Although cleaning the oven is never going to be the easiest job in the kitchen, it doesn’t have to be the toughest either. Follow these six simple steps and you’ll have your oven looking great and smelling fresh in no time.
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How to clean an oven like a pro in 6 simple steps
1. Remove the removables
Before you start scrubbing and polishing, take out all of the racks, trays and other removable elements from inside the oven. These will only get in the way while you’re cleaning and it will be a lot easier for you to get the oven sparkling if they’re out of the way.
2. Sleep on it
If you want to make your oven as good as new, you’ll need to be patient. The first step in getting rid of tough, burned on food is to leave a cup of ammonia in the oven overnight. Before you place the ammonia in the oven, pre-heat it to 150˚C then turn it off. Put a bowl of boiling water underneath the ammonia to help keep the reaction going and leave it for up to 12 hours. In the morning, the stains should wipe right off.
3. Head for the larder
If you want to avoid using potent chemical like ammonia, there are alternatives. Head to your larder and pick up some baking soda and vinegar. Mix half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water. Keep adding water until you have a smooth, spreadable paste. Wipe the paste all over the inside of your oven, being sure to avoid any heating elements or other electrical parts.
4. Leave it overnight
The baking soda needs a little bit of time to do its job properly. Like ammonia, baking soda should ideally be left overnight for best results. In the morning, use a damp cloth to wipe away the paste (which should now be brown and a little dry). You may need the help of a wooden spatula to get to some of those awkward nooks and crannies.
5. Add vinegar
If you’ve reached this step, you’ve probably noticed your oven still isn’t quite sparkling clean. To bring its interior up to scratch, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and give the inside of the oven a good soaking. The vinegar will react with the baking soda residue and foam up. You can then wipe away any remaining residue to leave the oven good as new.
6. Clean the racks
While you’re waiting for the baking soda to do its work, you’ll have time to clean those racks. The best way to clean them is to leave them in a bath full of hot water and dishwasher detergent overnight. Lay a few towels down underneath the racks to prevent them from scratching your bathtub. In the morning, the grease and grime should wipe straight off. If you don’t have a bath, use a large plastic tub or another generously sized container.
Repeat this process every six months to keep your oven in great condition and ensure cleaning the appliance is always quick, easy and affective. However, if this turns out to still be a pain, you could always use a company like Service Octopus to help get the oven clean, from top to bottom, quicker than you can say clean oven.
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Photo Credit: Naomi Hébert
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