Ahhh, the daunting task of cleaning the oven. Maybe there are some fallen, forgotten pizza crumbs that blacken every time you fire it up - or grease splatters from that recipe you tried to make over Thanksgiving. Either way, the oven needs cleaning - we aim to do it quarterly, but let’s face it - unless you have a task service scheduled quarterly it probably happens once a year... But don’t let that scare you - we’ve gathered a couple of tried and true all-natural methods for cleaning the oven and listed them here just for you!
Image property of Martha Stewart
Method 1
Lemon and other citrus oils are great natural degreasers, and you can clean your oven—especially convection ovens—with just two lemons and a little effort. Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juices into the baking dish. Place what’s left of the lemons in the dish as well.
Fill the dish about 1/3 full of water, place it in the oven, and bake at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. If the buildup is really bad, you can leave it in for a bit longer. The water and lemon juice will heat up and the vapors will cling to the grime, loosening it and helping it come clean.
Remove the dish and let the oven cool. After the oven has cooled off, use a scouring pad to scrub away what’s left of the grime; have a silicone spatula handy for removing bigger chunks. Use the lemon water as a rinse aid when cleaning down the inside of the stove.
Keep sponging with the lemon water until clean and then use a towel to dry it off. Be aware that the oven emits smoke when this happens, so be sure to turn on the oven fan and open a window.
Method 2
Involves vinegar and baking soda. Simply spray vinegar all over the inside of the oven.
Follow that with an even sprinkling of baking soda and allow for the mixture to bubble and fizz. Leave the mixture to sit for about 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how many former Christmas dinners are still clinging to the walls of the oven.
Then use a scouring sponge to scrub the walls and bottom of the oven to remove the grime and build up. Vinegar is a great degreaser, so try rinsing the sponge in vinegar to maintain its grease cutting abilities during your scrubbing.
You can rinse the oven by sponging clean water on the walls and bottom, this way no chemicals are required to achieve a clean oven.