How To Deep Clean An Oven

There’s a lot of cleaning that goes into a move, and particularly in the kitchen. You’ve got to clean the kitchen in the home that you’re leaving and clean your new kitchen once you move in, and along the way you’re probably going to end up tackling your fair share of grease and grime—and usually plenty of otherwise unidentifiable substances as well. And although cleaning the kitchen might not be a fun task, there is an art to doing it right, including when it comes to the best way to deep clean an oven.

The oven can be one of the trickiest appliances to clean. In addition to the fact that it’s usually cleaned less often than other kitchen essentials (meaning lots of built-up grime hardened over time with heat), there also tends to be quite a bit of confusion over what’s safe and what’s not safe to use in there.

Unfortunately, the self-cleaning function on most ovens tends to leave a lot to be desired in terms of cleanliness—as well as a caustic, burnt smell in your house for hours at a time. So if you really want to deep clean an oven correctly, you’re likely going to have to put in the work yourself. But have no fear: it’s not as difficult as you might think! Here’s how to deep clean an oven before and after your move.

  1. Keep It Natural With Your Cleaning Supplies
    Skip the harsh chemicals when cleaning your oven and go natural instead. You’ll get just as good of a clean (if not better), without the associated risks that come with chemical oven cleaners—including exposure to lye and petroleum gases. (You can get a good idea about the general safety of chemical oven cleaners by checking out the Environmental Working Group’s grades for the most popular ones.) So what should you use instead? Here’s all you’ll need to seriously deep clean an oven:
    • Baking soda
    • Vinegar
    • Water
    • Melamine foam (aka “magic erasers”)
    • Clean rags

What If You Need To Clean An Oven Quickly?

If you need to clean an oven on the fly, you’re not totally out of luck. While a quick clean might not be quite as effective as a deep clean, it’s still better than nothing when you’re in a hurry.

Now to start, you’re still going to need to remove and clean the racks. Give them a baking soda and vinegar treatment and a hot water soak just as you would with a deep clean—just plan to take them out sooner. If there’s any remaining grease or grime, use a clean toothbrush dipped in water and a bit of salt (for the abrasion) to scrub it off.

As for the interior of the oven, the method in this Cleverly video is a great way to go. You simply combine baking soda, water, and vinegar in an oven-safe bowl and spread some of the mixture on the bottom of the oven. While it’s still on there, take the bowl with the remainder of the mixture and stick it in the oven for 45 minutes at 210 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat will cause the mixture in the bowl and on the bottom to steam so that the grime comes off easily when it’s all done.

And that’s it! Scrub the interior of the oven with a sponge, and then use your melamine foam as normal on the inside of your oven door. It’s an effective clean in a fraction of the time.

Whether you go for a deep clean or the quicker option, cleaning an oven is pretty much just a matter of patience, with very little hard scrubbing on your part. Need some help cleaning other parts of your home before and after your move? Check out our tips on how to deep clean a bathroom as well as our guide to the new home deep clean.