The best way to keep your oven clean is by practising prevention. You can do this by wiping up spills as soon as you can after they happen, and if you are able, line the base of your oven with aluminium foil (don’t cover any vents) to catch any drips and fat.
However no matter how careful you are, at some point you will need to give your oven a good clean.
Traditional commercial cleaners contain some powerful toxic chemicals and when they come into contact with skin or eyes can cause severe irritation and even general use may result in headaches and other symptoms.
Before you start cleaning, always check the manufactures instructions for maintaining your oven.
- Conventional – traditional oven.
- Self Cleaning (pyrolytic) – has a self cleaning mode which you decide when to use. The pyrolytic cleaning process superheats the oven to approximately 500 degrees centigrade which burns off (carbonises) any deposits from baking, roasting and grilling. You are left with a perfectly clean oven and the residue of fine ash is easily removed with a damp cloth.
- Continuous Cleaning (Textured) – has a special porcelain layer (texture) to prevent spills from clinging onto its surface. To clean it, all you need is to wipe occasionally with a hot soapy cloth. You do not need to use abrasive cleaners, scouring pads, or oven cleaners.
There are three green oven cleaning methods listed below.
Green Cleaning a Conventional Oven
Method 1
Let’s use the worst case scenario where baked–on material has turned black (carbon) on the inside walls and bottom of the oven. While this first method is cheap and not labour intensive, you will need to be persistent if there is a lot of carbon and grime.
- Bicarbonate of soda – this is used in cooking and can be found in the cake ingredient aisle of your local supermarket. Depending on how dirty the oven is, you may need to buy it in bulk.
Tools
- A new general purpose spray bottle with an adjustable nozzle. Note: Re–cycling another spray bottle may not function with the bicarbonate of soda if it has already been pre–filled; spray bottles have been designed by the manufacturer to work best with their own product.
- Funnel, teaspoon, damp cloth.
Step 1 – Using the funnel, place three heaped teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda into the spray bottle. If the funnel clogs, just add water.
Step 2 – Fill the spray bottle with water. Give it a good shake until all the bicarbonate of soda is fully dissolved.
Step 3 – When the oven is cold, spray the mixture onto the black carbon, grease and any other material. If necessary, do this one or more times a day.
It can take a large amount of bicarbonate of soda to remove a lot of carbon; the key is to make sure you are using enough. When sodium bicarbonate comes in contact with water it forms a weak alkaline solution that can lift and dissolve greasy stains and dirt.
On difficult spots, you may need to apply it directly as a paste, just make sure you keep it wet.
As bicarbonate of soda is used in everyday cooking it is completely safe should you wish to use the oven at anytime during the cleaning process; just re–apply more after cooking.
Step 4 – Keep spraying the mixture and repeating the process until all the carbon and grime accumulates on the bottom of the oven. Note: Always keep the bicarbonate of soda wet otherwise it will not react with the carbon.
Note: Do not completely wipe down the oven too soon as this will remove the bicarbonate of soda which is still working, let it accumulate to do its job effectively.
Step 5 – When you have removed all the black carbon and grime, wipe the oven with a damp cloth.
Note: It takes time for the bicarbonate of soda to chemically react with the carbon. Time and repeated applications of the spray bottle solution are your keys to success.
Method 2
Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda all over the bottom of the oven until it is covered with a 5mm layer. If you also need to clean the walls, mix up a paste and apply where needed.
Using a clean spray bottle, spray with water until the bicarbonate of soda is thoroughly damp, but not flooded. Every now and again (especially before you go to bed at night) dampen the bicarbonate of soda to stop it from drying out.
In the morning the bicarbonate of soda can be effortlessly scooped out of the oven with a sponge, taking all the grime with it. Use a damp cloth to remove any residue.
Method 3
This method involves using white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda. Lightly moisten the interior of your oven with water. Then apply a 5mm layer of bicarbonate of soda.
After letting it sit for three hours, use a spray bottle with white vinegar in it to spray the interior of the oven. A chemical reaction between the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda will result in a ‘fizzing’ of the two materials.
Allow the vinegar and baking soda to sit for a few more hours. Then remove with a damp sponge.
Other
To make short work of cleaning your oven racks, place them in the dishwasher on a hot wash cycle. They will then clean off with little effort.
