If you've never cleaned your oven, this post is for you. Here are the five basic steps for how to clean the inside of an oven!
Time for some honesty. I am 31 years old and cleaned the inside of an oven for the first time this year. I wish I was kidding but I'm sure a lot of people can relate. This is just an area that is so easy to miss. As long as the oven was functioning, I was content. It's out of sight, out of mind for me. But not anymore. I've been changed forever.
Above is the after of my oven and you will die when you see the before. We bought this house three years ago and we've used the oven a ton. I sort of thought it was too far gone based on how dirty the inside was. To my surprise, the oven literally looks brand new again.
And the best part is that this process will never take me this long again. I'm excited that now I just get to maintain the oven every month or so.
If you need to deep clean the inside of your oven but don't know what products to use or where to start, this post is for you! I promise it's not as hard as you think.
This post is all about how to clean the inside of an oven!
Ok this before is horrifying. I'm honestly not sure how I managed to ignore this for so long. But like I mentioned previously, I honestly didn't think the oven could come back from this state. If this is the first time you're doing a deep clean, I would prepare to set aside a few hours for the process. I know it's annoying but it will pay off. Below I will summarize the five basic steps you'll need to take the clean the inside of your oven. Later in the post, I will go over the best supplies to use. And trust me, the products are the real game changer.
- Remove racks from the oven
- Coat the inside of the oven with product
- Scrub, scrub, scrub
- Wipe the oven clean
- Wash & replace oven racks
How to Clean the Inside of an Oven Door
When it comes to the oven door, you're going to need Scrub Daddy Power Paste or the Pink Stuff and a Scrub Daddy Sponge. I'm sure you can use a brush or a standard sponge, but I sincerely recommend the Scrub Daddy sponge because it is abrasive but will not scratch your oven. I tried both the Power Paste and the Pink stuff but I would say that Power Paste was superior. You would have to use a lot more elbow grease with the Pink Stuff and in this process the less scrubbing the better.
I covered the door in Power Paste and then let it sit for twenty minutes or so. Once the product had sat for a while, I started working it in with the sponge. I was shocked at how quickly the grease and debris started coming up. My door was horrible, so it took a couple of passes. But you will be amazed at how well this product works. Just remember to be patient and continue to scrub until the surface is clean. Use a damp microfiber towel to remove the remaining product and the door is complete!
How to Clean an Oven Quickly
For the rest of the inside of the oven, I used the fume-free Easy Off (in the blue can). When I tell you this is a MIRACLE product, I am not exaggerating. For this product, the longer you can let it sit, the better. As you can see, we needed to let it sit as long as possible. I planned a day that I knew we wouldn't need the oven. This way I was able to leave the product on overnight.
Before I sprayed the product inside, I used a damp paper towel to remove any loose debris. This way the product could sit directly on the grease and didn't have unnecessary stuff to penetrate. Once that was complete, I coated the whole inside of the oven with Easy Off. I was generous with this step. Just a reminder to fully read the directions on the bottle. You want to make sure you are being safe during this process.
I truly believe this is the reason I had such great success with this project. The longer you let the product do its job, the easier the rest of the process will be. When I came back the next day, I was able to wipe away 80% of the grease with no scrubbing. For the more difficult areas, I just used my Scrub Daddy sponge and with a little bit of scrubbing, the rest of it came off.
Similar to the door, use a damp microfiber towel or rag to fully remove the product from the inside of the oven. Below is a reminder of the before and after!
Once you have applied the Easy Off to the inside of the oven, you can work on the racks. Dawn Power Wash is an easy way to remove grease from your oven racks. I just used this and a sponge to remove the majority of the stains and build-up.
If you attempt this and you aren't pleased with the results, you can always put the racks back in the oven, and spray them with the Easy Off. If you do this, I would let them sit for at least an hour.
Make sure you take them out, give them a scrub and rinse them thoroughly in the sink. They will nice and shiny when you're done!
Products You'll Need
Here is the summary of the products I used and what part of the oven I used them on!
- Scrub Daddy Sponge - everywhere
- Microfiber Towels - everywhere
- Power Paste or The Pink Stuff - on the glass/door
- Easy Off - inside of the oven
- Dawn Power Wash - on the oven racks
And there you have it! The steps you'll need to take to clean your oven truly are simple. However, the process can be time-consuming if you have a lot to scrub. It can be a little physically demanding too. If you can remove your oven door, I would suggest it. Or possibly even pulling your oven out from the wall.
If your oven is in a tight space, there may be areas that are hard to reach on the inside of your oven. Don't feel the need to go too crazy. It's an oven, there is going to be grease here and there. However, you will be able to clean the majority of the space and it will truly make you feel like you have a new oven!
Drop comments or questions below! Let me know if you have any tips or tricks that I didn't cover!
This post is all about how to clean the inside of an oven!
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