Inside: Dealing with a dirty, grimy oven? Stop ignoring it and try the easiest way to clean the oven. It really is so simple and doesn't take a lot of scrubbing to clean grease from the oven.
Do you quickly open and close your oven, not wanting to look at it? Is it a complete mess with baked, burnt food?
My oven recently has become a complete disaster. During the summer I use my oven less, but now that fall is here it is being used almost every day.
Recently I noticed my oven has a lot of greasy baked-on foods spilled on the bottom and I was ready to remove the baked-on grease.
Cleaning an oven can be an easy scrub-free task with just a little bit of work. You don't have to spend all day in the kitchen cleaning.
I love my oven paste that cleans it without all the chemicals in a normal oven cleaner. I have used it plenty of times over the years and I love how quickly it cleans the oven. It really is the easiest way to clean the oven.
If you are tired of dealing with burnt-on food and grease and grime check out these simple tips for an easy way to clean an oven.
The Easiest Way To Clean The Oven
If you are like me and don't like using the auto-clean feature on your oven these tips below will really help clean it without a lot of scrubbing.
I have heard that the auto-clean feature isn't good for the oven or the microwave. Since I have a unit with a microwave above I clean the oven by hand.
Getting Started On Cleaning An Oven
You will need a few things to clean your oven. You probably already have most of these items at home.
- large pot
- baking soda
- microfiber cloth (you can see my favorite brand of cloths here)
- dish soap (I recommend blue Dawn Dishsoap)
- hydrogen peroxide
You can see the video below for more details.
Remove Any Large Crumbs
To start, you will want to wipe down any loose crumbs or dirt in the oven. It doesn't have to be perfect, you just want to get the big pieces so they aren't in your way.
It will be easier to clean the oven once all the large crumbs are removed. Just spending 30 seconds doing this will save you time.
Mix Up The Oven Cleaner
Next, place a pot full of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Make sure it is a pot you won't mind putting in the oven.
Then, while the water is coming to a boil on the stove mix up this homemade oven paste. It is very simple to make.
I use 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup dish soap, and 1/4 hydrogen peroxide. You can just mix it all in a large bowl.
The dish soap helps break up all the grease and grime that is on your stove. The baking soda adds a little bit of grit to get rid of baked-on food and grease without scratching the oven.
The hydrogen peroxide does a great job of loosening up the baked-on grease, plus it disinfects!
Use a cleaning cloth to apply the hydrogen peroxide paste to the oven. I love these microfiber cloths from amazon for cleaning. Make sure you cover all of the areas of the stove.
You don't have to really scrub, just make sure it covers all the sides, door, and bottom. It works well on the oven glass too.
Steam Clean Your Oven
Then, when the paste is all over the inside add the pot of boiling water. Shut the door to lock in the moisture and set a timer for 1 hour.
The pot of boiling water will give off moisture inside the oven and give it a nice steam clean. More of a steam clean means less time scrubbing which is a win-win for you!
After the water has set in the oven for one hour remove the pot of water. The boiling water will have steamed up the sides and bottom of your oven and loosened up all of the grease and baked on food.
Use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the inside of the oven. You don't have to scrub real hard.
Most of the grease and grime just wipes off with the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda mixture.
Scrub Any Bad Spots
If you have a couple of larger spots of grease and grime you may need to scrub a little. I just usually go back over them another time with the mix and a small toothbrush.
Repeat If Necessary
If your oven is really, really bad you may just want to go through all the steps a second time to really get it clean. I feel like the steam part of it does so much to get it clean without scrubbing.
If your oven racks are dirty and grimy you can remove them and clean them separately. Check out how I clean oven racks without scrubbing.
If the area in between the glass on your oven is dirty you can use this method to clean it.
It takes me about 10 minutes to clean down the inside of my oven, which is way better than scrubbing it for hours.
You can just get the cleaning started with the mix and then let it sit. With very little time cleaning you can a clean looking oven. Check out the before and after.
It's not perfect, but the oven is so much better than it was. There aren't any big spots of grease or baked-on food.
So, if you are tired of a dirty, greasy oven just take a few minutes to clean out the oven and it will be spotless and clean without all the chemicals.
It really will be the easiest way to clean the oven that you have ever tried.
Want some other easy cleaning tips? Check out how to easily remove baked-on grease from your bakeware. It works great and there is no scrubbing required.
DIY Oven Cleaner
1/2 cup Baking Soda
1/4 cup Dish Soap
1/4 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
Start by boiling a pot of water on the stove. Then, mix up the baking soda, dish soap, and hydrogen peroxide in a bowl.
Use a microfiber cloth to apply the paste to the inside of the oven. Place a large pot of boiling water inside the oven and close the door.
Allow it to sit for about 1 hour without opening the door. Remove the pot and use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe down the inside.
Most of the grease and grime should wipe away. A few of the larger spots might need a little more scrubbing with the mixture.
With these simple tips, you can get your oven clean and free from baked-on food and grime. Plus, you can have a shiny oven that looks new.
Want some other easy cleaning tips? Check out how to clean your oven racks like a pro.
Savannah @ Budget Preps says
Our oven was disgusting after the holidays - I just tried this and it works like a charm! It's so much better than using the oven cleaning setting because it stinks up your whole house. Thanks for sharing!
Julie says
Yea! So glad it worked for you.
Janeen says
Wow, I'm excited to try this. I use the self clean feature every few months, but something tells me that heating it up to a bazillion degrees might not be the best idea. Thanks for the recipe!
Julie says
I used to use the self clean feature, but we have a microwave/oven combo. I have heard that the high heat is really bad for the microwave and I hate the idea of using the chemical oven cleaners.
Jacquelyn Williams says
The oven is definitely my nightmare when it comes to cleaning. I am afraid to open it because then I will see the dirt that I have to clean... I know that I can't avoid it forever so I have to be strong and do the step to schedule the cleaning of the oven. I think that your tips are really helpful. I will proceed to action! Thank you for sharing!