How to clean a dirty oven naturally
February 5th at 7:01pm
After 10 pizzas, 5 gratins, 2 cakes and a whole host of succulent dishes, your beloved oven might be looking a little worse for wear. Sure, you want to clean your oven, but how?
In this article, we reveal our tips and tricks to clean a dirty oven with minimal hassle! For starters, you may not know it yet but it's entirely possible that your oven has an automatic cleaning function such as the ones mentioned below.
OVENS WITH AUTOMATIC CLEANING FUNCTIONS
If your oven has an automatic cleaning function, using pyrolysis, catalysis or hydrolysis (steam), good news! This will make your life a whole lot easier and you will really only need to wipe your oven down with a damp microfiber cloth.
Pyrolysis cleaning function
The automatic pyrolysis cleaning function allows you to burn off any residual dirt in your oven by raising the temperature to between 300 and 500°C depending on the model. This program is very powerful and, in theory, means that you don’t even have to clean your oven by hand afterwards.
Please note, however, that you should not leave your grills and other accessories in the oven during the automatic pyrolysis cleaning function. Be sure to remove all grills, trays, tray holders and other accessories from the oven before starting the pyrolysis program and follow the instructions found in the product manual.
Catalytic cleaning function
The automatic catalytic cleaning function allows you to burn off any residual dirt in your oven by raising the temperature to around 200°C. Although very useful, this cleaning function is less effective than pyrolysis. It may therefore still be necessary to clean your oven by hand afterwards, to give it a final scrub down.
Hydrolysis cleaning function (steam)
Steam ovens generally have an automatic hydrolysis cleaning function. The latest models will even warn you when cleaning is required. Other than a quick wipe down with a damp cloth, your steam oven shouldn’t require any additional scrubbing thanks to this automatic cleaning function.
If your oven does not have an automatic cleaning function, or if it is heavily caked in grease, then the following tips will help!
NATURAL TIPS FOR A CLEAN OVEN
Some stains in an oven can be very difficult to clean if they are not removed quickly. Remember to leave yourself some time to clean your oven after each use.
Degrease your oven and remove smells with lemon
- Fill the bottom of a glass dish with a little water and the juice from two squeezed lemons.
- Put the dish in the oven and then set your oven to 80°C on rotating heat for at least 30 minutes. This will degrease your oven and remove any unwanted odors like magic! Once your oven has cooled down, wipe up the residue with a damp microfiber cloth.
Clean burnt on grease stains with vinegar
- If grease has dripped into your oven, wait for it to cool down, then spray the greasy areas with the following mixture: 1 dose of white vinegar for 3 doses of water (shake the mixture well before each use).
- After leaving the vinegar to work for 30 minutes, rub the area gently with a sponge and then rinse with a damp microfiber cloth.
If some of the stains in your oven are too encrusted and you cannot remove them with white vinegar, it is time for a deep cleaning of your oven! In general, we advise you to do this on a regular basis to prevent this stain from becoming a nightmare.
HOW TO CLEAN AN OVEN NATURALLY
As you know, despite your best efforts, your oven will sooner or later require a deeper cleaning. At this stage, it's up to you to decide whether you'd rather create your own natural cleaner (the recipe for which you'll find below) or use commercially-available, ready-to-use products.
Before following our tips, make sure your oven is not finished with a coating that does not allow the use any of the ingredients below.
Natural oven cleaner recipe
- Pour 3 glasses of hot water into a clean spray bottle, then add a glass of black soap.
- Put on gloves, then add ⅓ of a glass of soda crystals to the mixture. Be careful, although they are natural, soda crystals can be irritating to the skin and respiratory tract, so we advise you to use gloves and air the room properly when using them.
- Mix well, then close the spray bottle.
How to clean an oven step-by-step
To clean your oven naturally and inexpensively, make your 100% natural oven cleaner from soda crystalls, and follow these tips step by step.
- Let's start by degreasing your oven to make it easier for you down the line! Fill the bottom of a glass dish with a bit of water and the juice from two squeezed lemons. Put the dish in the oven, then set your oven to 80°C on rotating heat for 30 minutes.
- When your oven has cooled down completely, unplug it, then remove the racks, trays and other removable accessories such as the rails, and place them in your sink.
- Spray your natural cleaner on the accessories and inside your oven. Then leave it to act for 3 hours.
- Rub it all down with a sponge soaked in white vinegar, then rinse using a damp microfiber cloth. If stains still do not come off, be brave and repeat steps 3 and 4.
Note: If possible, avoid using abrasive utensils to clean the inside of your oven. This could scratch the lining of your oven. Soft sponges and microfiber cloths are the way forward! - Wipe down well, then put everything back in place.
Good job! You've cleaned your oven from top to bottom in an eco-friendly manner!
If you don't have time to prepare your natural cleaner or prefer to clean your oven with ready-to-use products sold in stores, here's a short video to guide you step by step.
That's it! Batmaid's tips and tricks for cleaning an oven are no longer secrets to you! What do you think of them?
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