10 Genius Oven Cleaning Hacks for Quick, Easy Results
Cleaning the oven can be labor-intensive if you’re dealing with baked-on grease or cooked-over food. Try these top oven-cleaning hacks to get your oven sparkling clean with less work.
Oven cleaning often requires fume-filled cleaners and substantial scrubbing. And since most people don’t include ovens on their monthly cleaning schedules, these overlooked areas are prone to get quite dirty.
Try these hacks if you want to cut down on time spent scrubbing grease out of your oven.
Top Oven Cleaning Hacks
Note: Don’t mix cleaners. If you want to try more than one of these DIY oven cleaning hacks, make sure you’ve rinsed the previous product from the oven.
1. Vacuum Out the Crumbs Before Cleaning
No matter what you use to scrub off grime, start by vacuuming out the crumbs. Use a vacuum with an attachment or ShopVac to remove all loose food debris. Make sure the oven is turned off and cool before doing so.
2. Remove Build-Up with Vinegar and Baking Soda (Best for Mildly Dirty Ovens)
If you’re looking for oven-cleaning hacks with baking soda, use baking soda and vinegar. The acidity in vinegar makes it capable of breaking down grease and burnt-on food. The mild abrasiveness of baking soda works to scrub away stuck-on debris.
Here’s what to do:
- Mix water and baking soda until a paste forms
- Use a microfiber cloth to rub the paste around the interior of a cool oven
- Leave the paste on and let it sit overnight to absorb odors, oils, and moisture
- The following day fill a spray bottle with white distilled vinegar and spray overtop of the baking soda
- Use a soft-bristled scrub brush to scrub the oven clean
- Rinse with a damp cloth
3. Use Fume-Free Easy Off (Best for Very Dirty Ovens)
Natural remedies won’t work well if your oven has seen better days. If you’re willing to let the chemicals do the hard work for you, try fume-free Easy Off.
While this version is still harsh, it’s not AS severe as the regular Easy-Off.
Before getting started, ventilate the room. Then, follow these steps:
- Spray in a cooled oven about 9-12 inches away from the surface
- Close the oven door and wait two hours
- Wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge
You can also use Easy-Off to spot clean by spraying dirty areas, waiting 30 seconds, and then wiping clean. You’ll be amazed at how well Easy-Off cleans a filthy oven.
4. Get Rid of Stubborn Grease with a Pumice Stone
Try a pumice stone if you’ve wiped the inside of your oven with a cleaner and still have stubborn grease or burnt spots. A pumice stone can file away problem areas without damaging your oven.
To use a pumice stone, dampen it with water and run it back and forth over grease spots and stuck-on food. Rinse as needed.
5. Clean Your Oven Door with The Pink Stuff Paste
The Pink Stuff Paste is a mildly abrasive cleaner that will work through gunk to leave your oven door clean again. To use it, add a dollop to a paper towel or microfiber cloth and work around the glass on your oven door. Then, rinse off with a rag dampened in water. Repeat on problem areas.
6. Use a Magic Eraser to Swipe Through Gunk on Your Oven Door
If you have a Magic Eraser, you can use it to clean your oven door. Dampen the Magic Eraser with water, squeeze out excess moisture, and wipe clean. Rinse off the Magic Eraser as needed.
7. Steam the Inside of Your Oven
Steam works wonders to dislodge gunk on the inside of microwaves and ovens. It also makes a great natural oven-cleaning hack.
Here’s how to use steam to clean your oven:
- Fill a large pot about ⅓ of the way with water and bring to a boil (make sure the pot is small enough to fit in the oven)
- Once boiling, add in 2 cups of white distilled vinegar and bring back to a boil
- Place the pot inside the oven and shut the door
- After 30 minutes, remove the pot and wipe the inside with a microfiber cloth
The steam will loosen up caked-on food and grease, allowing you to wipe the inside clean.
8. Use the Self-Cleaning Feature
If you’ve never used your oven’s self-clean feature, doing so can be intimidating. After all, ovens heat up to over 800 degrees Fahrenheit to clean themselves. By reaching high temperatures, all food debris in the oven turns to ash.
Using your oven’s self-cleaning feature is safe as long as it isn’t more than ten years old.
Here’s what to do:
- Remove pans, pots, and racks
- Use a silicone spatula to scrape out big messes (otherwise, there will be a lot of smoke during the self-clean process)
- Open windows to ventilate the room
- Lock your oven door (most lock automatically), and then press the self-clean button
- Once the oven is cooled, several hours after the process is complete, wipe out the ashes
Be mindful not to touch the oven door during the process. Since the oven heats to such high temperatures, the door and door handle will become hot.
Most self-clean cycles take 1-3 hours to complete. You need to wait until the oven is cool before cleaning the ashes.
9. Clean Your Oven Racks in the Bathtub
If your oven racks aren’t too dirty, a wipe with baking soda and vinegar may do the trick. But if your racks have grease or food burnt onto them, try this method.
- Lay a towel on the bathtub floor to prevent your racks from scratching the tub.
- Mix Bar Keepers Friend with water to form a paste.
- Apply the paste to the racks inside the tub.
- After an hour, wipe the grates with a microfiber cloth, and scrub the problem areas with an abrasive sponge.
- Rinse well and dry the racks.
10. Spot Clean with a Toothbrush
Use a toothbrush to access otherwise hard-to-reach areas like crevices and along the door. You can dip your toothbrush in vinegar or use baking soda paste for extra cleaning power.
How Often to Clean Your Oven
Once you clean your oven, keep it that way by wiping the inside with vinegar whenever you notice build-up. Then, deep clean your oven about every three months.