Cleaning your oven is a difficult and time-consuming task. Spills and fallen food particles can become baked onto the surfaces of your oven. Unfortunately, most of the conventional oven cleaners are extremely toxic and contain chemicals that are dangerous to breathe in.
Luckily, there are plenty of natural oven cleaners you can use to freshen up your oven. Experts at Soapranos Cleaning Services tested and rated a vast array of homemade natural oven cleaning solutions, and surprisingly, the best was not white vinegar – it was actually the worst. They found that the natural oven cleaners that rely on white vinegar as the primary cleaning ingredient “tend to struggle the most” at removing the stains.
Although white vinegar can be an effective cleaning agent in other situations, the acidity of vinegar is not strong enough to break up the stubborn grease and grime found in most ovens.
There was also another natural cleaning item that struggled to make a significant impact on the interior of the oven – lemon juice.
Again, citric acid can work really well in cleaning solutions for countertops and bathtubs, but it does not have the power to break down the stuck-on grime that can bake to the inside of an oven.
Moving on to what did work, specifically, which natural solution “worked the best”, it turned out to be baking soda and water.
The pros said: “Ironically, one of the most effective natural oven cleaners you can use is one of the simplest.
“Baking soda and water is one of the easiest cleaning solutions you can make and actually has some of the best results.”
Baking soda is incredibly absorbent, which is why it works so well for absorbing unwanted odours in fridges.
When used inside an oven, baking soda can absorb stubborn grease, which helps loosen some of the stuck-on burnt debris.
To use baking soda to clean ovens, combine two tablespoons of the powder with three tablespoons of water. Stir together until it is an even mixture.
Apply to the interior of your oven and let it sit for 20 minutes before wiping it clean.