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Now that the weather has cooled down, chances are good that you’ll be using your oven a lot more frequently in the coming months. Make sure that it’s in tip top shape and ready to help you create your culinary masterpieces with this simple, how-to guide to cleaning your oven without resorting to harsh chemicals.
Vinegar
If you’ve got those pesky burnt spots dotting the bottom of your oven, it’s probably nothing a bottle of vinegar can’t fix. Fill a clean spray bottle with vinegar and liberally coat the messy area. For best results, let sit for a couple of hours so that it has the chance to really work its magic. Wipe clean with a cloth and warm water and get ready to be impressed with your handiwork.
Baking Soda
In a bowl, combine baking soda and water until a paste forms. Spread the paste throughout your stove (focusing on the especially dirty areas) and let sit over night. The next day, arm yourself with a plastic spatula that you don’t plan on using for food preparation and scrape away all of the baked on buildup. If any residue remains, go over with warm water and a sponge.
Salt
Warm up your oven at a low temperature. Turn off and before it cools, spray surfaces with water. Sprinkle salt liberally throughout the oven and allow to sit until the oven has cooled down. Using a heavy duty sponge or plastic scrubber, loosen stuck on grease and burnt on foods. Wipe clean using a cloth and warm water.
Vinegar and Baking Soda Combo
Need to call in the heavy hitters? This winning combination is guaranteed to get the job done. As an added bonus, it fizzes and erupts just like your grade school volcano project… how many other cleaning products can do that? Simply spray the inside of your oven with vinegar (especially the caked on mess on the bottom) and then sprinkle with baking soda. Let the ingredients react and dissolve dirt like magic. Using steel wool or an other heavy-duty scrubber, gently loosen any stubborn remnants and then rinse clean with water.
Ammonia
Preheat your oven to 200° and then turn it off. Fill an oven-safe dish with ammonia and place on the middle rack. In a second oven-safe dish, fill with boiling water and place on bottom rack. Leave overnight. The following morning (or afternoon, we won’t judge), sprinkle baking soda on a damp sponge and wipe down the inside of your oven. Prepare to be blown away with how clean your oven is going to be, and how easy it was to get it that way.
Dryer Sheets and Dish Soap
This trick is for your oven racks, which need a little love too. To get them looking shiny and new again, fill your bathtub with enough hot water to entirely cover the racks. Add 1 1/2 cup of natural dish soap and 6 eco-friendly dryer sheets to the water and allow to soak overnight. The next day, wipe the racks clean with another dryer sheet (and maybe rinse out your tub, too).
