Cleaning Your Oven With Baking Soda
Cleaning with baking soda is a tale as old as time. As the UK’s largest oven cleaning franchise, we understand why. Not only is baking soda a ready-available ingredient in most homes, but it’s natural make up means it doesn’t require gloves, and often won’t leave behind any chemical residue or odours.
When vinegar (an acid) and baking soda (a base) meet, they chemically react together, resulting in bubbles and foam – making them a fantastic way to clean your oven from grease and grime. You may have learned about this combination as early as nursery school, where it’s often used to introduce kids to the concept of chemical reactions in a harmless environment.
Our simple recipe for cleaning your oven with baking soda is a guaranteed way to loosen any residue or dirt overnight, without the need for a expert solution from the Ovenu team.
Related: best way to clean oven glass
Is Baking soda in ovens dangerous?
These instructions are for cleaning the inside of an empty oven. Any remains of baking soda left on heating elements can cause smoke, so ensure all baking soda residue is completely removed before you use the oven to cook again!
Explore other ways to clean your oven at home with our Ovenu-approved ultimate guide.
How to Clean Your Oven with Baking Soda and Vinegar
(You can double this recipe if you have a large oven or if you’re cleaning multiple ovens at once.)
You’ll need:
- 7 tbsp of baking soda
- 200ml of vinegar
- 4 tbsp of water
- A spray bottle
- A spatula or another scraping tool (If you do use a spatula, make sure it’s a soft plastic or wooden one so it doesn’t scratch your oven.)
- Your dirty oven, tray or rack
- Household gloves and a sponge
- Empty the dirty oven completely, setting any trays, racks and oven dishes to one side.
- Scrape the loose build up of crumbs or dirt where possible with a spatula and pour your vinegar into a spray bottle.
- Create a baking soda cleaning paste by mixing 7 tablespoons of baking soda with 4 tablespoons of water in a regular mixing bowl until you have a paste.
- Wearing household gloves, coat the inside of your oven with the paste, using a sponge to to really get into the difficult bits (avoiding the heating elements) and leave overnight (up to 12-hours will produce the best results).
- You’ll notice the mixture will turn a brownish colour from the grime it’s absorbing, so make sure your hands, arms and clothes are protected.
- Wipe up your baking soda paste: After 12-hours of your solution working, put on your gloves and use a damp dishcloth to wipe the dried paste as well as you can; using the spatula to scrape the paste out of hard-to-reach corners.
- Spray your vinegar onto the inside oven surfaces, notice as the chemical reaction produces foam and bubbles, loosening any leftover grime and identifying any paste residue.
- Take a damp dishcloth and wipe down any remaining foamy areas of the oven. Spray and wipe the vinegar away until your oven is sparkling clean.
Cleaning your oven with baking soda can be a lot of work on a regular basis. A professional deep clean to restore your oven to near-showroom condition with zero time and effort from your part by our Ovenu experts means our technicians will do all the hard work for you!
Get in touch with Ovenu today.
Related: How to Clean Oven Racks
FAQs
Can I use bicarbonate of soda or baking powder to clean my oven?
You can use bicarbonate of soda in the same way that you use baking soda to clean the oven. Baking powder, like baking soda, contains bicarbonate of soda, with the addition of an acid which is used as a raising agent in baking – not cleaning. Bicarbonate of soda and baking soda will have the same chemical reaction with water, so use whichever you have to hand for oven cleaning purposes.
Can I clean my oven naturally?
Using baking soda and vinegar is a natural way to clean the oven. Both items combine to create a chemical reaction that, although an effective cleaning agent, has no adverse effects. By sprinkling baking soda over affected areas and spraying with vinegar, you can tackle difficult-to-reach parts of the oven without chemicals.
Can I clean oven door with baking soda and vinegar?
The oven door can be cleaned using baking soda and vinegar. Scatter baking soda across the surface of the door and then spray with vinegar. Allow the reaction to fizz before scraping the grime and wiping away with a cloth. This is a good method for the outside of your oven door, but you may need to resort to other methods to clean the inside of your oven door.
How to clean oven glass with baking soda and vinegar?
Clean oven glass with baking soda and vinegar by first creating a paste with baking soda and water. Follow our recipe above exchanging a spatula for a non-scratch sponge and microfibre cloth to buff.
