amazon). This heavy-duty formula is perfect for just about anything. You can use it to wipe down your kitchen counters, remove food and drink stains, and even clean out your oven or grill. This is another handy solution that can help you to tackle cleaning your oven.

Many consumers feel like they need store-bought cleaners and harsh chemicals to get their oven properly clean. However, you can do an equally amazing job with lemon or baking soda instead. It simply takes some time to allow your ingredients to soak and a little bit of force to get rid of those stubborn spots.

Home Remedies to Clean Oven Racks

Home Remedies to Clean Oven Racks

Now that you know how to clean the interior of the oven, you should really learn how to make those oven racks shine again. Over time, your oven racks can accumulate the same grease and grime that your oven does. It’s time to show them a little love with a few of these top tips for getting them shining once again.

  1. Remove the racks. The first thing you need to do is remove the racks from the oven. You won’t be able to get them thoroughly scrubbed while they are trapped inside the oven.
  2. Soak them in warm water. Fill your sink or a large container with warm water and dish detergent. Allow the racks to soak in the solution for a few hours. This should help to loosen up some of the build-ups from months (or years!) of use.
  3. Scrub them. It’s time to put a little bit of elbow grease into cleaning those oven racks. The solution simply isn’t going to do the hard work for you. Choose a heavy-duty scrubber like this OXO Good Grips All-Purpose Scrub Brush. Combined with your own strength, this will help you to eliminate that built-on grease.
  4. Apply the paste. If you still have stubborn spots on stainless steel racks, you can apply some of your baking powder paste. Allow it to soak on the racks for a few hours before washing them clean and scrubbing them one more time.

Home Remedies to Clean an Oven Door

Cleaning kitchen oven

Is the door to your oven just as splattered as the rest? You might need to give this part of your appliance a little time and attention as well. After all, you want a completely spotless oven when everything is said and done. Ignoring the oven door is a major mistake that many individuals make when it comes time to clean their oven.

Fortunately, cleaning your oven door is even easier than using natural home remedies to clean the oven.

  1. Get prepared. Start with the oven in off mode. This cleaning is best performed once the oven is cooled down from the cleaning you did earlier. Open the door all the way and wipe down what you can with a damp rag to get rid of loose splattered food and crumbs.
  2. Make your mixture. Mix one cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to create a paste. It should come out to the consistency of shaving cream.
  3. Apply the paste. Cover the oven door with your new paste and allow it to rest here for thirty minutes.
  4. Rinse well. Using a clean rag, rinse the oven door thoroughly with water until no traces of the baking soda remain. Wipe the surface dry with a separate rag.
  5. Take care of stubborn food particles. If food particles still remain on the oven door, you may need a razor blade or plastic spatula to help you scrape them from the glass. Do so gently to avoid scratching the glass and creating a long-term problem. Wipe off these food particles as they come loose.

By the time you’re done with these steps, your oven door should be gleaming. The glass will be so clean that you can easily see your reflection in it!

The Final Verdict on Home Remedies to Clean an Oven

When it comes to cleaning your oven, there are many different ways to go about it. You can get your oven to look like new again whether you prefer a natural remedy like lemon or a more chemical approach like ammonia. It only takes a few hours and some effort to get rid of the build-up that has taken over your oven.

Prevention is really key when it comes to keeping a clean oven. Make sure that casserole pans don’t overflow by placing a baking sheet beneath them. Place a layer of aluminum foil on the bottom racks to prevent food particles from falling out of your pan. With just a few simple preventative actions, you can prolong the amount of time between oven cleanings.

When you are ready to clean your oven, you have plenty of options in your arsenal. Choose the method that works best for you and your home. You probably already have many of these ingredients on hand in your pantry or under the kitchen sink. These home remedies to clean an oven couldn’t be any easier for you to use.

Last update on 2024-04-23 at 21:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API