3 Easy and Affordable Ways to Clean Your Oven

Spring cleaning and getting ready to tackle that oven? Ditch the expensive specialty cleaners—these cleaning hacks will save you time and money. And you probably already have everything you need in your pantry or under the sink.

There are tons of specialty oven cleaners out there, but really, all you need is a bit of elbow grease and a few common household products to clean this appliance. So, grab that cleaning rag, choose one of these methods, and you’ll have that oven shining again in no time.

How to Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda

By far the easiest (and cheapest) oven-cleaning solution is our old friend, baking soda. Because it’s alkaline and most grease stains are more acidic, baking soda can react with the grease particles and break them down. Its powdered texture also makes it slightly abrasive, which helps lift away grease, too.

For a mild-to-moderate cleaning, just follow these simple steps:

1. Remove the racks from inside your oven.
2. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water, until you get a thick, spreadable paste.
3. Spread the paste all over the inside of your oven, and especially wherever there are stains or grime. Avoid getting the paste on the heating elements.
4. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
5. Using wet rags or paper towels, wipe and clean out the baking soda and grease.
6. With clean wet rags or paper towels, wipe down the inside again to remove any residue.

If your oven has particularly stubborn stains, try this variation on the method above:

1. Remove the racks from inside your oven.
2. Mix 2 cups of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of salt, and 3 tablespoons of water until they form a paste.
3. Spread the paste all over the inside of your oven, especially wherever there are stains or grime, but again, avoid getting any on the heating elements.
4. Let the paste sit and harden overnight in your closed oven.
5. Using wet rags or paper towels, wipe out the paste and grease.
6. With clean wet rags or paper towels, wipe down the inside again to remove any residue.

How to Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Sometimes, baking soda alone just isn’t quite enough to really tackle those baked-on stains and grimy bits in your oven. When that happens, you can harness the power of one of the first chemical reactions you ever learned about: baking soda and white vinegar.

As everyone who’s ever been to a school science fair knows, baking soda and vinegar (a base and an acid) react to each other when mixed and create a lot of foam. That foam is a powerful cleaning agent that can really go to work on the stuck-on, oily messes in your oven.

The process is pretty similar to the one we described previously—just follow these steps:

1. Remove the racks from inside your oven.
2. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water, until a thick, spreadable paste forms.
3. Spread the paste all over the inside of your oven, especially wherever there are stains or grime, but avoid getting any on the heating elements.
4. Let it sit overnight.
5. Using wet rags or paper towels, wipe out the majority of the baking soda and grease.
6. Fill a clean spray bottle with white vinegar, and then spritz some wherever spots of baking soda and/or grime are still visible. This will produce a foam.
7. Using a fresh damp rag or paper towels, wipe out your oven once again. The foam should lift away any remaining grime or residue.

Whenever you’re working with a baking soda paste and/or vinegar, wearing a pair of reusable gloves is a good idea to protect your hands from both the cleaning agents and yucky grime.

How to Clean Your Oven with Lemon Juice

If you want to ensure your oven smells clean, too, just add some lemon juice to the process. There are a few different ways you can go about this, but we’ll share how we do it. Lemon juice can really boost the power of other cleaning agents.

Follow these steps to get a lemon-fresh, powerful clean:

1. Juice 3 large or 4 medium lemons until you have at least 1/2 cup of juice.
2. Remove the racks from inside your oven.
3. Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water until a thick, spreadable paste forms.
4. Spread the paste all over the inside of the oven, especially wherever there are stains or grime, but avoid getting any on the heating elements.
5. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
6. Put your lemon juice in a clean spray bottle, and then spritz it over the baking soda paste in the oven.
7. Scrub with a soft-bristle brush until the paste loosens, and then wipe it all away with a damp rag.
8. With a clean, damp rag, wipe the inside of the oven again to remove any lingering residue.

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Making your oven sparkle should be a regular part of your spring cleaning routine. Armed with these handy tips and simple household ingredients, you’ll be shocked at how quick, easy, and cheap it is to get this appliance looking sharp and ready to bake again.