How and what to clean a dirty oven

Even a very dirty oven can be cleaned. Perhaps not in one go or not to a perfect state at once, but you can. And there are several ways.

How to prepare the oven for cleaning

To clean ovens from burnt fat and food residue, strong substances are used. So that they do not damage the rubber bands, it is better to remove them.

• First of all, disconnect the oven from the power supply. Even if it is gas, but with a light and electric ignition. Either turn off the circuit breaker on the supply line, or pull the plug out of the socket.
• Next, pull out the grates and baking trays. If they are stainless steel or enamel-coated, you can use the same cleaning agents as for ovens. But it is more convenient to wash them in the sink. And remember that aluminum and galvanized require gentle means.
• Some ovens may have removable side rails and/or side walls.
• On the oven door, pull the rubber seal out of the grooves. It is usually held in place by tabs on the back of the door. So you can pry it
  

  with something flat (not a knife, better with a screwdriver or nail file) and pull it out.

  

  .

The openings that were exposed after removing the gasket must be covered with something. Pieces of duct tape or scotch tape will do. This will prevent cleaning agents and dirty water from getting inside the door.

What you’ll need

Use rubber gloves with long “sleeves”, made of dense rubber. Before work, open a window (vent) and use a mask or a construction (medical) respirator.

You will also need kitchen sponges, rags or porous, well absorbent cleaning cloths/rags to clean the oven. Metal scrapers (stainless steel) or stiff sponges may be needed. A bucket of water, which can be changed several times.

How to clean the oven: folk/handy remedies

If the oven is not too dirty, you can try “folk” means. The best way to remove grease is with lye. Among the “handy” means are drinking or soda ash, mustard powder, laundry soap. How to use them we will tell you below.

Cleaning with baking soda (without heat) and/or mustard powder

Apply baking soda to a damp sponge and spread it over the surface to be cleaned. Baking soda can be food soda, but soda ash is more effective, although it is more caustic. You should wear gloves when working with soda ash.

You can make a paste out of dry soda by adding water and a little dish detergent to it. It is more convenient to apply the paste to the walls of the oven. Dry mustard powder is definitely turned into a paste by diluting it with water, otherwise there will be no effect.

Close the oven door (so that it does not dry), leave for at least 20 minutes and start rubbing. If the apartment is dry and hot, put a bowl of warm water inside.

To begin with, the applied medium can not be rinsed off, and try to clean with the back of a kitchen sponge. If it “does not go”, then try a metal scraper, brush or leave it for another 15-20 minutes. You can use baking powder instead of (or along with) baking soda. Sometimes it helps to add uskus. After the reaction is over, rub again.

Things can go faster if you put a bowl of water inside and turn on the oven briefly. Don’t overheat. It should only be heated to 40-50°C, not dried out. And you need to rub immediately after turning it off, before the baking soda/mustard dries.

Laundry soap

The second homemade alkaline remedy for cleaning the oven is laundry soap. This is the most gentle method, but also the least effective. For the best effect after applying the soap paste, you can heat the oven. But not strongly, but up to 30-35 degrees. To soften the fat and dissolve faster. And still, this method – for regular care, but not for stale dirt.

Brown laundry soap with a high alkali content works better. Dry soap rubbed on a coarse grater (ordinary kitchen grater), soap shavings pour water, wait until soaked. Apply the resulting paste to the walls and bottom of the oven and leave for half an hour, rub and wash.

Washing with ammonia

Not to say that the remedy is “homemade”, but it is definitely folk. It will be necessary to put a grate inside (approximately in the middle of the height), heat the oven to 65-75 degrees. Take two metal bowls, in one pour boiling water, in the other – about 200 ml of ammonia.

In the heated oven put on the rack put ammonia, under it, at the bottom – a bowl of hot water. Close the door, without removing the seal, and leave for 8 hours, or more (better – overnight). After that you can clean it from the softened fatty soot and grease.

After ammonia there will be an odor, so you can not cook food immediately. First you need to heat with the door open. If it does not help, then use activated charcoal (described below).

Cleaning with baking soda and citric acid with heating (suitable for heavily soiled ones)

Take a large pot, pour 3 liters of water into it, add 250-300 grams of baking soda and 250-300 grams of citric acid (can be replaced with vinegar). Wait for the end of the reaction. After that, turn on the oven at 200 degrees, put the pot with the solution.

Wait until it begins to boil, make sure that the liquid does not pour out. Boiling should continue for at least an hour. You will see for yourself when the plaque from the walls and the top of the chamber begins to dissolve and fall off. In the process it will be necessary to top up the water, otherwise you will burn the pot. When the fouling becomes soft (even in appearance it will be different), turn off the oven. After it cools down, using a dishwashing gel, a sponge, a brush and a scraper, you remove everything.

You should not expect miracles from folk remedies. They work, but to clean the burnt hardened fat, it will take more than one “run” and, perhaps, a combination of several or all methods.

How to clean your oven easily: store-bought remedies

It’s easier and faster to clean your oven with specialty chemicals. You’ll find them in any home improvement store. They are usually labeled “for ovens”, “oven solvent/grease remover” or something similar. There are three types of store-bought cleaning chemicals:

• In spray form,
• gel,
• liquids.

Each form of release has its own advantages and disadvantages. Sprays are convenient because they are easy and quick to apply even in hard-to-reach places. They also have their own disadvantage – stronger “smell”. When working with sprays, use a mask or respirator. In extreme cases – a handkerchief or a towel. Cover your mouth and nose with them. When spraying, small drops fall not only on the face, they can be inhaled, which causes severe coughing fits.

On the walls of the oven, spray the remedy on the top and it will drip down. It remains only to fill the “gaps” or apply an additional “portion” on the dirtier places.

Oven cleaner in the form of a gel is good for glass. It’s also easier to target stains. And the odor is less. But it is better to work better with gloves – strongly corrode the skin. In hard-to-reach places gel can be applied with brushes. You can also use a sponge, but it is not so convenient.

Liquid oven cleaner is applied with a sponge. It can also be poured into a sprayer, if you have one. Often the neck of the bottle has standard sizes, so you can simply screw on the sprinkler itself instead of the cork.

Examples of household oven cleaners

You’ll find several different names in any household chemical store or supermarket. There is a significant variation in price. “Cheaper” ones are usually not as hyped or locally produced. They can be just as effective, but everything is determined experimentally. And for different contaminants “the best” can be different means. Here are the names of some of the most famous means for cleaning the oven:

• Milam (gel).
• Well don Antifat.
• Sun Kleen for ovens.
• Shumanit.
• Mr. Proper.

There are more expensive – Amway (Amway) or Faberlic (Faberlic). They really work well and quickly clean off the fat, literally dissolve it and soot, burnt residue. Amway cleaner has been used for many years. But Mr. Muscle also did a pretty good job. It was slower. And I had to rub more. But the Amway bottle lasted a long time, and the spray went away quickly. In general, I still haven’t decided whether the “regular” product is really cheaper.

How to quickly clean the oven

If there is no time for experiments, you can quickly cope with old contaminants with the help of grill cleaners. They are even more caustic and potent, with a stronger odor. It is best to work with them in the open air. In extreme cases, open a window.

Means for cleaning grills are more often available in the form of gels, but there are also sprays. After cleaning, you will have to rinse everything with water several times and then heat the oven “idle” until the extraneous odors disappear.

There is another category of means for quick cleaning of ovens – this is professional chemistry. You can buy it in specialty stores or find it on the “net”. This is almost the same as what is available in magahines, but more concentrated and effective.

Cleaning the grates

Means for cleaning the grates are the same as those used for ovens. We suggest this method. Remove the grids, treat them with a chemical and put them in an adequately sized garbage bag.

Tightly tie it so that the odor does not spread, leave it for some time. The time can be indicated on the cleaning agent. After that, it remains to take out the grids and wash them in warm water with soap and water until the chemistry is removed.

How to wash the glass and what to do with the sealing rubber

First of all about the rubber seal on the oven door. It is better not to wash it with aggressive chemicals, but soak it in a solution of laundry soap. After a couple of hours, with the help of a sponge and dish detergent, finish cleaning.

To treat especially dirty areas, on a sponge apply dish detergent and dip in baking soda. Then rub the dirt until it dissolves. After cleaning is complete, rinse with water, dry and then put back in place.

The oven glass can be cleaned with the same substances as the inside of the oven cavity. It is easier to work with gel, as it is easily and evenly distributed and does not spread too much.

What not to do when cleaning the oven

Do not cook food immediately after cleaning the oven. If the odor is not too strong, simply warm the oven for 5-15 minutes. This will evaporate the residue and the odor will disappear.

If the smell is very strong, chemical neutralization is required. In a tray, pour one liter of water and lay out 10-15 tablets of activated charcoal. Put it in the oven, turn it on and leave it for half an hour or so. Make sure that the water does not boil away, refill it if necessary. After turning it off, pour out the liquid and wash the tray. The odor should disappear (or almost).

• Carefully choose the means for cleaning. As already mentioned, for aluminum and rubber active chemistry should not be used.
• Do not use abrasive substances to clean the walls and glass, you are sure to damage the surface. Even working with baking soda, be careful not to rub with great force.
• Also, do not be overzealous with metal sponges and brushes.
• Do not use chlorine-containing products.

Conclusion

All the mentioned methods of cleaning burnt grease have different degrees of cleaning and toxicity. And some products are not recommended to be used for cleaning too often, as they are quite toxic. Well, and the conclusion of the video on the topic: