Our ovens do an awful lot for us. Even if we've had them for years, we really need to rely on them to get meals done to our tastes and to stay alive for decades. With all the selflessness from our ovens, we ought to be paying them more attention than we normally do. Our ovens need a thorough cleaning every now and then to keep them in tip-top shape. It might not be a favorite task, but it's an important one. We're here to break down all you need to do about how to clean an oven.
This is a classic method for cleaning the inside of your oven. The racks will need a separate method, so in the meantime, here's what you'll need to give the interior a good scrub.
After you have everything ready, follow these basic steps and you'll have a sparkling interior in no time.
All you need to do from here is:
There are lots of different products out there to use for cleaning ovens as well. Easy-Off is one of the better ones and only takes about 30 seconds to loosen any grime before you wipe it away. You can also use Magic Erasers if the grime isn't too tough since they're cheap and easy to use. Be sure to have your rubber gloves on hand (pun intended) as well because you'll want to avoid touching the chemicals or getting the grime all over your skin.
When you're waiting for your lemons or baking soda paste to clean the inside of the stove, there's no time like the present to wipe down the racks. You'll need a few things to get those racks nice and clean.
From here all you need to do is:
You're going to need to go back to your bathtub for this one, but by the time the racks are clean the interior should be done as well and you'll be able to replace them.
This is one of those methods that work well but also requires you to have some protective gear so you don't inhale any of the fumes or get it on your skin.
Once you have everything ready, you only need to do a few things.
Of course, you always have the option to use professional cleaning supplies. You'll need a few things to protect yourself as well since the chemicals can sometimes be harsh.
This method takes much less time, but you'll need to be careful when using these items.
You'll want to have enough water and baking soda to make a paste and can adjust the amounts accordingly.
There are also ways for you to clean between the oven glass by removing the door and cleaning the glass with a window cleaner.
If you're dealing with a self-cleaning oven, you need to figure out what kind of stove you have and what the manufacturer recommends before doing anything. You'll need to do some of the work before and after the process. For the most part, you'll need to wipe up any particles beforehand and remove the racks before activating the self-cleaning function. You will more than likely also need to remove any remaining particles after the process is over.
Make sure you don't have any pets or children in the room when the oven is cleaning itself because the fumes can be a bit much. Reports have also indicated that self-cleaning ovens give off fumes particularly harmful to birds. Not to mention, the smell they omit during their cleaning cycle is less than desirable. It's best to just let it do its thing and replace the racks once the oven has cooled off. The whole process should take about 3-4 hours.
However often you use it depends on you and how much you use your oven. However, it should be noted that self-cleaning ovens can cause long-term damage to some stoves. Internal parts of your oven can break down due to the high pressure and hot water and it might be more feasible to just give things a clean by hand.
Okay, so you know how to clean an oven, but how often should you be doing it? Your ovens should be tackled every 3-6 months or whenever a serious spill takes place. If you notice that you can't make a meal without your kitchen smelling like smoke or if there's a stubborn stain inside or on the door, you should be giving it a good scrub.
Cleaning an oven isn't the most fun thing you can do (no cleaning is) but it's an important part of maintaining the function of your stove. The good news is that you don't need to worry about it for another 3 months.