Brits put off oven cleaning for 1.5 years – THIS is how to do it quickly & easily!
With a breakout number of searches for ‘oven cleaning near me’ in the last 30 days [according to Google trends], End of Tenancy London was eager to provide top tips on how to clean your oven easily and quickly – alongside advice on cleaning with natural products!
How often should you clean your oven?
It’s a job that most people put off for months, but that’s the problem. Leaving long gaps between your oven cleaning will make the job much harder and tedious. Therefore, the key is to clean your oven little and often.
Our team recommends wiping down your oven – at the very least – once a month. Furthermore, if you have cooked something that has caused a mess in your oven, it’s a good idea to wipe down the appliance once it has cooled.
Another sign of a dirty oven is a burning smell when it is turned on and pre-heating. In this case, it’s a good idea to wipe it down (when it’s cooled) to make it spick-and-span.
How to clean the inside of an oven
We all know that the inside of your oven is the area most prone to grime, dirt, and grease. Follow these simple steps to get your oven looking brand-spanking-new:
1. You will need a scrubbing brush or scourer. If you have an old toothbrush lying around, this is also good to use for getting into those hard-to-reach areas.
2. Start by switching off your oven at the mains. Prep the area by laying out some old newspapers on the floor to catch any dirt and put on rubber gloves to prevent the cleaning products from touching your skin.
3. Use a dry brush to scrub off any initial bits of food and dirt.
4. Next, spray the inside of the oven (including the sides) with your chosen cleaning products. Try not to spray the fan, gas supply elements, or pilot light in your appliance. Leave the product on for the amount of time suggested.
5. Finally, use your scrubbing brush and scourer to remove the cleaning product and debris.
NOTE: If you’re using baking soda and vinegar paste, it’s a good idea to leave it soaking overnight to maximise success.
You may also be wondering how to clean an oven naturally.
The easiest way to clean an oven without chemicals is to make up a cleaning solution using equal parts of baking soda and white wine vinegar. Or, if you don’t have these ingredients, you can make up a mixture of lemon juice and salt, spooning it onto any stubborn areas of grease or food in the oven, before scrubbing off a few hours later.
How to clean an oven rack
Oven racks are fairly straightforward to clean as you can easily remove and soak them. To do this, you can buy specialist kits online or at the supermarket to place your racks inside of and add specialist cleaning fluid.
Remember, cleaning fluids can be extremely harsh and corrosive, so make sure you are wearing protective gloves whilst you wash the racks.
Alternatively, you may choose to soak the racks in a large washing up bowl, a bin bag or even a bath-tub. But be careful if you have an enamel bathtub, as the cleaning products could be corrosive. Instead, you may want to use a more natural oven cleaning method instead, such as using foil and a dishwasher tablet.
How to clean a glass oven door
One way to make an instant difference to the appearance of your oven is by cleaning the glass on your oven door. It often gets grimy from cooking, preventing you from seeing what’s going on inside and whether your food is cooking as it should.
As a result, clean your oven door glass by doing the following:
Use a glass scraper, sponge, or microfiber cloth to remove any foods. It’s important not to use harsh scourers as they may create miniscule scratches on the glass – doing this may weaken it and overtime make it vulnerable to smashing.
Depending on your oven, you may be able to remove the glass part of the door for soaking. This will allow you to clean hard-to-reach areas where grease often builds up. If you want to find out whether you can remove your door, check your oven’s instruction manual.
Some chemical oven cleaners aren’t suitable for use on glass, so be sure to check before using them. In particular, avoid a caustic-based oven cleaner. Instead, standard washing up liquid and water can be used, followed by a vinegar-based solution to leave it streak-free.
After replacing the glass, it’s a good idea to wipe down the outside of the oven too, using a standard kitchen cleaner or warm, soapy water.
How to keep your oven clean
If you really dislike cleaning your oven, there is some action you can take to ensure your oven stays clean for longer. For instance, it’s a good idea to:
Cover all slow-cooking food with a lid or foil
Place dishes on a baking tray to avoid food dripping into the oven
Some ovens come with catalytic or pyrolytic linings to help keep your oven as clean as possible. What is the difference between them?
Catalytic oven liners catch, absorb, and break down greasy spills straight away – these are burnt away when cooking at over 200 degrees.
On the other hand, pyrolytic programs burn off dirt and grease at a much higher temperature – usually around 500 degrees. This takes around 2 hours from start to finish, all that’s needed is to sweep out the dirt and ash afterwards. This isn’t the same as a self-cleaning oven though, as you will still need to clean the oven door and racks by hand.
As you can imagine, many oven cleaning products tend to contain powerful chemicals to remove stubborn marks, such as grease. This can be problematic to skin and eyes, so it’s vital to follow the instructions on these products properly, including wearing the correct protective equipment and ventilating the room.
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