How to Clean an Oven in 6 Steps

Depending on how often you use your oven, it should be cleaned every three to four months. Cleaning the inside of your oven is an important task that not only removes grime and buildup from your oven, but can also help prevent harmful smoke emissions or grease fires.

If you have a textured or self-cleaning oven, harsh chemical agents may affect the coating, so be mindful of using any store-bought cleaning products with added caustic chemicals. Before you use any cleaning products on your oven, make sure to read your appliance manual thoroughly.

The materials you use to clean your oven will depend on the type of oven that you have. For example, you may need to use a pumice on metal grates, while cleaning rags are fine for glass. Here is a general overview of the materials you will need to clean your oven with a DIY paste made out of vinegar, baking soda, and water.

1. 1. Gloves: Whether you use a store-bought cleaner or try a less harsh DIY solution, you should wear thick, non-disposable rubber gloves and goggles to keep your hands and eyes safe from any potential irritants. Line the floor beneath your oven with paper towels or newspapers to catch any excess drippings.
2. 2. Cleaning solution ingredients: You can make an effective grease-cutting paste from simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry. All you need is white vinegar, baking soda, and water. You can also add dish soap to your solutions for extra grease-cutting power. Over-the-counter oven cleaners are also available at the grocery store, but these typically contain a number of harmful chemical additives.
3. 3. Cleaning tools: In addition to a damp washcloth or cleaning towel, you will need a scouring pad or toothbrush to wash away any oil or food residue from your oven door or metal grates.

Cleaning an oven the DIY way can take a little bit of extra time and elbow grease, but it’s worth it for those who would rather not (or can’t) use store-bought chemicals in their home. Here is a step-by-step guide for a natural cleaning method that only requires a few things you already likely have lying around your home.

1. 1. Take everything out of the oven. Make sure your oven is fully cooled before you attempt to clean it. Remove any racks, pots, pans, or thermometers that are inside of your oven so that you have a clear workspace.
2. 2. Prepare your baking soda paste. Mix about three tablespoons of water for every half a cup of baking soda to make your paste (or however much you need to form a paste with good spreadability) inside of a small bowl. Make sure you have enough paste to cover the interior surface of your oven.
3. 3. Apply the paste to the inside of the oven. While wearing gloves, use your hands to apply the cleaning paste to every part of your oven’s interior. Do not apply the substance directly onto the oven’s heating elements like the gas valve or the electrical grate. Let the paste sit in the oven for at least ten hours.
4. 4. Apply the paste to your oven racks. You can also use the cleaning paste to remove grime from the grates you’ve removed from your oven. Inside of a bathtub or basin, spread your cleaning paste onto your oven racks then spray them with a spray bottle filled with vinegar. The surfaces will begin to foam. After the foaming subsides, place the racks into a bath of hot water and dishwashing liquid. Let the racks soak overnight.
5. 5. Wipe or scrub your oven. After you have treated your oven racks, wipe them all down with a warm, damp cloth. Use an abrasive sponge or pumice to scrub away any stubborn stains. Spray any difficult-to-remove clumps of paste with the spray bottle of vinegar to foam them up, then wipe them away. Wipe down all the surfaces of your oven and stovetop with your damp towel. Dry your racks with some paper towels or a dry towel and return them to your oven.
6. 6. Use glass cleaner (optional). Finish the job up by spritzing a bit of window cleaner on the outside of your oven door. If you don’t have that, you can make a DIY cleaning solution using rubbing alcohol, water, and vinegar. Spritz the solution on your oven’s glass door, and wipe the surface down with a damp cloth.

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