Category: Kitchen Cleaning

  • How to Clean an Oven Naturally

    How to Clean an Oven Naturally

    You do not need harsh chemical oven cleaner to get a clean oven. Baking soda and vinegar, plus a little time, will lift baked-on grease and burnt food safely and cheaply. This method works for most standard ovens, including the door glass.

    What you need

    • Baking soda
    • White vinegar in a spray bottle
    • Water
    • A non-scratch sponge or cloth
    • A spatula or old credit card for loose debris
    • Rubber gloves

    Step-by-step: clean your oven naturally

    1. Remove racks and loose debris. Take out the oven racks and scrape out any loose burnt food. Soak the racks in hot soapy water in the sink or bath while you clean the oven.
    2. Make a baking soda paste. Mix about half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until it forms a thick, spreadable paste.
    3. Coat the inside of the oven. Spread the paste over the oven walls, floor, and door, avoiding the heating elements and any gas vents. Use gloves and a spatula or cloth to reach the back corners.
    4. Leave it overnight if you can. Leave the paste for at least 4 hours, or overnight for a very dirty oven. The baking soda softens grease and burnt-on food so it wipes away instead of needing hard scrubbing.
    5. Wipe it out. Use a damp cloth or sponge to wipe away the dried paste and loosened grime. Rinse the cloth often. A spatula helps with stubborn patches.
    6. Spray with vinegar. Spray white vinegar over any remaining baking soda residue. It will fizz, which helps lift the last traces. Wipe clean with a damp cloth, then dry with a clean towel.
    7. Clean the racks and put them back. Scrub the soaked racks, rinse, dry, and return them to the oven. Run the oven empty at 120C for 10 minutes to dry it fully and remove any vinegar smell.

    For the oven door glass

    Use the same baking soda paste on the inside of the glass, leave it for 30 minutes, then wipe and spray with vinegar. For brown marks between the glass panels, this surface method will not reach them; check your oven manual before removing the door.

    What NOT to do

    Do not use a steel scourer on enamel or glass, do not spray vinegar directly into vents or on heating elements, and never mix baking soda paste with a commercial oven cleaner. If your oven has a self-cleaning cycle, follow the manual instead of using this method at the same time.

    For a regular routine that keeps the oven from getting this dirty again, see our Cleaning Schedule Generator.