It’s a job no-one likes to do; cleaning the oven. Messy, smelly, and just a bit of a faff, it’s definitely one of those cleaning jobs that we’d rather put off and put off until we’re feeling in the mood.
But there are a number of reasons why cleaning your oven little and often is the right thing to do. From shortening the life of your appliance, to changing the taste of your food and causing your kitchen to smell, a dirty oven is never a nice prospect.
In this guide, we’ll run through how often you should clean your oven, as well as some of our favourite oven cleaning hacks so that it’s easier to keep on top of.
How often should you clean your oven?
We think that cleaning your oven should be done monthly, but there are minor jobs you can do weekly to keep your appliance looking spick and span. These minor jobs include wiping down the oven door (inside and out) once it’s cool.
Once a month, remove your racks and clean them either by using a shop-bought oven cleaner or if the dirt isn’t too bad, a dishwasher tablet scrubbed over the surface can help too! If you are using a shop-bought oven cleaner, make sure you do it outside or in a well-ventilated space and wear the correct PPE – many of the chemicals are incredibly harsh.
Because of the high temperatures ovens can reach, the longer you leave food debris or dirt, the harder it will be to remove in the long run – the higher temperatures will effectively bake the grime onto your oven, requiring more elbow grease and making it a bigger chore than it needs to be.
Or, if you don’t want to do it yourself, get in touch with the experts. We offer a range of domestic cleaning services to take the hassle out of keeping your home clean and tidy.
What is the easiest way to clean oven racks?
This all depends on how long it has been since your last oven clean, but by following these easy steps, you can bring it back up to a sparkle in no time.
- Once your oven is completely cool, remove the racks
- In a large plastic storage box, add a solution of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda
- Once the bubbling has stopped, add hot water to the box
- Leave overnight and let the racks sit in the solution
- Using a non-scratch scouring pad, remove grease and grime
- Rinse the racks in warm, clean water
- Dry thoroughly before returning them to the oven
The method above is perfect for a monthly cleaning process, but if you’ve left it a little too long, it may be best to buy one of the branded oven cleaners to help you on your way. Just make sure you follow all of the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
How to clean oven door glass
Cleaning your oven door weekly is the best way to keep it from building up a layer of grease and grime. Leaving it too much longer risks the cleaning process being much more difficult, requiring more elbow grease and time.
How to clean the outside of your oven door
For your weekly cleaning routine, take a microfibre cloth and a normal household window cleaner and spray the glass as you would a windowpane.
Using a downward motion, wipe the cleaner across the oven glass using the microfibre cloth. If there are any streaks left after this, take a clean, dry microfibre cloth and buff gently.
How to clean the inside of your oven door
So this one is slightly more difficult, because the grease and grime has had chance to bake onto the glass as very high temperatures. If you keep on top of this when doing your monthly clean, it will be much easier to remove.
Here’s our step-by-step guide to cleaning the inside of your oven door:
- Once your oven is completely cool, wipe any loose grime with a lightly damp cloth
- In a bowl, make a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water, getting it into a paste-like consistency
- Spread the paste evenly on the inside of the oven door
- Depending on how bad the build-up is, leave to work for 10-20 minutes
- Using a damp cloth, wipe away the paste (you may need to be firm with any extra thick deposits)
- Once all the paste has been removed, dry and buff with a clean cloth
Using this technique should allow you to remove any dried-on food and grease for a beautiful sparkle you can be proud of!
How to clean an oven with baking soda
Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda – whatever you call it, this unassuming product can be picked up relatively cheaply and has all sorts of uses around your home.
One of those is using it to clean your oven. We’ve mentioned above creating a paste with water and applying it to caked on food and grease, but you can also use it as a way to deodorise your oven.
- Once your oven is completely cool, add a generous amount of bicarbonate of soda to a glass bowl
- Place in your oven either on a rack or on the oven floor
- Leave in your oven for a few hours or overnight if you can
- Remove and dispose of the bicarbonate of soda in your waste
Bicarbonate of soda has odour absorbing properties, so it’s a brilliant way to keep on top of nasty smells in conjunction with regular cleaning.
And there you have it, our top tips about how to clean your oven. With cleaning little and often, you can make this historically messy job not so bad after all! Ready to tackle that stained carpet? Take a look at our carpet cleaning guide.
