How to Clean Your Oven

Are you supposed to deep clean your oven, like, regularly?? Well, apparently you are. I am not sure how the heck I didn’t know this but, here we are. I always thought ovens just looked gross from years of cooking and there was nothing you could do about it until a friend mentioned she was cleaning her oven. Wait. What? Like just getting the burnt chunks out? No, like cleaning it to look new. And so began my dive into all things oven cleaning. I wanted to find natural ways to clean it as I try to avoid harsh chemicals in my home whenever possible. After testing out a few ways, I now have an oven that is as clean as new! Like, I really didn’t think it could look like it does now. Read on for my hacks on, how to clean your oven.

This post may contain affiliate links, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, this is at no extra cost to you

What You Need to Clean Your Oven

Vinegar
Dawn Dish Soap
Baking dish/Pot
Sponge or electric scrub brush, this is the one that I ordered and I LOVE it! Electric Spin Scrubber

How to Clean Your Oven

First, turn your oven on to 400 degrees to heat it. Next, heavily spray down the inside of your oven with vinegar so it is saturated. While the oven is heating up, get an oven-safe pot and boil a pot of water. Once the water is boiling, turn your oven off, place the pot of water in the oven, and shut it. Leave it for about 30 minutes or so. This will give the oven a steam clean while the vinegar works to break up burnt spots.

Once 30 minutes is up get your Dawn dish soap and scrub brush ready. You will begin by adding some dish soap throughout the oven and then scrubbing. I was very surprised with how easily everything was coming off. This way alone got 70% of all the gunk out of my oven, which is great but, I was determined for the “brand new looking” oven. Next, I used the self-clean function of the oven; I did not add any cleaning chemicals, just the heat from the self-cleaning. The one thing I did not enjoy about this was my kitchen smelled very strongly of vinegar during the self-clean, to the point I had to turn on a fan and open the back door. Fast forward 5 hours, my oven had a “brand new look”! I literally grabbed my husband and made him come check it out because it was AMAZING!

For maintaining a clean oven I recommend doing the first step monthly. Spray it down with vinegar, add the bowl of boiling water, let it sit for 30 minutes, and then wipe it down.

For more cleaning hacks and tips read, Shower Cleaning Tips and Tricks and How to Clean Stainless Steel Cookware