Try these 9 obscure Oven Cleaning Hacks
Nice Ways to handle a dirty oven
Ovens are a household staple, and this means that you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t, at one point or another throughout their life, had to deal with oven cleaning. Naturally, most people despise it entirely. And can you really blame them? Oven cleaning is a smelly, greasy, and oftentimes – a time-consuming task. Sadly, no matter how much you put it off and no matter how much you hate it, oven cleaning is something that you’ll eventually have to face. And the sooner you get to it, the better. A dirty oven opens the door for a whole host of problems like:
- Altered food tastes
- Bad smells in the kitchen
- Potential damage to your appliances
- Fire hazards
The best (and most obvious) way to avoid all of the above is by cleaning your oven frequently. “But I just don’t have the time right now!”, Some of you might argue. Don’t worry – this article has you covered. Keep reading until the end, and you might be surprised. Here you’ll find an assortment of oven cleaning tricks, which will make the process much less annoying and – most important of all – less time-intensive.
DIY Oven Cleaning
Before you even get started with your oven cleaning session, we’d like to recommend something that most of our eco-minded readers are probably well aware of – try making your own oven cleaning solution. A home-made oven cleaner can be not only more affordable and safer for the environment, but a lot easier to use as well. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A bit of white vinegar
- Some baking soda
- A suitable dish to mix your concoction in
- A pair of rubber gloves
Mix your vinegar and soda until you arrive at a paste-like consistency. Initially, as you add the two substances together, you can expect some foaming but if you give it a couple of seconds, the reaction will settle, and you’ll be left with an incredibly easy to use solution that is just as effective as the majority of its store-bought counterparts at a fraction of their price.
To use this solution, apply it to the inside walls of your oven, give it a bit of time to do its magic (30 minutes are more than enough for most oven cleaning situations) and get to wiping.
The Magical Toothbrush
No this isn’t some fancy oven cleaning product that just came out. Really, any old toothbrush will do, as long as its relatively well-kept and clean. Due to the soft bristles and flexible heads that all modern toothbrushes come with, this can be the ideal tool for getting into those difficult-to-reach corners of your oven.
If you’ve got an electric toothbrush on your hands, you can even take this trick to the next level, as the vibrations provided by its activity will serve to loosen any charred remains inside your oven significantly.
How to clean your oven shelves in less than 30 minutes
If your oven, like most modern models, came equipped with shelving, you will need to take care of that as well. But cleaning your oven shelves can be even more annoying than dealing with the rest of the appliance. Well, not anymore. Give this quick and easy trick a go and the oven cleaning will never look the same to you. For this method, all you’ll need is:
- A resealable plastic bag
- Your oven cleaner of choice
- A pair of rubber gloves
Simply take your shelves out of the oven, spray them with your oven cleaner, seal them in the bag and let them stay there for about 30 minutes. After sufficient time has passed, bring the shelves out of the bag, rinse them with warm water and scrub off the remaining food.
Use oil to deal with oil
Although it might sound a tad strange, you can get rid of grease and oil stains by using … veggie oil! Just pour a few drops of vegetable oil on a paper towel and give the greasy area a good rubbing. Not only is this very effective, but it’s also much safer than using a chemical oven cleaner.
Clean your oven door with a glass scraper
Especially if you’ve got a glass door, grabbing a scraper can provide you with a quick, easy and hassle-free way of dealing with grime build-up. And, in case your oven is equipped with a removable door, you can make the process even less painful for yourself by detaching it from the appliance beforehand. Simply apply a bit of oven cleaner mixed in with hot water and get to scrapping.
Polish your oven with cream of tartar
Yes, you read that right – cream of tartar. As weird as the idea might sound, cream of tartar works surprisingly well as a polishing agent for stainless steel surfaces. Great for all of you that are looking for eco-friendly stainless steel polish alternatives, cream of tartar is not only very effective but also very easy to use. Just grab a piece of clean cloth and rub the cream into your surface, give it 10-15 minutes to do its thing and wipe it away.
Deodorise your oven with a few drops of essence
If your oven is plagued by unpleasant odours, this is just the trick for you! Get yourself a bit of vanilla, or better yet – citric, essence, pour a few drops in a suitable, ovenproof bowl, and add water. Place the bowl inside your oven and let it slowly heat (not boil!) for an hour and you can say goodbye to the annoying smells!
Hopefully, this oven cleaning article provided you with some interesting insight. Now, however, the time for reading is over and the time to take action is upon you! Happy oven cleaning!
