How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?

Cleaning the oven is not usually a task that many people look forward to. In fact, according to a Tombola survey, 35% of the British public find cleaning the oven to be their number one most hated chore. While it is certainly an unpleasant task, it is very important to get it done at least every 12 weeks. 

 

Why Should You Clean Your Oven Regularly?

A build-up of grease and food debris can be dangerous for a number of reasons, the most important of these being that it can lead to a fire in your oven. Grease fires can be extremely dangerous and very hard to put out, so it’s definitely best to avoid these if you can.

Even if the fire never makes it out of the oven, the smoke can still cause damage to your kitchen, as well as to the throat and lungs of anyone who breathes it in. 

There are also various health risks that can stem from an accumulation of dirt in your oven. The germs that gather in the dirt and grime can permeate the air and your food over time, and the fumes and smoke can also begin to cause a lingering smell in your kitchen. 

The taste of your food could also be affected by a build-up of dirt and grease in your oven. Carbon-based fumes will be caused by the grease in your oven being consistently burned, and these fumes end up in everything that you cook, which can alter the flavours. 

 

What Is the Easiest and Most Efficient Cleaning Method?

1. Inside the oven

The most efficient cleaning tool for stubborn oven grime is a good scrubbing brush or scouring pad. It will need to have strong bristles to be able to tackle those hardened patches of food and grease.

There are various affordable and effective oven cleaning products that you can buy to really get deep into the stubborn dirt caked onto the sides and base of the oven, but an alternative that does not include harsh chemicals would be the trusty mixture of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar.

Before you start cleaning, make sure that your oven is fully switched off and ideally unplugged at the main power point. Ensure that you’re wearing the right personal protective equipment like rubber gloves and spread out some newspaper around the base of the oven on the floor to catch any mess. 

Next, try to brush out and remove any loose bits of food and grease that may be sitting on the bottom of the inside of your oven. Once these bits are removed, spray the inside of the oven with your cleaning product of choice and then leave it to soak.

Be careful not to spray these cleaning products onto the pilot light, fan, or any other parts of the oven that should not be exposed to chemicals. 

If you’re using bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, try leaving the paste on the dirt and grease overnight if possible. 

Once the products have been left soaking on the grime build-up for long enough, use the scouring pad or scrubbing brush to scrub away all the lingering dirt and grease. When the build-up has been cleared away, wipe down the inside of the oven with a clean, damp cloth or sponge. 

Try this same method on your cleaning racks as well, but this could be done in your sink or a large bucket if this is easier.

 

2. The oven door

The glass door of your oven may be a difficult one to clean as well but is just as important as the inside of the oven. 

All kinds of grease and grime tend to build up on this door, sometimes making it so dirty that you can barely see inside the oven when trying to check on whatever tasty treat is cooking in there. 

The best method for cleaning the glass of the door is to use a glass scraper, a sponge, or a clean cloth to wipe away the build-up. Try to avoid using scouring pads or scrubbing brushes as they could scratch your glass.

In terms of products, the same oven cleaning products can be used on the glass as you used on the inside of the oven.

 

Conclusion

Cleaning your oven is an incredibly important task, no matter how unpleasant it is. It could be beneficial to try wiping down your oven after every use, which should stop a big build-up of grime over time.

If you find you cannot stomach rolling up your sleeves and getting down and dirty with your greasy oven, there are services that you can hire to come in specifically to give your oven the proper clean that it requires!