Who likes to clean their oven? All that caked cheese from pizzas or the splatters from various foods cooked in there. Most of us try to avoid this chore. Scrubbing of ovens can be done later! We understand: This can be a messy and difficult task that takes a lot of your time. Nobody has time to waste cleaning right? So we thought we would put together a few simple steps that can help you tackle this head-on!
Should you use natural products to clean your oven? The answer is probably yes! Think about it for a second: you cook food for your family in the oven, you don’t want any nasty stuff or toxic chemicals for cleaning. Also, some of these chemicals are bad for your eyes, skin and can cause allergic reactions not just for you but your family. Imagine spilling the stuff on yourself while cleaning. Whereas using the natural method will get the job done without the harshness of chemicals.
So how to clean your oven?
Good thing is: you may already have all the ingredients in your pantry! If not, then you can easily get them from your local supermarket or hardware store for cheap and you will still have them for the next clean.
What you will need:
- ½ cup of dishwashing liquid
- 2 cup baking soda
- ½ cup sea salt
- Scouring pad
- White vinegar
- Spray bottle
- sponge /cloth/kitchen paper towels
- Microfiber cloth- to finish off
Step 1:
Mix the detergent, salt and baking soda to a paste (looks similar to toothpaste). Stir and add some water if needed to reach the desired consistency.
Step 2:
Pull all the racks out and soak in soap/detergent and warm water – you can use your laundry/kitchen sink for this. Turn halfway through to make sure all sections of the racks have been cleaned. This is time-consuming especially if they are dirty. After soaking, take them out and scrub with your scouring pad and pat them dry. Leave aside until the oven has been cleaned.
Step 3:
Apply the paste to coat the walls of the oven and leave for a little while – go grocery shopping or sit back and relax with a cuppa! Scrub off. If really dirty, you may have to re-apply paste and leave overnight if possible.
Step 4:
Using a sponge, cloth (can be washed for re-use) or kitchen paper towels ( you can throw these out after cleaning) and warm water, wipe the oven walls. The paste would have lifted the grime up and it should be easy to wipe them off. If a bit stubborn, use the scouring pad and scrub at the difficult areas.
Step 5:
In your spray bottle, mix 1 cup white vinegar and 2 cups water. Spray the oven walls to remove any residual paste. Using a clean towel, wipe the oven dry. The solution can be used to wipe the oven door as well, spray, let stand and wipe clean. There will not be any smell left once the vinegar has dried – nothing toxic there! Place your dried racks (From Step 2) back in and you are done. Clean and non-toxic oven.
The key here is to not let the oven get back to its dirty state again. Keep it clean with this little trick: put a dish filled with water and lemon juice in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes at 120℃. The citric acid will break the grease and soften it for you to just wipe clean and dry. In any case, prevention is better than cure they say, so wipe any spills right after cooking. This will make your life easier and your oven will thank you for it!
