Most of us prefer to simply close the oven door after the lasagna bubbles over and cheese sticks to the inside of our oven. When we accidentally leave the cake in too long, and it overflows its pan, dripping onto the racks, and the smoke fogs up the oven window, it’s just plain easier to leave it alone because cleaning an oven can feel incredibly overwhelming.
Do you know how to clean your oven? Does it feel too hard?
A dirty oven used to take quite a bit of elbow grease to clean, but today many options make it easy for you to get it done quickly. We’re here to help you learn how to clean your oven!
Depending on how dirty your oven gets, it’s probably good to clean it every 3-6 months. It can be done more often if you need it. It’s also a good idea to try to spot-clean the inside whenever you do make a mess. The more you take care of something spilling in your oven, the easier it will be to keep your oven clean. And a clean oven keeps your food tasty and less likely to have germs. The good news is that there are different options for how to clean your oven depending on your needs.
We live in a day and age where thoughtful engineers have considered easy ways for us to keep our appliances clean. The self-cleaning option on your oven is an easy way to save you time and energy. The self-clean cycle heats your oven to around 880 degrees, which means that any food inside the oven is turned to ashes which are easy to simply wipe out once the cycle is finished. The one downside is that you have to put aside a few hours where your oven will not be usable, and it can create a smoky smell inside your house.
Oven racks are cumbersome. Who wants to scrub in between all the slats on multiple oven racks? It is a daunting task, to say the least. An easier option is to remove them from your oven and soak them in water with baking soda, and then let them soak overnight. It might even be easier to use a bathtub to put all the racks in the same place at once.
If there is any grime or stuck-on food left on the racks, use a heavy-duty brush to scrub it off. Once they are clean, rinse and dry them. You’re ready to cook again!
If you’d rather not deal with a smoky smell in your house or use harsh chemicals to clean your oven, there are some great DIY oven cleaners. We come back again to baking soda and water!
Again make a paste with the baking soda and water: use ½ cup of water and ½ cup of baking soda then spread the paste onto the inside of your oven. Make sure that you don’t get any of the paste on the heating element, just the inner walls of your oven–some people use a paintbrush to help them get the mixture evenly spread inside their dirty oven.
You will need to let the paste sit in the oven for at least 12 hours–it might be easiest to let it sit overnight. After the baking soda paste has been in your oven for at least 12 hours, wipe it off of your oven with a sponge or paper towels. Then you can use a clean, wet cloth to clean out all the rest of the baking soda paste. If there is anything still stuck on, spray it with vinegar and wipe it down.
Do you ever notice when you turn your oven light on, that you still can’t quite see clearly through the glass door of your oven? Grime can fog up the window, and you want to make sure that you clean it without scratching the glass.
The easiest way to clean your oven glass is to mix water and baking soda into a thick paste. Use the paste all over the glass–spread it around generously and let it sit there for 20-30 minutes. Using a microfibre cloth, wipe up the paste and then rinse the glass with water. To really make it sparkle, buff it dry. If it’s still not to your standards, use a glass cleaner for some extra clean and shine.
The best way to keep your oven clean is to try to prevent spills. You can do this by placing pans on a baking sheet instead of directly onto the rack so that any food that bubbles over lands on the baking sheet. This is especially helpful in keeping your heating elements clean. Once food drips onto them at high temperatures, it can be very difficult to scrub the baked-on food off.
Like we said earlier, try to spot clean as much as you can. This will help you do an intensive oven cleaning closer to every 6 months than every 3 months.
At Housecleaning Maid Easy, we are a home cleaning service that can take care of all of your cleaning needs. We have many different types of house cleaning services:
Our client testimonials show that we’re committed to doing a great job for you:
“We have used this service for over 5 years; excellent employees and management. Always respond quickly to any questions and concerns; of which we have had few in our long relationship. They will customize your cleaning needs to suit your household. Give them a try!”
Our service area covers most cities around Indianapolis. We are a local company, owned and operated by members of your community. Because we are locally owned our prices are more affordable and we can be more flexible when it comes to meeting your specialized needs. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and we’ll be happy to answer you.
If you need support, we are a house cleaning company ready to jump in and help. Book your services today!