The oven is one of the most frequently used utensils in the kitchen. For this reason, it’s not uncommon for the oven to become very dirty, especially if it isn’t cleaned after every cooking session. Here’s a look at some tips for cleaning a dirty oven and giving it a new lease of life!
Follow the guide to 8 tips for deep oven cleaning.
Regular cleaning
Regular cleaning helps prevent your oven from becoming clogged. So this is the first tip to put into practice to avoid having to scrub too much afterwards to get your oven clean again. A clean oven is not just a question of hygiene. Burnt-on food residues can alter the taste of the food you’re going to cook in the oven, and may also give off an unpleasant odor. A dirty oven is also less efficient in terms of heat distribution and consumes more energy.
Tip 1: Baking soda and white vinegar
The first tip is to clean the oven with a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar. These products are effective, economical and environmentally friendly. Here’s how to proceed:
- Mix half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to form a paste.
- Spread this paste inside the oven, covering any soiled areas well.
- Leave to act for at least 12 hours, or better still, overnight.
- After this time, use a damp sponge to remove the paste.
- Use white vinegar to remove baking soda residues.
Tip 2: Ammonia
The second tip involves the use of ammonia, a powerful cleaning product that should be used with care. Here’s how to use ammonia:
- Wear gloves and open your kitchen windows for good ventilation.
- Pour a little ammonia into a bowl and place it in your switched-off oven.
- Close the oven door and leave the bowl overnight.
- The next day, remove the bowl and clean your oven with a damp sponge. Any residue should come off easily.
Tip 3: Lemon
Lemon is also an effective natural degreaser and has a pleasant fragrance. Here’s how to clean with lemon:
- Cut two lemons in half and place them in a heatproof dish.
- Add a little water to the dish and bake at 120°C for about an hour.
- Once the oven has cooled, remove any residue with a sponge.
Tip 4: Black soap
Black soap is also a natural, environmentally-friendly product, and can be very useful for dirty ovens. Here’s how to use it:
- Using a sponge, apply liquid black soap to the walls of the oven.
- Leave for 15 minutes.
- After this time, scrub with a nylon brush and rinse with hot water.
Tip 5: Clay stone
Clay stone is an effective solution for cleaning a clogged oven. Here’s how to use it:
- Wet a sponge and rub it over the clay stone.
- Apply to the oven walls and rub gently.
- Then rinse with a wet sponge and dry with a clean cloth.
Tip 6: Salt and oil
Salt and oil are two simple, natural ingredients that can clean a heavily soiled oven. Here’s how to do it:
- Mix one cup of salt with one cup of oil to make a paste.
- Apply this paste to the oven walls and leave for half an hour.
- After this time, scrub with a nylon brush and rinse with warm water.
Tip 7: Scouring cream
Scouring cream is a classic oven cleaning solution. Here’s how to use scouring cream:
- Apply the scouring cream to the walls of your oven with a sponge.
- Leave for a few minutes.
- Then scrub and rinse with hot water.
Tip 8: Oven stripper
Oven cleaner is useful if all natural solutions fail to get rid of the dirt. Stripper is a very powerful chemical. Be careful when using it, here’s how to proceed:
- Wear protective gloves and mask.
- Apply the stripper to the walls of your oven and leave for the time indicated on the packaging.
- After this time, scrub with a nylon brush and rinse with hot water.
Cleaning a clogged oven is never easy, but with these tips, you’ll be able to get rid of a very clogged oven.
