After days of cooking, my oven, like many people’s, is looking a little worse for wear. Roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and turkey have left a buildup of grease and grime, which I know will be stubborn to remove. Usually, I enlist the help of a professional oven cleaner to get my appliance looking its best. However, after the expense of Christmas, I’m tempted to try and clean it myself.
With that in mind, I decided to ask experts what the best method is for thoroughly cleaning ovens after Christmas. While oven cleaners were mentioned, they all unanimously agreed on using one item to clean your oven naturally: bicarbonate of soda, also known as baking soda.
Justin Carpenter, who owns the multi-market residential cleaning service, Modern Maids, suggested using baking soda and water to remove grease.
He said: “After the holidays, your oven is often covered in grease and food scraps, and it’s a nightmare. People want something quick and effective. So, the big question is, natural products? Store-bought cleaners? Or just let it sit until I feel like cleaning?
“First, make sure you clean the oven when it’s warm, not too cold. Remove any loose components and use steam to soften the dirt. Then focus on the grease with baking soda and water, and leave the vinegar for last.
“Do not scrape with hard objects and use the racks separately. An important thing people tend to forget: let it ventilate at the end.
“The only thing that genuinely matters is organisation, and you do not need much more than that.”
Gwil Snook, an expert from AO, suggested using a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water to create a paste, which can be used to naturally tackle oven grease as an alternative to chemical oven cleaners.
He said: “Firstly, remove the oven racks and pop them in the dishwasher, or use a dedicated oven and rack cleaner – be sure to read the instructions for this prior to using.
“As an alternative to oven cleaners, which often contain harsh chemicals, you can use a more natural cleaning solution of bicarbonate of soda and water; mixed into a paste before rubbing onto the inside of the oven and leaving to sit for 20 minutes or so – the paste needs to be thick enough to not drip down the oven.
“Once soaked, you can simply wipe away with a warm damp cloth and use a sponge to clean off any tough stains.”
If you’ve got some really tough oven stains that just won’t budge, Mr Snook recommended steaming the oven first, using an oven-safe bowl of water and a squeeze of lemon.
Simply heat the oven up and allow the water to steam for five minutes before turning it off and allowing it to cool.
He added: “Once the oven has cooled, you can wipe down the insides with a dry cloth, before proceeding with the bicarbonate paste. By rule of thumb, you should deep clean your oven once a month.”
Chersty Bitsindou, from South London, is a professional cleaner on Airtasker. Chersty has completed over 100 tasks, facing the dirtiest of ovens and has even tackled ovens that were “really bad”.
The cleaning expert said: “I’ve cleaned hundreds of ovens through Airtasker, and I can tell you, most people put it off until it gets really bad. You should be cleaning it every month to stay on top of things, and carrying out a deep clean every three months.
“Once the grease and burnt-on grime build up, it’s tough to tackle without the right tools. Around this time of year, I get lots of last-minute bookings from people hosting family or friends and wanting their oven to look and smell fresh again.”
To clean ovens without using chemicals, Chersty recommended using baking soda with water to form a thick paste, which is then spread across the dirty surfaces.
Leave the paste to work for 30 minutes, as the natural abrasiveness of the baking soda should help lift the grease.
Chersty also recommends steaming the oven first to help loosen stubborn grime. The cleaning expert suggests placing a heatproof bowl filled with hot water in the oven and closing the door for approximately 15 minutes.
The steam loosens stubborn grime on the sides, base and glass, making it much easier to wipe away.
