Oven Cleaning Hacks

You know that feeling of dismay you get every time you bake something inside of your oven and notice that build-up of gunk and crusty food? Perhaps it is time to take care of some oven cleaning. We have an extensive list of oven cleaning hacks for that spring cleaning chore.

Oven cleaning doesn’t have to be a giant headache if you have the right cleaning solutions. Nor do you have to use harsh chemicals to clean oven and stovetop. With a little bit of elbow grease and some oven cleaning hacks, you’ll have the right cleaning solutions to tackle even the hardest caked-on foods.

In our attempt to find the perfect cleaning hacks and oven cleaner to clean a dirty oven, we came across not just one or two, but 12! We’ve got everything from how to clean the oven window to steam cleaning the entire oven.

Powerful Oven Cleaning Tips & Tricks

Easily clean those oven racks, the oven door, and stovetop using homemade and natural cleaning products. You’ll likely never have to purchase commercial cleaning products again. Use our home remedies for how to clean a stove top and the oven interior. Let’s get started!

Steam Cleaning the Oven with Lemon

This method will not only steam the dried food spills in your oven, but the lemon juice will leave the kitchen smelling fresh. You can also steam clean the microwave in this manner to get smell out of microwave.

To make an oven degreaser that also smells heavenly, fill the pan with hot water and squeeze the lemon juice from the lemons into the water. Place the pan onto the bottom grill in the oven. Turn the oven onto 350°F and allow the liquid to boil until the steam has loosened the grime and gunk.

Turn the oven off and let it cool. Use a damp cloth to wipe away all of the loosened food debris. Lemons are also perfect for an inexpensive, simple stainless steel cleaning solution.

Cut a lemon in half and wipe it over the stainless steel surface of your stove to eliminate grease stains, fingerprints, and more. Be sure to go in the direction of the grain. There’s no need to even rinse the stove. Wipe dry and enjoy the shine!

Use the Self-Cleaning Oven Option

Have you ever wondered what that self-cleaning option was on the stove? No, it doesn’t mean that a Merry Maid will arrive at your home to clean up your oven.

It is a setting on the stove that heats the oven to approximately 900°F, virtually burning away all of that food gunk from the heating elements, grates, walls, and floor.

Self-Cleaning Method

It’s about to get pretty hot in the kitchen, so ventilate the area by opening some nearby windows. There’s only one thing left to do. Push the self-cleaning button on the stove and let it do its job.

The process typically takes about two and a half to four hours to complete. You must remain within the house until the self-cleaning is complete to prevent a fire hazard.

Easy Way to Clean an Oven

Manual oven cleaning doesn’t have to be difficult. Here is an easy way to clean an oven using baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and a little dish soap.

These three ingredients work well together to remove dried food spills, burnt food, and grease. This method is also one of the quickest to perform and uses common household items you already have.

For a natural microwave cleaner in addition to the oven, mix the dish soap, baking soda, and peroxide in a small bowl until it forms a paste. Apply the mixture to the areas of gunk in the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes. Use a spatula to loosen up extra dirty areas. Clean up the residue using a damp cloth.

Cleaning the Oven Using Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar acts as an acidic liquid while the baking soda is alkaline. When the two ingredients come together, they form a unique yet powerful reaction that can remove greasy foods and all kinds of other stains. Vinegar and baking soda are also useful for cleaning cast iron grill pans and a variety of other household surfaces.

Before making this DIY natural oven cleaner, remove the racks from the oven to clean them separately. Sprinkle baking soda through the inside of the oven. Fill the spray bottle with vinegar and then spray the vinegar over the sprinkled baking soda.

Allow the area to bubble from the homemade oven cleaner spray so it can loosen the greasy grime. Use a damp sponge to remove the cleaning residue and gunk and rinse the sponge often. Repeat if necessary for stubborn food debris that doesn’t want to let go.

Easiest Way to Clean an Oven

This method is the easiest way to clean an oven using baking soda. Bicarbonate of soda works by helping to dissolve grease and grime build up in the oven. The oven will have to sit for about 12 hours after this cleaner is applied. You may want to complete this method in the evening before bed.

Remove the grates from the oven. Add enough water to the baking soda in a bowl to form a paste. Use the paintbrush to spread the mixture onto all areas of the oven while avoiding the heating elements.

Let it sit for about 12 hours. Fill the spray bottle with vinegar and spritz the inside of the stove. Wipe the oven with the damp cloth to remove the grease-stained mixture.

Cleaning the Oven with Cream of Tartar

Here is a cleaning recipe without baking soda. Cream of tartar is found in your spice cabinet and is commonly used for cooking. Believe it or not, it can also be used for cleaning and polishing your oven.

Make a paste using the vinegar and cream of tartar in a small bowl. Apply the mixture to the inside of the dirty oven and allow it to sit for three hours. Use a wet sponge to wipe the inside of the oven.

Steam Cleaning the Oven with Vinegar

The combination of boiling water and vinegar will release steam into the oven, which will loosen up that burnt food stuck to the racks and bottom of the stove. This DIY cleaning method is ideal if you do not want to spend all day scrubbing.

Fill the large pan with water and add the vinegar. Place the pan onto the bottom rack of the oven and close the door. Turn the oven temperature to 350° F and let sit until you see boiling water in the pan.

Turn the oven off and let it cool. Once cooled, remove the pan and use a sponge to clean off the loosened food gunk.

Removing Crumbs from the Oven

Before you apply cleaning paste or liquids to the oven or after using the self-cleaning oven method, make sure to clean up all that loose food debris, burnt food, and crumbs from the bottom of the oven.

De-Crumb the Oven

Remove the oven racks and set them into a tub filled with hot water and dish soap to soak. You can now begin removing crumbs and debris from the oven while cleaning oven racks in the bathtub.

For this method, you’ll need to remove the oven door. Check your owner’s manual for directions for unhinging the oven door. Removing the door will give you better access to the oven.

Suck away all food debris, ash, and crumbs from the bottom of the oven using the handheld tool on your vacuum. Clean oven grates using a sponge and a vinegar-based cleaner to remove dried on gunk and air dry or wipe with a clean towel. Replace the grates and the door, and you’re good to go!

Cleaning the Oven Glass Door

Imagine being able to see how that baked apple pie is coming along inside of your oven! Believe it or not, dishwasher detergent tablets aren’t just for the dishwasher. They can be used to remove grime from the oven windows and bring back their shine.

Get a dishwasher tablet wet with hot water and scrub the tablet against the oven window, making sure that you pay attention to grimy spots. Fill the spray bottle with vinegar and spray to clean the oven glass. Use the paper towel to wipe off any residue and remove streaks from the oven window.

Clean the Oven with Ammonia and Water

While ammonia is not one of the first methods used for natural oven cleaning, it can be useful for some of those tough, burnt food stains. Make sure that you have cleaning gloves for this process as well as proper ventilation.

Preheat your oven to 150° F and then turn the oven off. Place a saucepan of boiling water onto the bottom rack of the oven and the baking dish of ammonia onto the top rack. Close the door to the oven and let the ammonia sit overnight while you get some Zs.

In the morning, remove the pans and let the oven door sit open for about 15 minutes to air it out. Add some squirts of dish soap to the leftover ammonia and a quart of warm water. While wearing the gloves, use the sponge to wipe out any remaining food debris using the ammonia mixture.

Spot Cleaning the Oven

Baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, is excellent at removing dried, burnt gunk from the oven, as well as how to clean silicone molds with set-in stains.

It is strong enough to provide scrubbing action yet not so abrasive that it will leave scratches. It is also an alkaline substance that helps to dissolve grease and dirt.

In the bowl, add just enough water to the baking soda to form a paste. Use the toothbrush to scrub the baking soda paste onto those tough spots. You can also use a spatula to scrape up some of the more significant spills.

One of our favorite cleaning hacks is to use an old electric toothbrush to clean those spots even faster! Wipe away the residue using paper towels.

Quick and Easy Oven Cleaning

This method is an ideal cleaning solution for those areas that need a little more scrubbing power. Salt acts as a gentle scouring agent while the baking soda provides alkalinity to help loosen the grease. These, in combination with the soap, make for an excellent oven cleaner.

Mix all of the ingredients into a small bowl. Dip a damp sponge into the cleaning solution, and smear the mixture onto the gunky areas of the oven. Let sit for about 20 minutes. Rinse the sponge thoroughly and use it to wipe the dirt and residue away.

It’s unnecessary to use harsh chemicals for cleaning oven when you’ve got a kitchen full of natural ingredients that will get the job done. When you combine our oven cleaning hacks, cleaning tips, and elbow grease, you can quickly turn that dirty oven into a clean oven during spring cleaning.

Say goodbye to that chemical-based oven cleaner and say hello to a DIY natural cleaning method. We hope that you have enjoyed our oven cleaning hacks and we’d love it if you shared how to clean an oven with your family and friends on Facebook.