The 3 Most Effective and Most Eco-friendly Ways to Clean Your Oven

Your oven is probably one of the hardest-working appliances in your home. That makes it doubly important to clean it thoroughly every few months.

However, commercial cleaners that are usually used for the job contain harsh chemicals that harm both the environment and your health. That’s why it’s best to opt for all-natural green cleaning ingredients.

This begs the question: what are the 3 most effective and eco-friendly ways to clean your oven?

Let’s find out below!

Eco-friendly oven cleaning with baking soda

Baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate) is one of the most famous and effective eco kitchen cleaning hacks. It does not only help neutralise foul odours, but it can be used to clean ovens, microwaves, and tile grout.

It also helps that it’s inexpensive and universally available. However, to maximise the effectiveness of soda, you have to store it properly after you open it. The best way to ensure that is to keep it in an airtight container and then keep it in a cool, dry place.

Cleaning your oven overnight with baking soda and white vinegar

This is one of the most powerful combinations when it comes to how to keep your oven clean.

Here are the steps towards using baking soda and vinegar to have a sparkling-clean oven:

Use a little bit of water and mix it with the baking soda to create a paste.
Rub the paste on the inside of your oven. Don’t forget the racks and the glass door too.
Ensure everything is coated really good, then let it sit overnight.
You will notice the baking soda mixture is completely dry the next day.
Fill an empty spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar and spray the inside of your oven. You will hear a lot of fizzing.
Make sure everything is sprayed really good, and then close the oven door and let this work its magic for 1-2 hours.
Once done, take a rag or a sponge and scrub in circular motions. You will notice all the grease is coming off really easy.
Rinse off the rag, and make sure all traces of the baking soda mixture are gone.
If it’s been far too long since you last cleaned your oven, you may have to repeat the procedure
That’s it. Enjoy using your sparkling-clean oven!

Cleaning your oven with lemon

Lemons are another eco-friendly means by which you can clean your oven. That’s because citric acid has powerful anti-bacterial, antiseptic, and degreasing effects and can help break even the toughest of baked-on grease and gunk.

Creating your own DIY cleaning solution

You can replace harmful chemical cleaners with this simple lemon cleaning agent, which will cut through grease and grime with ease.

First, juice two lemons, add some water, and put the mixture on the stove to boil.
When the mixture boils, add a tablespoon of your regular dishwashing soap.
Once the mixture stirs, remove it from the stove, and leave it to cool off before transferring it into an empty spray bottle.
You can now spray the mixture directly onto dirty areas and then use a scourer and a sponge to clean off.

Steam cleaning with lemon

When it’s been too long since you last cleaned your oven, there will likely be a lot of greases and caked-on stuff on the inside. That’s when it’s best first to steam clean your oven with lemon, so all that burnt-on gunk can be loosened and cleaned more easily.

First, fill a glass bowl with boiling water.
Juice two lemons and add them to the bowl as well.
Place the mixture into the oven and allow for the lemon-infused steam to melt and loosen all the built-up grease and fat.
After an hour, you will find you will have a much easier time cleaning the inside of your oven.

Lemon rub cleaning

When you’re in a hurry, you can use this method as another means of loosening the built-up grime.

Cut 3-4 lemons in halves.
After you steam clean your oven, you can use the halves to give its inside surface additional citric acid and leave it on for a while for an even greater effect.
You will then be able to clean even the toughest caked-on spots and have the easiest time cleaning your oven.

Cleaning your oven with DIY sugar soap

Sugar soap is another effective way when it comes to how to keep your oven clean. It is specially designed to clean grease and stubborn dirt. The thing about it, however, is that you have to make it yourself, as the commercial version of it contains compounds that are not eco-friendly.

To create your own DIY spray sugar soap, you will need:

5 tbs of Imperial Sugar Light Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons of some essential oil (lavender, peppermint, vanilla, etc.)
1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
2 cups of opaque glycerin melt-and-pour soap

To create your own DIY sugar soap:

Cut and melt the soap into cubes
Place the pieces into a double boiler and cover it with the lid.
When it melts, take it off the stove and mix in the brown sugar and vitamin E oil.
Pour everything into a glass measuring cup and add the essential oil.
Pour in soap, filling the top of the mold. If bubbles appear, spritz gently with alcohol to remove them.
Leave it to sit for around 4 hours.
After you’re done, you have your own DIY sugar soap, with which you can proceed to clean your oven.

How often should you clean your oven

Ovens should be cleaned every two-three months, at least twice a year. Failing to do so can result in poor performance, burnt-out electronic components, increased electricity bills, and costly repairs.

Why is regular cleaning important

Regular maintenance is important to keep any appliance functioning properly and to extend its lifetime.

The first reason why you should regularly clean your oven is to reduce your energy bill. A dirty oven takes more time to heat up, which consumes extra electricity. That also negatively impacts the environment, as the more energy your household consumes, the more fuel is required to produce it.

The second reason is that a dirty oven causes it to work extra hard to achieve the selected temperature, eventually resulting in damaged internal electronics and costly repairs. That’s money you could easily save if you take regular care of properly cleaning your appliance every few months.

The last reason is that a dirty oven impacts the taste of your food. All those burnt-on bits produce smoke, which is absorbed by your dish and that spoils all your hard work and effort.

How not to clean your oven

Some ovens have a self-cleaning feature, which, at first glance, sounds convenient.

However, the high temperatures that are produced for the baked-on grease and gunk to be incinerated slowly damage your oven’s internal components. That not only greatly reduces your appliance’s lifetime but also releases toxic fumes, which are hazardous to your health.

That’s why you should avoid the self-cleaning feature and opt for eco-friendly cleaning ways instead.

Harsh commercial chemicals should also be avoided. Not only can they cause corrosion, but they also produce toxic fumes.

When cleaning the knobs of your oven, avoid spraying a cleaning solution onto them directly, as it can seep into and damage the electronics inside. Instead, spray directly onto the cleaning cloth and then wipe the doorknobs.

Deep Cleaning

An oven should be deep cleaned at least twice every year. The benefits are that it will increase its lifespan, reduce your electricity bills, and improve the taste of your food.

Another reason to deep clean your oven is for you to be able to get your safety deposit back when you move out. Landlords will look for any excuse not to give back your money, and leaving a dirty oven is one of them.

That’s when it makes sense to hire professionals to do a deep cleaning and ensure that your landlord doesn’t have any excuse to keep your money.

Conclusion

One of the keys to living more sustainably is to have a clean and properly working oven. The 3 most effective and eco-friendly ways we’ve reviewed above will ensure just that.

So, if it’s been too long since you last cleaned your oven, maybe give one of these methods a chance and then enjoy the result.