Cleaning Your Oven Without Poisonous, Earth Destroying Chemicals

Intro: Cleaning Your Oven Without Poisonous, Earth Destroying Chemicals

A few steps on how to quickly get rid of the grime and debris that make your kitchen smell horrible every time you turn on your oven. 


Things You Will Need

• Baking Soda
• Vinegar 
• A bowl or a squirt bottle (Preferably a squirt bottle)
• A dirty oven
• A spatula
  

STEP 1:

First things first
Remove the racks. Using a spatula, scrape up as much of the debris as you can, and throw it away. Most of the big stuff should come up pretty easy. Tip: move the trash can closer to the oven....

THEN

Using about a cup of baking soda, more or less depending on the size of your oven, sprinkle it all over the floor of your oven. 

THEN

This is where a squirt bottle comes in handy. Spray vinegar all over the baking soda. Use your fingers or a rubber spatula to spread the baking soda around so that it comes into contact with the vinegar and every dirty part of your oven floor. Let sit for 10-20 minutes. 


(alternative: Mix vinegar and baking soda in a bowl to form a paste, and then spread that over your oven floor. Make sure to pour the vinegar slowly because it fizzes up pretty high.)

STEP 2: Scrub a Dub Dub

Get a scrubbing pad (I used one of those metal curly wiry ones...) and scrub in a CIRCULAR motion, rather than back and forth -- this will make your job go by so much more quickly. Grime should come off pretty easily...  


When you can slide the pad gently all over the oven floor and no longer feel any rough patches, you are ready to clean up the excess baking soda/vinegar mixture.

Use a damp sponge and get it all out of there! 

You will have to keep rinsing off the sponge... 

STEP 3: Before and After

Comments

[JennelleH1]

Another tip with baking soda and vinegar( or ammonia) is if ur stove top burners are the ones with grates u can fill a scalable plastic bag with the viniger or ammonia and sprinkle baking soda on each grate(each grate gets its own bag). Seal them up and let them sit over night fully immersed in the liquid. The next day (with out rinsing) scrub the grates . if they aren't beyond saving it should come off a lot easier.(I also use this trick on the burner metal protective trays . those are murder to get clean with out this trick.

[josephv68]

I’ve read somewhere that if you mix baking soda and vinegar you get simply salt water. I guess I would suggest a two step process. Do the baking soda with water and wipe it down. Then do the vinegar

[jamie7963]

Hi I don't mean to spoil this for you, but if you buy a silicone rubber matt, you can leave it in your oven at the bottom and it will collect all the grease dripping down from your food and all you need to do to clean it is wipe it off.

[jamie7963]

It's non flammable and will last forever

[PattyP17]

Well, as long as it is not heated above 500 degrees. Some people have ruined their ovens by someone in the household starting the cleaning cycle. I did a lot of research about 1.5 years ago on this and there are some types of newer ovens one cannot use silicone mats in, even if you aren't going to muse the cleaning cycle. Best to read owner's manual.

[Lifaeen]

I never heard about an oven with a cleaning cycle...
How does it work?

[PattyP17]

Many oven models, for over 40 years, have had a cleaning cycle. Basically, you engage locks so no one can open and pick the length of cycle for how dirty the oven is, two, four, or six hours. The idea is that the oven comes on at 500 degrees or more and the burnt-on stuff is supposed to be burned to ash. It uses a lot of electricity, and in my experience only ends up damaging the metal insides over time. Overall, putting a mat in the bottom and cleaning like you illustrate are the best ways overall.

[PattyP17]

There are a few types of ovens now that silicone mats will ruin. I fdid a lot of research and read a lot of Amazon reviews ... but my brain leaks and I don't remember it all. I do remember that normal ovens with the usual electric elements are usually okay for silicone mats, as loong as the oven ois not but above a certain temp (450?).

[whisperonthewind]

Interestingly, I use vinegar and baking soda followed by hot water to clean out and deodorize my sink drains but never thought about it as an oven cleaner! Wow, the things we learn from the younger generations...

[aactech]

I noticed no sign of scratching fropm the blade. The original shinny gloss was still on the finish.

[Raksab]

There is a way that is even easier than this! A lot of ovens have a "self-clean" setting, and the ones that don't, just turn them up as hot as they will go (500 degrees Fahrenheit or higher) and leave it on for a couple hours. All the gunk in the oven will burn to ash. Then you just have to turn it off, let it cool, and wipe away the ashes with a damp cloth.

[PattyP17]

The problem with turning your oveen on that high for a long time is that it shortens the life oif the oven, whether using the regular highest setting or the cleaning cycle.

[ejarrell]

I'll have to try that!

[joan.lolley]

How do you clean the baked on grease splatters from the glass inside the oven? I've tried everything, including a straight blade scraper with no results. Please help!

[PattyP17]

Spray with an ammonia product and let sit. Maybe add some Dawn blue dishwashing liquid. Use a green nylon scrubbie and most or all of it comes off. Rinse and repeat if necessary. Additionally, most oven doors lift right off and may be cleaned more easily if laid over the dining table or a work bench. Get help lifting it unless you are very strong. They can be quite heavy.

[deb.browne.37]

I was helping my daughter clean her apt. for her exit inspection, when I realized the oven was a mess. We had used up all the baking soda in the bathrooms so I used a old trick I learned in home-ec for cleaning burnt on pans. Cream of tartar! mixed to a watery paste and applied to to the oven then turn on 350 for about 30 mins and the crusty residue wiped right up.

[PattyP17]

Thanks! I'm going to do that!

[sara.dellenbaugh1]

Yeah i tryed that i guess my oven never got cleaned by the previous owners so its really caked on what should i do!

[marybutler2004]

I HAVE INSPECTION IN 2 DAYS AND WAS NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO CLEANING MY OVEN SO THIS MAKES ME MORE AMENABLE TO CLEANING...ALSO APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CAN LEAVE A FRESH SCENT WHILE CLEANING, THANKS FOR YOUR INSTRUCT-ABLE. WILL DEF CLEAN MY OVEN TOMORROW NIGHT WHEN I DO MY KITCHEN.

[porcupinemamma]

Who the heck is inspecting your oven? you poor thing!