How to clean an oven quickly (inside and outside): Tips to Clean Your Oven

A dirty oven not only looks bad, but it should be kept clean for several functional reasons. Your oven can become less efficient and a fire hazard if old food is stuck in it. Dishes will take longer to cook, and the flavour of the pies you’ve just baked may change.

It’s time to master oven cleaning once and for all, whether you’ve made a terrible mess because of a recipe mistake or you just haven’t done it in a while. And Jacob Dillard, an engineer from Appliance Repair Expert, will help us out by sharing some effective tips.

How often to clean an oven?

How often should the oven be cleaned? This is a common question. There are three obvious signs that it’s time to clean the oven:

1. Appearance. Do you see crust or material residue on the oven? Is there grease or dirt smeared on the door?
2. Odour. Do you notice a certain aroma when you turn on your oven? If you haven’t even started cooking yet, if you smell something unpleasant, chances are there is still grease, dirt, or food in the oven.
3. Smoke. This might also be a symptom of accumulation as a clean oven shouldn’t smoulder.

How often you clean your oven depends on how often you use it. A general rule of thumb is to clean it every three months for avid cooks and bakers who use the oven frequently. If you use the oven infrequently (say, a few times a month), cleaning it once or twice a year is sufficient. Of course, watch for the warning signs mentioned above, and if something unusual happens, don’t put off cleaning it because not much time has passed.

Traditional Cleaning Routine

Some older models of ovens do not have a self-cleaning function. They should be thoroughly cleaned using traditional methods, the ones our grandmothers used. This approach will require effort, but there are various effective cleaning products available on the market today. They can make the task easier if you don’t mind using some chemicals. If you are environmentally minded, you can resort to some eco-friendly methods. Let’s see how to clean the oven with natural products (no chemicals) and with store-bought cleaners.

How to Clean an Oven With a Commercial Oven Cleaner

Remove everything from the oven

Remove any pans you may have stored in the oven, as well as all kitchen utensils.

Wear protective clothing

Many industrial cleaners are made with strong chemicals that can damage the eyes and cause skin irritation. Wear gloves and safety glasses to protect your eyes.
To prevent spills from damaging the flooring, place newspaper or paper towels on the area of the floor closest to the oven. Include a fan in the hood to keep the kitchen well ventilated.

Spray the oven with oven cleaner

Spray inside the oven, covering all surfaces, including the door, according to the oven manual. Avoid spraying cleaner on gas vents or electric heaters. If you have an electric oven, lift the heating elements up and spray under them, not directly on them. Do not spray where gas escapes if you have a gas oven. When you’re done, close the oven. Shut the door. Most cleaners do their job within 20-30 minutes.

Oven Racks: Clean

All ovens have racks that need to be thoroughly cleaned each time they are used. The best way to avoid tedious cleaning is to clean the rack as often as possible, say, after each cooking. You can remove the grates from the oven and soak them in hot, soapy water for a while. The grease will become soft and dissolve. After that, take the racks out, wash them, dry them, and put them back in place in the broiler compartment.

Another way: if possible, take the oven racks outside and spray them with a cleaning agent. Be sure to spray the racks on all sides. Cover each rack tightly with a garbage bag, then place it inside for 20-30 minutes.

Wipe Down the Oven and Racks

After the required time has elapsed, wipe all internal surfaces of the oven, including the grids, with a damp cloth or sponge. Use a damp melamine eraser to scrape off food residue if it is still stuck to the surface. The sponge should be rinsed constantly in clean water while in operation.

Put everything back

When everything has been cleaned, put the rack back in the oven and it’s ready for use.

How to Clean the Oven With Baking Soda and Vinegar

Clean the oven and its surface

Remove all objects from the oven, including the racks. To collect any drips, spread out some newspaper or paper towels on the floor.

Make a paste of baking soda

To make a spreadable paste, add two teaspoons of water and half a cup of baking soda to a small bowl. If your oven is quite large, you may need a second batch of the mixture.

Spread the paste

Wearing gloves, apply the paste on the oven’s interior surfaces, including the door, avoiding the electrical heating components and gas vents. The paste should be left to sit for eight to ten hours with the door closed.

Handle the Racks

Put some distilled white vinegar on the coasters and place them in the sink or tub. Sprinkle some dry baking soda on top, then watch the foaming process. Fill the tub with hot water until the coasters are completely submerged, when the foaming stops. Give them eight to ten hours to soak.

Clean the racks and the oven

Open the oven and wipe all surfaces with a damp sponge or towel. Use a sponge to remove stuck food, or spritz the area with a little vinegar and dry baking soda.

After taking the racks out of the water, wipe each side with a sponge to get rid of the dirt. After drying, put the racks back in the oven.

How to clean an oven with a lemon

Cleaning the oven with the help of lemon is simple and effective.

1. Take a bowl and fill it in about half with lemon juice.
2. Mix the juice with a little water.
3. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray and heat your oven to about 120 degrees.
4. Once the lemon water has evaporated, use a damp cloth to wipe away the burnt-on stains.

How to use the oven’s self-cleaning mode

Your oven may be equipped with a self-cleaning mode. If you decide to use this feature, you will probably want to read the included manual for further instructions. However, you should also be aware that this method can cause significant damage to your oven if used incorrectly. Therefore, we advise you to use this feature as infrequently as possible. It is better to resort to frequent standard cleaning procedures, such as soapy water, preventing dirt from accumulating on the surface and components of your oven.

If your oven is just a little dirty, self-cleaning can be a useful tool.

Pressing the self-clean button locks the oven and heats it up. However, if a lot of grease has accumulated on the bottom, it can have the opposite effect and produce smoke and, in extreme cases, a fire. The heat helps dissolve and remove grease and dirt.

The frequency of using and cleaning the oven has a significant effect. For your safety, we recommend cleaning the oven yourself if you have not cleaned it in a long time and it is covered with stuck food and grease residues.

Before using the self-cleaning function, remove the grids and clean them manually (see instructions above). Stay indoors during the self-cleaning cycle as it can take up to two hours (the exact duration depends on the type of oven you have). At the end of the cycle, there will be white ash on the bottom which must be removed once the oven has cooled down.

How to clean the oven with steam

We assume that you have used this method before, and you are well aware of the excellent cleaning results when you use it to get rid of a thick grease coating. If not, all you have to do is pour some water over the bottom of the broiler. Turn on the oven’s steam cycle, bring the water to a boil, and let the steam that forms fill the compartment. It will dissolve all the grease on your oven and you can easily wipe it off with a napkin. Some recommend adding a slice of lemon to make it easier to clean.

How to clean the oven glass inside, outside, and in between

Not sure how to clean your oven glass? Finally, your oven will sparkle clean thanks to this step-by-step guide.

Items needed:

• White vinegar or other glass cleaners
• Half a cup of baking soda
• Scouring pad
• Paper towel

Instructions for cleaning the oven glass:

1. Spritz the outer glass with vinegar and wipe with paper towels.
2. Clean the inside of the oven with a cleaning pad, using the “hack” below.
3. Sprinkle the inside of the oven with a generous amount of baking soda.
4. Use a damp sponge to make a paste and rub it into the oven glass.
5. Leave the paste for twenty minutes to allow the dirt to loosen.
6. Wipe the oven glass with a damp paper towel to remove the paste.

Cleaning between the oven glass layers

Feel around the bottom edge of the bottom drawer of your oven to find holes there.

To clean it, put a long wooden skewer in that spot and apply a cleaning agent, a damp cloth or a sponge to the end. If you use a metal clothes hanger to do this, be careful because if you’re not, you can easily scratch the glass.

Cleaning the inside of the oven door

Most of the dirt accumulates on the inside of the oven door. But since we have baking soda, that’s not a problem. Sprinkle it generously over the glass.

Use a damp sponge to make a paste and then clean the glass completely with it. This will take some work, but many people prefer this approach to the use of chemicals. If the oven glass is very dirty, you can leave the paste on the door for 20 minutes. This will give it time to work.

The oven door is now clean after you use moist paper towels to wipe it down.

How to keep your oven clean between cleanings

Even if you now know how to thoroughly clean your oven, still try to avoid problems in the first place. As a general rule, when baking pies and casseroles, place baking sheets on the lowest racks to collect anything that might spill out. Cover pans with lids or aluminum foil to prevent splattering. When you first notice spilled liquid, sprinkle it gently with table salt while it’s still warm to absorb it. When the oven has cooled, wipe it down with a damp sponge or towel.

Author: Jacob Dillard

My name is Jacob Dillard, and I am the author of articles at Appliance Repair Expert. Since childhood, I have been fascinated by technology and spent much time reading different books and trying to repair my first CD player. Then, I graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Applied Science and Engineering. In a year, I got my first job as a technician at an appliance repair company. After years of practice and working with professionals, I decided it was time to share my knowledge and experience here at Appliance Repair Expert. I want to help you understand everything related to appliance repair, maintenance and installation in the simplest way possible. It will be fun, believe me!