How to Clean Your Oven

Cleaning the oven is one of those house cleaning chores that we love to ignore (Brits reported it as their least favourite household cleaning task!). Close that oven door, and you can pretend all is well for a couple more months at least!

But this is one chore you really shouldn’t ignore for too long. Ovens accumulate grease and food debris over time, which can result in excessive smokiness and even result in a grease fire.

Plus, the longer you wait to clean your oven, the harder it gets to do. So take a deep breath, buckle down and start cleaning!

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Here’s an easy, non‐toxic solution for oven cleaning:

Clean your oven racks

1. Remove the racks from your oven.

2. Sprinkle baking soda over the racks, then spray with vinegar. Watch out for the bubbling effect as the baking soda reacts to the vinegar.

3. Place the oven racks in a large bucket big enough to soak your racks (you can use your bathtub for this too!) If using the tub, lay down some towels at the bottom first.

4. Fill the bucket or tub with enough hot water to cover the racks, and let it sit overnight.

5. The next day, scrub the oven racks with the coarse end of a sponge. Rinse thoroughly after.

Make your own cleaning solution

Clean your oven with items that can be found in most household pantries: vinegar, coarse salt and baking soda.

1. In a spray bottle, combine 100ml of vinegar with 200ml of water.

2. Spray the inside of your oven with the solution, including the inner side of the oven door.

3. Sprinkle baking soda all over the oven, and spray some directly onto any stubborn stains or tough dirt.

4. Sprinkle a thick layer of coarse salt over the baking soda.

5. Spray the oven again with your vinegar and water solution.

6. Leave to sit overnight.

Find out more about how to clean your oven with baking soda

Use some elbow grease

Now you won’t be able to get away with zero scrubbing. But the good news is, with your pre-clean and your homemade solution, the rest of the oven cleaning shouldn’t take much time at all!

1. With the coarse side of a sponge, scrub the oven. Prepare to be amazed at how easily all that muck comes off!

2. Spray with the vinegar and water solution again to remove the last of your oven debris.

3. Wipe everything down with old towels or kitchen towels, and you’re all done!

Time spent cleaning: 2 -3 hours

Time spent getting other things done while the racks clean: 8 hours

Now that your oven is nice and clean, use it to make the rest of your house smell amazing. Put two teaspoons of vanilla into an oven-proof coffee mug and place in a 150 degree Celsius oven for an hour.