I Used Baking Soda and Vinegar to Clean My Oven and Didn’t Expect This
Cleaning the oven usually means harsh spray, fumes, and a locked door for hours. I was not trying to make it shine. I wanted to see if baked-on grease could be removed without chemicals and without heat.
What surprised me was not how clean it looked at the end. It was how little effort the process required once the timing was right.
Why I Stopped Using Oven Cleaner
Commercial oven cleaners work fast, but they rely on strength. The smell lingers. The surface feels hostile until it is rinsed again and again. I wanted to know if buildup could be lifted instead of burned or dissolved by force.
Baking soda and vinegar work by time and reaction, not pressure.
What I Did Instead
I removed the racks and wiped out loose crumbs. No scrubbing. No water soak.
I mixed baking soda with water until it formed a thick paste. Not runny. Not dry. The paste went across the oven floor, walls, and door, avoiding the heating elements.
Then I closed the door and left it alone overnight.
That part mattered.
What Changed During the Soak
The oven looked worse before it looked better. The paste turned brown in places. Grease showed through. Nothing appeared clean.
That stage is where the work happens. The paste stays in contact with baked residue long enough to break its grip on the surface.
No heat. No smell. Just time.
The First Wipe Looked Wrong
The next day, I wiped the paste with a damp cloth. Large pieces came off. The surface still looked dull. Streaks remained.
This is where most people stop too early.
The goal of the first wipe is removal, not finish.
Where Vinegar Came In
I sprayed vinegar over the remaining paste and residue. The reaction was immediate. Foaming showed where baking soda still sat in place.
That reaction loosened what the paste lifted but did not remove.
I wiped again. Slower this time. Section by section.
What the Oven Looked Like After
The surface cleared without force. No scraping. No second soak. The door glass showed through again. The oven floor lost its sticky layer.
Some staining remained. That was expected. The grease was gone.
The Unexpected Result
The oven did not just look cleaner. It stopped producing burnt smells during cooking. Smoke no longer appeared during preheat. Residue did not transfer to trays.
The method did not polish the oven. It reset it.
What I Would Do the Same Way Again
- I would let the paste sit overnight
- I would accept the messy stage
- I would wait until vinegar before judging results
This was not faster than oven cleaner.
It was quieter, safer, and easier to control.