If you use your oven for even light cooking, at some point you will need to deal with burned-on food. No matter how careful you are, food bubbles over and turns into a black deposit that adheres to the racks and bottom of the oven surface. Removing this material is often quite a challenge and requires extensive scrubbing. A few basic cleaning products make the job faster, however, because they help to soften the burned food before removing it.
Step One
Fill the kitchen sink half full of warm water and add 2 to 3 tsp. of liquid dish soap. Open the oven door and pull out the racks. Place them into the sink and scrub them using a scrubber sponge to remove the burned food. If needed, let them soak overnight for tough stains. Rinse the racks in clean water and set them on a towel to air dry.
Step Two
Put on rubber gloves and soak paper towels in ammonia. Place the rags directly over the burned food stuck to the bottom of the oven. Close the oven door and let the ammonia sit for 30 minutes.
Step Three
Open the oven door and use the paper towels to scrub the softened food off the bottom of the oven. Throw the paper towels into the trash.
Step Four
Get the soapy scrubber sponge from the sink and squeeze it out so that it does not drip. Wipe the entire bottom and side of the oven to remove any remaining burned food residue and all of the ammonia from it.
Step Five
Reinsert the racks back inside the oven and close the door.