How to clean your oven in five easy steps
A bit of elbow grease is unavoidable when it comes to cleaning your oven! But seeing as the oven is such an essential household appliance, and particularly with Christmas coming up, you will want to make sure your oven is sparkling before cooking dinner.
Read on to discover our top tips on how to clean your oven with minimal effort:
1. Getting started
Firstly, make sure that the oven is off, but ideally it should be slightly warm as this will help to clean it more easily. Put on some old rags as you may get a little messy, depending on the length of time since you last cleaned your oven! You will also need to dig out the rubber gloves…
2. Dirty oven shelves
To clean the shelves properly, you’ll need to remove them from the oven. These can be placed in your bathtub, laid on top of towels so that they don’t scratch the tub, or alternately in a large bowl. Then add boiling hot water and dishwasher powder or liquid and leave them to soak for at least 10 hours, or until the dirt has loosened. Then if needed, use a scrubbing brush to remove any more stubborn stains.
Once all the dirt has been removed, rinse them with clean water and set aside. Alternatively, place baking powder on the tough stains and leave overnight. The crusted-on food should lift off easily when wiped with a damp cloth.
3. Remove stubborn burnt-on food
A spray nozzle of any quality cleaning product is going to be your best friend, as it will get cleaning product into every crook and cranny of your oven with minimal effort, while foam products can help lift grime. Leave the solution to soften the stubborn burnt-on food.
The best way to clean up spills inside the oven is to scrape off the food particles straight away using a wooden spatula. One great tip is using baking powder, sprinkling it on stains to help soften the food and help you remove it the next day.
4. Greasy cooker hood
The best way to clean a steel cooker hood is to use hot water with washing up liquid as well as a cup of vinegar, and wipe using long sweeps with a cloth as this will help remove greasy residue. Baby oil also works well to remove grease.
A regular clean can help prevent the risk of fire, as it stops the extractor getting clogged up with grease, impairing airflow and chance of the fan overheating.
5. Filthy oven door
Use some old rags or newspaper on your floor as there could be some unwanted drips or spills on that lovely parquet floor. There are many products out there for tackling tough stains, all you need to do is spray thoroughly and leave to soak so that the grime just lifts away on a sponge.
To make the door shine on the outside, a glass scraper works wonders. Failing that, some glass cleaning spray works well on food stains. Grease will easily wipe off with hot water and cleaning solution.
Tips to keep your oven clean
Once your oven is spotless you might feel like you don’t want to cook in it to spoil all your hard work! So, make sure you follow these tips to keep your oven clean for as long as possible!
- Cook food in enclosed containers – as your dinner gets hotter, it bubbles up and can spit out, coating the top and sides of your oven in casserole sauce. Use a lid to save cleaning it later!
- Cover sausages in foil – when they sizzle they spit out lots of fat.
- Keep a spare roasting tray in the bottom of the oven to catch any drips.
- Clean up spills while they are fresh to avoid a big cleaning job later.
Now you know how to clean your oven efficiently and keep it that way, you’re all ready for cooking a Christmas dinner feast! Remember to check that it is also functioning as it should be, that it cooks your food properly and doesn’t let any heat out. If your oven is broken and needs to be fixed, contact Glotechrepairs.co.uk today.