Eight Easy Steps to a Clean Oven

I always like to find an easy way to do things. As I go through life, I find it's important to take advantage of the little shortcuts that save wear and tear on me. Here's an easy way to clean an oven that I've found that works.

The hardest part of cleaning an oven is getting all that baked-on black stuff off the inside walls of the oven. It's called carbon. Here's 8 easy steps that I follow to get the hard-stuck carbon off:

Buy an empty spray bottle and some baking soda.

You'll find that baking soda is cheap -- especially if you buy in bulk.
Using a funnel, place 3 heaping teaspoons of baking soda into the spray bottle.

If the baking soda clogs the funnel, unclog it with water.

Three heaping teaspoons of baking soda is enough baking soda for a large spray bottle. Large baking soda bottles are approximately 1 quart or 1 liter.

Be sure to buy an empty spray bottle. Bottles that previously contained window cleaning solution, or other substances, do not work very well. That's what I hear.

One person, who wrote in, got their empty spray bottle at a flower shop. Years ago, I got my empty spray bottle at Costco. That was over 10 years ago.
Wash the baking soda into the spray bottle by running water into the funnel.

Fill the bottle with water. After the bottle fills, you'll notice undissolved baking soda that has settled at the bottom of the bottle.
Shake the spray bottle so that all the baking soda dissolves in the water.

Unless all the baking soda is fully dissolved, some of it gets left behind in the bottom of the bottle as a residue.
When the oven is cold, spray the baking soda and water solution on to the black stuff. Do this one or more times a day.

It is important to work on a cold oven for two reasons:
- Safety. You can't burn your hands if the oven is cold.
- Containment. You'll get baking soda all over the house if you start with a hot oven. I know. I've done it.
  
  Starting with a cold oven solves the problem.
Use your oven as you normally would. Keep spraying wet baking soda on to the top and sides of the interior of the oven between meals.

Wet baking soda will break up the carbon sticking to the sides of the oven. Keep spraying baking soda on to the black stuff between meals until it is all gone.

Don't worry about getting baking soda in your food. Baking soda is one of the prime ingredients of many recipes such as corn bread. It is safe to add it to your food should you do so inadvertently.

Using this technique, the black carbon that was stuck to the sides of your oven will flow to the floor of your oven and settle there as a black carbon powder that can be wiped away.

Your oven will look like a mess while this is in process. Choose a good time to do this.
At your convenience, when the oven is cold, wipe your oven with a damp cloth.

Eventually, you will have to wipe down your whole oven with a damp cloth. The black carbon and baking soda will will settle together on the bottom of your oven. Both are easily removed with a damp cloth.

In theory, you will have to apply the spray bottle many times but you should only have to wipe down your oven once. Try not to wipe down the oven prematurely as this removes the active ingredient that makes the whole thing work -- the baking soda.

Important! Let the baking soda accumulate so that it can do its job.
Repeat, repeat, repeat until all the black carbon is gone.

This technique can be used on carbon that is baked on to casserole dishes as well.

Conclusion

This technique is the poor person's oven cleaner. You'll notice that the main ingredient in many commercial oven cleaning products is baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate).

One disadvantage to this approach is that it takes time for the baking soda to chemically react with the carbon. Time and repeated applications of the spray bottle solution are your keys to success.

A clear advantage to this approach is that it is not very labor intensive. Just keep spraying the carbon stuck to the interior of the oven until it all flows to the bottom of the oven. Then wipe it all out with a damp cloth.

One more thing to consider: It takes a lot of baking soda to remove a lot of carbon. Be sure to apply a significant quantity of baking soda before giving up on the project. Significant quantities of wet baking soda and the passage of time are your keys to success. Remember! The baking soda does not react with the carbon unless it is wet.

On particularly difficult spots, you may want to dampen the baking soda in a bowl and apply it directly on these spots as a wet paste. If you do this, keep the baking soda wet for an extended period of time by coming back often and spraying it with your spray bottle.

If the accumulation of carbon is particularly heavy on the bottom of your oven, you can sprinkle baking soda on to the bottom as a dry powder and then dampen it with your spray bottle.

Good luck!

Oven Cleaning Blog

I have started an oven cleaning blog to help answer oven cleaning questions that people ask.

For example, choosing a spray bottle that will take baking soda. Not all will.

On my blog, I write about spray bottles that clog. I also write about spray bottles that do not.

If you email me asking a question that I can answer, I'll probably turn it into an oven cleaning blog post and then send you the link so you can read it.

Fair enough? This way I don't answer the same oven cleaning questions over and over again.

I know very little about oven cleaning. I've done it so seldom. However, if I can't help you to get your oven clean, maybe another person reading my blog will be able to answer it. You can post your question to my oven cleaning blog if you want to.

Oven Cleaning Reader Comments

February 27, 2010

I want to thank you so much for this method. It took over a week, but it was so easy and no mess.

I have used oven cleaners in the past and what a mess. This method just took longer but was so easy to wipe out, no fumes and no big preparation.

I will use this method in the future. I plan to do it before it gets so bad and it should be easier next time.

--Marg

August 25, 2009

I just had to write to thank you.

I have lived in a rental apartment for over a year. Last Christmas, I prepared a Christmas dinner of fresh ham which under good circumstances makes a huge oily mess.

I went to self-clean the oven afterwards only to find out that it was not self or continuious cleaning. Well, after putting off cleaning the mess until now, I was faced with the task.

I came online and read your article and decided to give it a go. Over the weekend, and through this morning, whenever I went near the kitchen, I would spray the solution as you suggested.
Tonight I came home and decided to tackle finishing the job. I am still sitting here in amazement as to how easily the baked on grease came off with just a damp sponge. Even the racks came just like new. I normally would never write in but I just need to thank you for this wonderfull tip that really works.

Regards,
--Steve

I have recently read your article on cleaning the oven with the baking soda and the squirt bottle. It works great and I do agree that it takes many applications but -- who cares -- you are not down there scrubbing your knuckles off for 2 hours on your hands and knees. I just wanted to say thanks for the tip.

. . . Some of my friends are still in the process of the spraying part and they said they will e-mail you also once theirs [are] clean . . . People, it seems to me, are more apt to do or at least try something new when there [are] others who go first (lol). Thanks again for the for the tip. It has been a real back saver (lol). Have a great day.

--Vicki

Hi,

Update!! It works! Beautifully! A month or so ago I got a new bottle at the flower section of my local Stop and Shop, mixed it up, sprayed it on and left if there for a fairly long time and didn't use the oven for a few weeks. I think I sprayed some more once or twice between then and now. A few days ago I wiped it down and I couldn't believe how well it worked! Phenomenal.

I will keep doing this from now on. It's too good to be true! I won't have to use toxic chemicals on it again!

Cheers,

--John
(I know I sound like a rabid housewife but this impressed me...)

Questions or comments? Email me at ed@WebSiteRepairGuy.com.



	Eight Easy Steps to a Clean Oven I always like to find an easy way to do things. As I go through life, I find it's important to take advantage of the little shortcuts that save wear and tear on me. Here's an easy way to clean an oven that I've found that works. The hardest part of cleaning an oven is getting all that baked-on black stuff off the inside walls of the oven. It's called carbon. Here's 8 easy steps that I follow to get the hard-stuck carbon off: Buy an empty spray bottle and some baking soda. You'll find that baking soda is cheap -- especially if you buy in bulk. Using a funnel, place 3 heaping teaspoons of baking soda into the spray bottle. If the baking soda clogs the funnel, unclog it with water. Three heaping teaspoons of baking soda is enough baking soda for a large spray bottle. Large baking soda bottles are approximately 1 quart or 1 liter. Be sure to buy an empty spray bottle. Bottles that previously contained window cleaning solution, or other substances, do not work very well. That's what I hear. One person, who wrote in, got their empty spray bottle at a flower shop. Years ago, I got my empty spray bottle at Costco. That was over 10 years ago. Wash the baking soda into the spray bottle by running water into the funnel. Fill the bottle with water. After the bottle fills, you'll notice undissolved baking soda that has settled at the bottom of the bottle. Shake the spray bottle so that all the baking soda dissolves in the water. Unless all the baking soda is fully dissolved, some of it gets left behind in the bottom of the bottle as a residue. When the oven is cold, spray the baking soda and water solution on to the black stuff. Do this one or more times a day. It is important to work on a cold oven for two reasons: Safety. You can't burn your hands if the oven is cold. Containment. You'll get baking soda all over the house if you start with a hot oven. I know. I've done it. Starting with a cold oven solves the problem. Use your oven as you normally would. Keep spraying wet baking soda on to the top and sides of the interior of the oven between meals. Wet baking soda will break up the carbon sticking to the sides of the oven. Keep spraying baking soda on to the black stuff between meals until it is all gone. Don't worry about getting baking soda in your food. Baking soda is one of the prime ingredients of many recipes such as corn bread. It is safe to add it to your food should you do so inadvertently. Using this technique, the black carbon that was stuck to the sides of your oven will flow to the floor of your oven and settle there as a black carbon powder that can be wiped away. Your oven will look like a mess while this is in process. Choose a good time to do this. At your convenience, when the oven is cold, wipe your oven with a damp cloth. Eventually, you will have to wipe down your whole oven with a damp cloth. The black carbon and baking soda will will settle together on the bottom of your oven. Both are easily removed with a damp cloth. In theory, you will have to apply the spray bottle many times but you should only have to wipe down your oven once. Try not to wipe down the oven prematurely as this removes the active ingredient that makes the whole thing work -- the baking soda. Important! Let the baking soda accumulate so that it can do its job. Repeat, repeat, repeat until all the black carbon is gone. This technique can be used on carbon that is baked on to casserole dishes as well. Conclusion This technique is the poor person's oven cleaner. You'll notice that the main ingredient in many commercial oven cleaning products is baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate). One disadvantage to this approach is that it takes time for the baking soda to chemically react with the carbon. Time and repeated applications of the spray bottle solution are your keys to success. A clear advantage to this approach is that it is not very labor intensive. Just keep spraying the carbon stuck to the interior of the oven until it all flows to the bottom of the oven. Then wipe it all out with a damp cloth. One more thing to consider: It takes a lot of baking soda to remove a lot of carbon. Be sure to apply a significant quantity of baking soda before giving up on the project. Significant quantities of wet baking soda and the passage of time are your keys to success. Remember! The baking soda does not react with the carbon unless it is wet. On particularly difficult spots, you may want to dampen the baking soda in a bowl and apply it directly on these spots as a wet paste. If you do this, keep the baking soda wet for an extended period of time by coming back often and spraying it with your spray bottle. If the accumulation of carbon is particularly heavy on the bottom of your oven, you can sprinkle baking soda on to the bottom as a dry powder and then dampen it with your spray bottle. Good luck! Oven Cleaning Blog I have started an oven cleaning blog to help answer oven cleaning questions that people ask. For example, choosing a spray bottle that will take baking soda. Not all will. On my blog, I write about spray bottles that clog. I also write about spray bottles that do not. If you email me asking a question that I can answer, I'll probably turn it into an oven cleaning blog post and then send you the link so you can read it. Fair enough? This way I don't answer the same oven cleaning questions over and over again. I know very little about oven cleaning. I've done it so seldom. However, if I can't help you to get your oven clean, maybe another person reading my blog will be able to answer it. You can post your question to my oven cleaning blog if you want to. Oven Cleaning Reader Comments February 27, 2010 I want to thank you so much for this method. It took over a week, but it was so easy and no mess. I have used oven cleaners in the past and what a mess. This method just took longer but was so easy to wipe out, no fumes and no big preparation. I will use this method in the future. I plan to do it before it gets so bad and it should be easier next time. --Marg August 25, 2009 I just had to write to thank you. I have lived in a rental apartment for over a year. Last Christmas, I prepared a Christmas dinner of fresh ham which under good circumstances makes a huge oily mess. I went to self-clean the oven afterwards only to find out that it was not self or continuious cleaning. Well, after putting off cleaning the mess until now, I was faced with the task. I came online and read your article and decided to give it a go. Over the weekend, and through this morning, whenever I went near the kitchen, I would spray the solution as you suggested. Tonight I came home and decided to tackle finishing the job. I am still sitting here in amazement as to how easily the baked on grease came off with just a damp sponge. Even the racks came just like new. I normally would never write in but I just need to thank you for this wonderfull tip that really works. Regards, --Steve I have recently read your article on cleaning the oven with the baking soda and the squirt bottle. It works great and I do agree that it takes many applications but -- who cares -- you are not down there scrubbing your knuckles off for 2 hours on your hands and knees. I just wanted to say thanks for the tip. . . . Some of my friends are still in the process of the spraying part and they said they will e-mail you also once theirs [are] clean . . . People, it seems to me, are more apt to do or at least try something new when there [are] others who go first (lol). Thanks again for the for the tip. It has been a real back saver (lol). Have a great day. --Vicki Hi, Update!! It works! Beautifully! A month or so ago I got a new bottle at the flower section of my local Stop and Shop, mixed it up, sprayed it on and left if there for a fairly long time and didn't use the oven for a few weeks. I think I sprayed some more once or twice between then and now. A few days ago I wiped it down and I couldn't believe how well it worked! Phenomenal. I will keep doing this from now on. It's too good to be true! I won't have to use toxic chemicals on it again! Cheers, --John (I know I sound like a rabid housewife but this impressed me...) Questions or comments? Email me at ed@WebSiteRepairGuy.com. ©Edward Abbott, 2002-2010. All rights reserved. Revised March, 2, 2010.

Eight Easy Stepsto a Clean Oven

Conclusion

Oven Cleaning Blog

Oven Cleaning Reader Comments

Eight Easy Steps
to a Clean Oven