The festive season is almost here, and that means your oven will soon be working overtime and covered in grease stains.
Now is the perfect time to give your oven a good clean and get it ready for the holiday hustle.
Funeral Guide shared a simple cleaning hack that uses a few ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen to tackle grime gently without scratching while leaving a shiny finish.
The budget-friendly ingredients you will need are baking soda, which costs £0.65 for 200g at ASDA and Tesco, and white vinegar (available at the same supermarkets for £0.85 per 568ml bottle). Optionally, you can include dish soap, which is helpful for extra grease removal, going for as little as £0.30 for 500ml.
The total cost hovers around £1.50 or less, depending on what you already have in your kitchen.
Step-by-step method to degrease an oven
1. Soak the oven racks
Start by removing the oven racks and soaking them in warm, soapy water for around 30 minutes. This helps to loosen any stubborn grease and grime, making them easier to clean later.
“Taking the racks out lets you focus on the oven’s interior,” suggested the team at Funeral Guide.
2. Prepare the baking soda paste
Mix about half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water in a small bowl, stirring until it forms a thick paste.
“You want it to be the texture of toothpaste,” advised Funeral Guide, “not too runny but still easy to spread.”
3. Apply the paste
Once the paste is ready, spread it generously over the inside of the oven using a sponge or cloth, steering clear of the heating elements.
“Cover the greasiest spots thoroughly,” advised Funeral Guide, “and don’t forget the bottom, sides, and glass door.” Let the paste sit for at least 12 hours, or overnight, to break down the baked-on grime.
4. Wipe away the paste
After the paste has had time to work, take a damp cloth and wipe away as much of it as possible.
Funeral Guide pointed out that you should notice it “taking a lot of the grease and grime with it”. For any stubborn spots, a gentle scrub should help to remove the rest.
5. Spray with vinegar
Pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz it over the areas where the baking soda paste was applied.
“The vinegar will react with the baking soda, causing a gentle fizz that helps lift off any remaining residue,” shared Funeral Guide.
6. Final wipe and polish
Once the fizzing has stopped, use a clean, damp cloth to wipe down the oven interior. For a shiny, streak-free finish, give it a final polish with a microfibre cloth.
“A final polish with microfiber leaves it shiny and looking like new,” noted Funeral Guide.
7. Clean the racks
Once the racks have finished soaking, scrub them with a sponge to remove any remaining grease. Rinse them well, dry them off, and return them to the oven.
