Deep cleaning your oven is easiest with the baking soda and vinegar method. Remove the grates, coat the inside with a paste of baking soda and water, and let it sit overnight. Wipe it out the next day, spray with vinegar to dissolve the residue, and wipe completely clean.
For a very dirty oven, skip the harsh fumes of chemical oven cleaners or high-heat self-cleaning cycles, which can damage internal components. Instead, use a thick paste of 1/2 cup baking soda and 3 tablespoons of water. Coat the interior, let it sit overnight, spritz with vinegar, and wipe clean.
For tougher cleans:
Mix the baking soda and vinegar together to make a paste in a small bowl. Wipe down the inside of the oven with a damp, microfiber cloth. If there is tough baked-on food, take a small amount of baking soda and vinegar paste on a cloth and gently work this around the inside of the oven.
How To Clean The Bottom Of An Oven Using Baking Soda
To clean a burnt oven bottom quickly and naturally, make a paste of 1 cup baking soda, 1 tablespoon water, and 1 tablespoon dish soap. Spread it over the burnt spots, let it sit for a few hours (or overnight), scrub with a non-scratch pad, and wipe away with white vinegar and water.
To dissolve thick, old grease, use alkaline degreasers (like baking soda or trisodium phosphate) or solvent-based degreasers (like acetone or specialized commercial sprays). The active chemicals break down the fat’s molecular bonds, allowing you to easily wipe it away without scrubbing the underlying surface.
You can lift those tiny hinges on the door up and pull off the door. Use a small flat screwdriver. The entire door can then be unscrewed and you can clean each piece of glass inside.
Yes, you can steam clean an oven with the racks inside. Unlike the high-heat self-cleaning cycle (which can ruin racks), steam operates at much lower temperatures and will not damage or discolor the metal. If using a bowl-of-water method, you will need a rack inside to hold the container.
A standard oven self-cleaning cycle typically takes 2 to 5 hours, while the newer steam-clean feature only takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Here's a quick oven-cleaning with baking soda shortcut you can use immediately after you have a spill in your oven.
Pro tips & tricks
Dishwasher tablets contain concentrated dishwasher detergent formulated to dissolve oven grease, baked-on food, and grime effectively. The abrasive powder in these tablets helps scrub away tough residues without scratching the oven's interior surfaces or oven glass.
Method 3: The 5-minute method
If the oven looks relatively clean after use, allow the oven to cool to warm and apply a drop of dishwashing liquid to a damp dishcloth. Wipe all surfaces. Rinse cloth thoroughly to remove as much detergent as possible. Wipe down the oven again to remove any visible suds.
What does putting a bowl of vinegar in the oven do? Heating vinegar helps loosen grease and deodorise the oven, making wiping easier. It's also an ideal follow-up to the baking soda method.
5 Common Oven Cleaning Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Simply make a paste with one-half cup of baking soda, mixing it with three tablespoons of water. (Use a cup of baking soda with one-third a cup of water if the oven is really dirty.) With the racks removed, use a paper towel or sponge to remove any loose particles from the bottom, sides, top and door.
It effectively kills germs and dust mites, helping to reduce allergen levels in the home. However, the cons of steam cleaning include the potential for moisture damage to certain materials and the need for proper equipment and techniques to avoid damage.
While the convenience of leaving the racks in might be tempting, the self-clean cycle involves intense heat that can lead to unintended consequences. Leaving the racks in during this process can result in warping, discoloration, and even potential damage to the oven's internal components.
Yes, you can use Windex on the inside surface of your oven door, but it is primarily for adding a final, streak-free shine. Because standard glass cleaners are not designed to cut through thick, baked-on grease, you should follow this simple cleaning process:
Clean Magic Eraser Kitchen With Dawn is Mr. Clean's best way to clean oven glass. The tiny micro-scrubbers inside lift away grease buildup from hard-to-clean places, like your oven's glass door.
The strongest over-the-counter degreasers rely on highly alkaline formulas or potent citrus solvents to break down thick, baked-on buildup. Top heavy-duty options include Super Clean, Zep Industrial Purple, and Ecolab Professional Strength, all of which require dilution for safe use.
Yes, Dawn is a powerful degreaser. Its highly concentrated surfactant formula is designed to break down and lift oily, greasy build-up.
Professional cleaners work fast by following strict, systematic routines instead of just cleaning at random. Their speed comes down to three main advantages: eliminating organizing clutter, using a "top-to-bottom, left-to-right" flow to avoid double-working, and letting chemicals do the heavy scrubbing.