How To Clean Your Oven Using Baking Soda

If there's one cleaning job most of us do our best to avoid, it's scrubbing the oven.

And we don't blame you.

Cleaning the oven is difficult, messy and time consuming but we may have a solution to make it a little easier.

Here's how you can clean your oven using all natural ingredients.

Why Should I Use Natural Cleaning Products?

In recent decades, toxic chemicals were the go-to for cleaning your oven. And it's not exactly safe. I remember my mother accidentally spilling oven cleaner in the oven door crevice many years ago and for weeks, the house would smell like this chemical every time she'd turn it on.

Some oven cleaners may also cause damage to your skin, eyes and respiratory system if not used correctly. Here are some of the more common ingredients in oven cleaners.

Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether: Irritates skin and eyes and may be toxic by ingestion.

Butane: This propellant is mostly found in cigarette lighters and inhalation can cause drowsiness, asphyxia and cardiac arrhythmia.

Sodium Hydroxide: May cause irritation to the eyes and skin and allergic reactions.

Monoethanolamine (MEA): Monoethanolamine can cause eye and skin burns. Prolonged or widespread skin contact may result in the absorption of potentially harmful quantities.

We have a natural method that works just as well and get your oven clean without using harsh chemicals.

This method is best if you haven't given your oven a thorough clean for some time (much like mine, as you can see!).

How to Clean Your Oven in 6 Steps

The best thing about this method is that you may already have most of these ingredients already in your kitchen.

Supplies:

1/4 cup liquid dish detergent
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup sea salt
Sponge or cloth
Scouring pad
Spray bottle
White Vinegar
Towel or microfiber cloth

Step 1

Combine dish detergent, baking soda and salt to make a paste that looks similar to toothpaste. Stir together gently and keep mixing with a little extra water until you get the consistency right.

Step 2

Pull the racks out and soak with warm water and detergent. Flip the racks halfway through the soaking time and run some fresh water/detergent to make sure all sections are cleaned. This may take some time if your racks are particularly grubby.

Step 3

Coat the inside of the oven with the paste and leave for at least a few hours. It may be necessary to reapply the paste after you've scrubbed the first layer off.

You can leave overnight for stubborn messes or hardened areas but it can be hard to find a night when the oven isn't being used!

Step 4

Wipe the inside of your oven down with your sponge or cloth and some warm water. I personally used kitchen cloths, which I threw out once this job was done, but you can use paper towels instead. Scrub until removed - you may need to use a scouring pad for more stubborn grime.

Step 5

Mix together a 1:2 solution of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle, then spray inside the oven and wipe down to remove paste reside. Wipe dry with a clean towel.

If you've successfully completed step 4, just spray and wipe away this solution.

You can use this solution to clean the over door as well - just spray and wipe away.

The smell of the vinegar will dissipate once it dries.

Step 6

Scrub the oven racks with your scouring pad and dry before putting them back!

How Do I Maintain a Clean Oven?

After you've cleaned a really dirty oven, you'll be motivated not to let it get to that state again.

This is how to keep your oven shining clean.

Every 2 weeks, cut two lemons in half, squeeze the juice into a baking dish and throw the squeezed lemons in as well.
Fill the dish a third of the way with water then pop into the oven, baking it for 30 minutes at 120 degrees Celsius.
Let the oven cool and remove the baking dish – it will be hot! Clean out the oven with a sponge and towel dry.

This is an effective method because the natural citric acid and di-limonene from the lemon rind soften the grime to make cleaning so much easier.

You should also be wiping the oven down right after cooking (especially if there's mess) before spills have a chance to dry.