1. Make sure your oven is switched off and cooled down
Before you start scrubbing the dirt and excess food away, start with removing the oven racks and soaking them in hot, soapy water.
2. Mix your own cleaning solution with baking soda and water
A great oven cleaning hack is to use a simple homemade solution made from baking soda and water.
For the whole method, you’ll only need baking soda, water, white vinegar, a damp dish cloth, rubber gloves and a spray bottle.
Ammonia can also be used as a great alternative to baking soda.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until you have a paste-like substance.
3. Cover the oven in the cleaning paste
Spread your homemade paste all over the interior of your oven. Use your rubber gloves for this if your oven is particularly grimy. If the paste turns a brownish colour, this is normal.
Make sure to cover every part of the oven in the past - including the glass door.
4. Let it sit overnight
Let the baking soda solution to rest on the oven for 12 hours (or overnight). Meanwhile, it might be a good idea to spend this time thoroughly cleaning the racks.
5. Wipe down the oven
After your oven has spent 12 hours (or overnight) soaking in the baking soda solution, take a damp dish cloth and wipe down the interior as much as you can. A spatula can be used to scrape any of the tough, tried-out baking soda in hard-to-reach places.
6. Spray it with vinegar
Put some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz it all over the interior of the oven to ensure a sparkling, thorough clean. When vinegar reacts with the baking soda solution, it will start to foam - this is normal!
7. Wipe down the oven one last time
Take a damp cloth and do a final wipe-down, cleaning every nook and cranny to make sure any remaining bits of baking soda residue is gone. Spray extra vinegar to make sure it is 100 per cent clean.
8. Replace the oven racks
Once the interior of your oven is fully cleaned and dry, wipe down the oven racks and put them back inside. Then, hey presto! Your oven will be sparkling clean and ready to be used again.
Other oven cleaning tips
If you are running out of time or don’t have the ingredients to make your own homemade paste, there are a few other options available at grocery stores such as Woolworths, Coles or Bunnings.
Oven cleaning brands such as Mr Muscles, OzKleen, Jif, Easy-Off or Selleys work very well.
How much does it cost to have your oven professionally cleaned?
A professional oven cleaner can cost an average of between $50-100 on sites such as Airtasker or through cleaning services.
