8 Oven Cleaning Hacks You Wish You Knew Earlier
Oven cleaning is often found to be more difficult than cleaning other kitchen or home appliances for the particularly stubborn grease and food stains uniquely found in an oven.
However, oven cleaning doesn’t have to be such a stress; it’s all about learning combinations that can tackle those stubborn stains. That is exactly what we would like to teach you in this article.
1. Before you start the actual cleaning hack
First and foremost, before using any chemicals or home solutions to clean your oven, you should use a paper towel or old cloth to wipe away already loose and solid bits of dirt. You can use a dustpan to collect the bits and then toss them into the bin. This way you allow the cleaning product to have its full effect on stubborn stains you cannot scrub off.
2. Home made solution hack
The most often mentioned oven cleaning hack is to combine vinegar and baking soda until they form a paste. Rub that on greasy oven stains and scrub. This solution should involve much less scrubbing in comparison to using some supermarket cleaning products.
3. Dishwasher tablets hack
Whilst associated with dish washing and not oven cleaning, dishwasher tablets can dissolve burnt-on grease and smaller pieces of food from your oven. Soak half a dishwasher tablet of any brand in warm water and rub it on the stuck-on food or grease. Leave for at least a minute before wiping away with a clean wet towel the paste. With any luck, burnt-on grease and smaller pieces of food.
4. Oven rack cleaning hack
Similarly to the above oven cleaning hack, you can separate and soak your oven racks in a hot bath with added washing powder. This makes it easier to wipe away dirt afterwards. You could try putting them inside your dishwasher for further ease and to take up less vital space.
5. Ammonia cleaning hack
A particularly low-effort oven cleaning hack is to fill a bowl with half a cup of ammonia,
leave it in your (turned-off) oven overnight and wipe away the loosened grime the morning
after.
6. Common household goods hack
Another great and practically effortless cleaning hack that uses common household ingredients is filling a bowl with water and adding two lemons cut in half. Leave that in your turned-on oven set to about 200 degrees for an hour. Similarly, you should be able to wipe away loosened grime while your oven is still warm (although cool enough to touch) with the added bonus of a pleasant lemony scent.
7. Illogical cleaning hack
This may sound counterproductive, but it is actually an oven cleaning hack that surprisingly works! Put some vegetable oil on a paper towel to wipe down greasy stove tops spattered with oil. Weird... but it does the job!
8. Universal cleaning hack
A cleaning hack, not exclusively applicable to oven cleaning, is using a toothbrush dipped in cleaning product to scrub stains instead of using a different scrubbing tool. The toothbrush has softer bristles, which are much less likely to create scratches or damage to your oven (or other home appliances) when used. Toothbrushes are inherently small and long-handled so, also effective in getting to those hard-to-reach spots.
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