If your oven is dirty, using it can spread bad smells throughout your kitchen and also sour any food that you're cooking. That's why it's important to give your oven a deep and thorough clean at least once a year. Read on to learn how to clean your oven and get it spotless once more.
Safety first!
If you have an electric oven, make sure it's switched off at the mains before you begin.
How to clean your oven
Let's get started! For our tips on how to clean your oven, either watch the video or follow the step by step guide below.
What you will need:
- Rubber gloves (to be worn whenever handling cleaning chemicals)
- Bin liners
- Kitchen roll
- A kitchen cleaning spray
- A bowl and scouring sponge
- You may also need a hob scraper and a screwdriver
- An oven cleaner
As the oven cleaner contains chemicals, you will also want to open your windows and make sure your kitchen is well ventilated before you begin.
Which areas need cleaning
There are three main parts of your oven that need cleaning; the door, the shelves and shelf supports and the interior of the oven. If you have a self-cleaning oven, however, you'll only need to clean the door and the shelves and shelf supports. You'll need to refer to your oven's user manual to find out how the self-cleaning process works.
Step 1: Remove the oven door
Start by removing your oven door. For the oven included in our video, the process was as simple as releasing the two catches at the hinges. However, oven doors are attached differently on various models, so make sure to check your oven's user manual for steps on removing your oven door safely.
Step 2: Prepare the oven shelves and shelf supports
Remove the shelves and the shelf supports on either side. These should simply lift right out of your oven. Then place the shelves and shelf supports inside a black bin liner and give them a good spray with your oven cleaner.
Next, tie the top of the bag and place it outside. This is so the oven cleaner fumes don't linger in your kitchen whilst the oven cleaner gets to work.
Step 3: Prepare the interior of the oven
Then, using your oven cleaner, thoroughly spray the interior of the oven. Avoid spraying into the fan, on the elements or around the pilot light if you own a gas oven.
Step 4: Clean the oven door
While the oven cleaner is getting to work on your shelves, shelf supports and oven interior, you can go ahead and clean the oven door. There are usually multiple layers of glass for grease and grime to build up between, so you're going to want to take the door apart completely if this is the case with your oven.
In the case of the oven used in this guide, we simply needed to remove the screws in the corners with a screwdriver to take the door and glass apart. However, many oven doors are put together differently, so you should refer to your user manual for instructions on taking your oven door apart.
Once you have the door taken apart, spray each panel of glass with your kitchen cleaner and give them a thorough wiping with some kitchen roll.
Then rinse the glass under a tap to remove the kitchen spray.
Step 5: Remove stains on the inner door glass
Some of the inner panels of glass may have especially thick stains, grease and grime. If this is this case, spray the glass with your kitchen cleaner then use the hob scraper to scrape away any resistant filth. Once cleaned, you can then put the door back together, referring to your user manual again if necessary.
Step 6: Clean the shelves and shelf supports
Next, bring the bin liner with your shelves and shelf supports back inside. One by one, take the shelves and supports out of the bin liner and place them in warm soapy water. Then scrub them with a scouring sponge until they are clean and leave them to dry.
Step 7: Clean the interior of the oven
To clean the interior of your oven, start by getting a bowl of warm soapy water, your scouring sponge, a bin liner and some kitchen roll ready at hand.
Then wipe the interior of the oven with a handful of kitchen roll, getting rid of all the grime and filth.
Next, using your scouring sponge and soapy water, scrub away lingering and burnt-on residue. Then finish by thoroughly drying the interior of the oven, again using kitchen roll.
Step 8: Clean the knobs and fascia
Using some kitchen roll and kitchen cleaning spray, clean the knobs and fascia of the oven. Some knobs are easy to remove, allowing you to give them an extra thorough clean before returning them to the oven.
Step 9: Refit the clean parts
Now that your oven parts are clean and dry, you can return them to the oven. Once again, make sure you refer to your user manual if you are unsure about reconnecting the oven door.
Step 10: Burn off any excess cleaner
Finally, turn your oven back on and put it on high heat for about twenty minutes, This will burn away any excess cleaner that might be lingering inside your oven.
And there you have it - how to clean your oven! Your appliance should now be spick and span once more.
Remember, the oven door, shelves and interior aren't the only parts that need looking after. Gas hobs can get filthy quickly and easily, so it's always a good idea to familiarise yourself with how to maintain your gas hob to keep it in great shape as well.
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