Shea Simmons
When you think of cleaning out your oven, you might let out an audible grown. We don’t blame you. While it’s not quite bathroom-level cleaning dread, it’s certainly no fun. But what if we told you all you need is a lemon?
Lemon is the secret to a clean oven, and while you do have to put in a little bit of elbow grease, this hack will make oven cleaning much easier.
The cleaning hack is actually from TikTok, and while the original creator is unknown, nearly all the videos share the same common instructions. You’ll basically bake a cut lemon and some water in your oven. Think of it as a citrus steam clean.
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First, you’ll slice a few lemons into quarters, put them into an oven-safe dish, and cover them with water. Next, preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature is reached, place your lemons in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Once time is up, turn off your oven and remove the lemon water. Dip a sponge or rag into the mixture, and then use the sponge or rag to carefully clean the interior. If you’re concerned about burns, you can always wear gloves while you do this. As you clean, the steam created by the water and citric acid in the lemons should help remove the dirt inside your oven.
Now, there is a caveat to this trick. It’s not designed for an oven that hasn’t been cleaned in a year. This trick is for those who stay up to date on oven maintenance. If you want a deeper clean, you’ll need to break out the baking soda or traditional oven cleaner.
If you need a quick and easy way to get your oven clean, you might just have the answer sitting right on your countertop. Don’t forget, you might want to throw a lemon in your dishwasher, too.
