Three Ways to Clean Your Oven
Need to clean your oven?
If your oven has visible grease and residue, has a strong odour when you cook, or smokes when it’s turned on, then it’s time to give it a thorough cleaning.
Oven starting to get a bit too greasy? Is a thin layer of nacho cheese coating the bottom that doesn’t seem to want to scrub off? An essential and easy way to care for an appliance is to give it a proper clean. By giving your oven a good once-over, you prevent the built up grease and grime from smoking and releasing fumes every time you turn on the oven.
If your oven has visible grease and residue, has a strong odour when you cook, or smokes when it’s turned on, then it’s time to give it a thorough cleaning. If you suspect it has issues that go beyond cleaning, give us a call! We love to repair Calgary ovens, so that you don’t have to worry about your appliances.
Baking Soda
There are three ways to clean an oven. The first we will walk you through is a simple method requiring only baking soda, water, vinegar, a spray bottle, gloves, and a bit of time. This method doesn’t require any chemicals or turning the oven to a high heat, so it’s safe for both your body and your energy bill!
Start by taking everything anything you might have in the oven out – racks, pizza stones, etc.
Mix about ½ cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until you achieve a spreadable consistency. The mixture should be pasty but not thick.
Next, we’ll coat the oven. Throw on some gloves for this point as a dirty oven can be pretty grimy, and the grease can get under your fingernails and all over your hands. Take the baking soda/water paste and coat the oven, avoiding the heating element. Work it throughout all the corners and crevices of your oven. Give a bit of attention to extra greasy areas, but overall just try to coat the whole oven with the mixture.
Once you have the entire oven coated, close it and let the mixture sit for at least 12 hours so that it can really soak in and work its way through the grease.
Once you’ve enjoyed a relaxing 12 hours, take a damp cloth and wipe the residue out of the oven. If you have any tough areas that refuse to come off, a plastic spatula can be used to gently work the residue off. You can also take a spray bottle with some white vinegar and give any remaining residue a quick spray. The two will react together (remember grade 3 science class?) and foam, allowing you to easily wipe it away. Continue wiping up the foam with your damp cloth and then spraying again as needed. Eventually, your oven will be sparkling clean.
You are now good to add the oven racks and any other oven accessories back.
Oven Cleaner
TIP:
Make sure to have as much ventilation as possible when using chemicals like oven cleaner. Open your windows, and turn on an exhaust fan if possible (often above the stove).
Intense chemicals can be purchased to make oven cleaning a cinch. These chemicals are quite caustic, so make sure you take extra care. Use rubber gloves, a breathing mask to cover your mouth, safety glasses, and ventilate the area well. Turn on any fans and open any windows that are nearby.
Lay down some newspaper around the base of the front of your oven. This is to prevent the caustic substance from getting on the floor of your kitchen.
Remove anything from the inside of the oven – racks, pizza stones, etc.
Open the oven and (wearing your safety gear) spray the inside, making sure to coat the entire oven. If you have an electric oven, do not coat the element. Instead, lift it and spray around the element. If you have a gas oven, do not spray where the gas enters.
Let the spray sit for the time recommended on the bottle.
Open the oven and scrub with a damp cloth. If there are any extra sticky or grungy spots, use a scouring pad or sponge. Really scrub to ensure that no dirt or oven cleaner remains.
Add your oven accessories back to your oven, and you’re good to go.
Self-Cleaning Function
Many ovens include a self-cleaning feature that locks the oven then raises the heat to a high point, often above 550 degrees, burning away any grease and residue until it can be wiped away after the cycle. While this option can be effective, it is hard on the oven. On a hot day in a Calgary summer, raising your oven to a temperature above its norm can be unpleasant at best, and a potential fire hazard. Only use this if your oven is moderately dirty as excessive grime will catch fire.
With these three techniques, your oven should be good to go. Cleaning at least twice a year or as often as once every three months should keep your oven spick-and-span.
