Nobody enjoys trying to scrape off grease from an oven or barbecue, but it turns out there is a very simple way to clean both without having to scrub them for ages. Anything you cook food on can be difficult to keep clean because the high temperatures bake oils and fats onto the surface, making them feel impossible to remove once they have cooled and hardened.
However, the house cleaning experts at eMop have shared that it is very easy to get your ovens and barbecues clean again using just a little baking soda mixed with either white vinegar or lemon juice. They said: “This is one of the most preferred natural cleaning methods. The products used to create the recipe are easily found in your kitchen. It is easy to create it and very effective in removing dirt.”
It may sound bizarre, but baking soda is alkaline which means it can break down acidic substances like grease, oil, fats and burned food leftovers.
Baking soda is also highly absorbent, which can help loosen grease that has hardened over a surface to make stains much easier to remove.
When baking soda is mixed with white vinegar or lemon juice it can create a fizzy reaction which also helps loosen the stuck on residues so you do not have to scrub for ages.
How to clean an oven
All you need to do is pour 300g of baking soda onto the bottom of your oven, on the door or anywhere else the stains are.
Add a little white vinegar or lemon juice to the baking soda until you create a thick paste, then use a sponge to anywhere on your oven where there is greasy build up.
If your oven is particularly dirty, then leave the baking soda paste for a few hours or even overnight to give the solution time to loosen the grease.
When the time is up, pour the vinegar or lemon juice into a bowl and use a clean cloth to remove the paste.
Dip the cloth in hot water and as the paste melts, the grease should easily wipe off. Place the racks into a basin with soapy hot water and make sure everything is thoroughly dry before switching the oven on again.
How to clean a barbecue
This simple cleaning technique works the same way to remove oil and grease from a barbecue but with a few differences. To begin, all you need to do is first turn on the grill to about 100C for 15 minutes to help loosen up the grease.
Then, let the grill cool down, and apply 200g of baking soda to the surface. Like with the oven, apply a little white vinegar or lemon juice to form a paste and rub it anywhere greasy such as the racks.
Let the paste rest for a few hours, then clean the grill with white vinegar (or lemon juice) and a bucket of soapy hot water filled with a little washing up liquid.
The grease should easily come away once you wipe it with a clean cloth, so your barbecue, as well as ovens, will be sparkling clean with minimum effort and no harsh chemicals.
