As we try to move towards more natural products in our home, I was thrilled to learn that there are other ways to clean your oven other than the toxic spray you are used to having to use.
I have found success cleaning my oven using two different natural methods and neither of left me high, dizzy with a headache from breathing all the fumes.
Baking Soda/Water paste
While there are only two main ingredients needed for this cleaning method, you should be prepared with other supplies. Be sure you have:
- Cleaning Apron or work shirt (Ovens are dirty and they stain!!)
- Rubber Cleaning Gloves (again…dirty!!)
- Baking soda
- Water
- Damp dish cloth or sponge
Now for the fun part (okay, maybe it’s not fun, but hey…at least you’ll get a clean oven out of it):
- First and foremost, make sure you remove everything out of your oven. Baking racks, oven thermometer, bakeware, dishes that you are hiding from guests, that piece of chicken that fell last week and you forgot to pick up, grab it all!
- Grab your baking soda and mix it with water to make a paste. No specifics here, just add water slowly until you have a paste-like consistency that will easily spread on your oven walls.
- This is where you might want to put on those gloves we talked about. Spread it! Make sure you coat the walls of your oven in your paste creation (don’t coat the heating elements or wires please). Your beautiful white baking soda paste, will soon not look so beautiful or white anymore, this is a good thing! Do your best to cover as much as your oven as possible and then let it sit. I have tried different time periods for this. 1 hour wasn’t enough, but I feel like 12 was overkill. That being said, if you don’t want your oven out of service during the day, go ahead and let it sit overnight while you are sleep. Otherwise 4+6 hours should do it.
- After letting your paste sit, grab a small cleaning bucket filled with lukewarm water and use a damp cloth to wipe your oven out, rinsing in the bucket as you go. Your rag will be dirty so I wouldn’t rinse it in your sink. This step is a little time consuming, but well worth it.
- Wipe down your racks and return them to the oven and you’re done!
Baking Soda/Water Paste + Vinegar
Ingredients/Supplies are the same as above except for adding:
- Vinegar (I used White Distilled)
- Spray Bottle (find these at the dollar store)
- Spatula (for crusted on grime)
This method works essentially the same as the method we discussed above except I use vinegar when wiping down the baking soda paste. If I find that there is more residue left over, then I take a spray bottle of vinegar and spray it down before wiping it out with a damp cloth. It tends to break away the grime and make the process a little easier. Also, if you are discovering grime that just doesn’t want to come off with, be sure and spray with vinegar and scrape with a spatula.
I haven’t used harsh oven cleaners for years using these methods. Have you found any other natural methods that have helped you keep a clean oven?
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