A lot of us don’t clean our ovens as often as we should, leaving a large amount of baked on grease and grime. To keep ovens operating at their best, and to ensure that we’re not exposing fresh food to harmful germs, it’s best to clean your oven every couple of weeks.

But what if your oven is in terrible shape? What if there is an extensive amount of dirt baked onto your appliance? We’ve shared some useful tips on how to get your oven sparkling clean.

Preparation

It’s really important to ensure you’re wearing old clothes and protective gloves as oven cleaning can be a very messy job. You might also want to lay down some newspaper to protect your floor from grime.

Then you’ll want to remove the shelves from your oven, and leave them to soak in hot water and washing up liquid, or bi-carbonate of soda mixed with water. A handy tip is to soak the racks in your bathtub, as this will give you a lot more space (and will also give you a sparkling bathtub!).

Cleaning

While it’s crucial to make sure your oven is switched off when cleaning, it can be useful to start cleaning while the oven is still slightly warm, as this will help remove the stubborn grease.

Depending on your preference, you can use specific oven cleaning products, or you can use natural products. We’re going to focus on using bi-carbonate of soda and vinegar in this section.

  1. Mix together a cup of bi-carbonate of soda with enough water to create a thin paste.
  2. Apply the paste thinly to the walls of your oven, making sure to reach all the corners and apply extra if needed on areas with thick grime.
  3. Using a spray bottle, spray vinegar all over your oven, forcing the bicarbonate of soda to react and strip your walls.
  4. Let the mixture sit on your oven for as long as possible, minimum of an hour, to ensure all the grease is removed.
  5. Take a damp cloth and wipe down the entire inside of your oven. You may need to rinse your cloth repeatedly to ensure all the dirt is removed.
  6. Wipe and rinse your oven racks then let them dry before reinserting them into your oven.

Common oven issues

There are a few things that could be causing your oven to retain grease, so here are a few of the most common problems and how to solve them:

My oven keeps smoking

If you’re experiencing a lot of smoke from your oven, it could be a sign of burnt-on food. This is very unhygienic and can be potentially dangerous to your health. The best way to tackle this problem is to take a spatula and scrape off the food as soon as possible. If you’ve left the food to bake onto your oven, try sprinkling some baking soda around your oven and leave it overnight. This will help soften the charcoal and make it easier for you to tackle the next day.

My trays are covered in baked-on grease

When food spills onto baking trays, it can be difficult to remove. Try soaking any dirty baking trays in boiling water and washing up liquid. The longer you leave the tray soaking, the easier it will be to remove the dirt.

You can also use boiling water and washing up liquid to clean your hobs.

My oven door is dirty

To add the sparkle back to your glass oven door, you can use the same paste you used on your oven before. Spread the bi-carbonate mix thinly on your door and leave for 5-10 minutes. Spray on the vinegar and gently wipe your door. You should definitely lay down newspapers when cleaning your oven glass to avoid ruining your floor.

So, those are the steps you should take to clean your oven efficiently. Once it’s clean, remember to check that your appliance is in full working order, that it cooks your food properly and doesn’t let any heat out. If your oven is broken and needs to be fixed, contact Glotechrepairs.co.uk today.

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Interior Design