Oven Cleaning: All Things You Probably Didn’t Know

July 11, 2024

Many great home cooks usually put their ovens into overdrive, not just sometimes, but throughout the year. Sometimes, food particles often end up inside the areas of the oven chamber - walls, floors, roof, racks, and even on glass. These remains can harden to the point that it is hard to wipe them off with soapy rags, which is why deep cleaning of the oven becomes a necessity once at least every four to six months. Cleaning prevents food particles from burning and affecting the flavour of the food. It even saves your oven from catching fire on future uses. Therefore, it is crucial to get to know clearly about the right and wrong approaches to oven cleaning.

Cleaning your oven at home can be done effectively with these simple steps:

Preparation Turn off, unplug the oven and remove racks and lay down protection around the oven.
Remove Debris Brush out loose debris and food particles.
Apply Cleaner Use baking soda paste or commercial cleaner and apply to interior surfaces, avoiding heating elements.
Let Sit Allow the cleaner to sit for several hours or overnight.
Scrub Gently Scrub with a damp cloth or sponge, focusing on tough spots.
Rinse Well Wipe down with a clean, damp cloth to remove residue.
Clean Racks Soak racks in soapy water, scrub, rinse, and dry.
Final Steps Wipe down the door and exterior and replace racks and plug the oven back in.

Things to Keep in Mind While Cleaning Oven

Here are a few things you need to know before you start to clean your oven.

Do Not Assume that You Can Clean All Parts of the Oven

Make sure that you thoroughly read the user’s manual to know which components can be cleaned safely - this can help you prevent the malfunctioning of the oven after cleaning. Cleaning the heating elements of the oven can often end up scratching them; it can also cause sparks and flames. Make sure that you take care of the oven’s flexible gaskets properly while cleaning, which would be at the interior of the oven door - it helps to avoid degrading the oven seal and prevent the heat from escaping the oven.

Do Not Use Chemical-Based Cleansers for Oven Cleaning

To avoid chemical cleansers while cleaning your oven is one of the right things to keep in mind while cleaning your oven, especially when you do it by yourself. Also, make sure that you read through the manual to know the kind of cleanser that is suitable for your oven. Even though chemical-cleansers are suited for safe use in conventional ovens, they are not suggested for self-cleaning ovens as they can corrode its enamel coating. Cleansers made out of biodegradable ingredients are widely available at stores and supermarkets, and they present a more eco-friendly alternative to chemical laden-cleansers.

Start By Turning Off and Cooling the Oven

It is always important to turn off your oven and let it cool before you clean it with a cleanser to avoid burning yourself while you scrub off the food from the oven. Remove the pans, pots, and racks from the oven - this lets you clean the roof, floor, and walls of the oven very easily. Make sure to also remove all the food residues and large chunks of food from the oven’s chamber by gentle scraps.

Pre-Soak the Oven Components to Save Time

Apply the cleanser you choose to every component of the oven in advance and let it soak up for some time. It will help loosen the grime and cut off the need for heavy scrubbing while cleaning your oven. 

Make sure to lay the oven rack side by side in an empty bathtub or large kitchen sink and let it submerge in water mixed with the cleaning solution overnight. Also allow enough dwell time when you clean oven walls, roof, floor and glass surfaces for the cleaning solution to act on the grime.

Get Proper Oven Cleaning Service With Sendhelper

Sendhelper, the best cleaning service provider in Singapore offers expert help to clean ovens. On top of general cleaning our specialist deep cleaning service includes oven cleaning, fridge cleaning, heavy degreasing of kitchen and steam cleaning of kitchen floor. You can simply add on these services while booking for a deep cleaning service. 

Services recommended for you