July House Cleaning Back to Basics | Oven Cleaning

It sits ominously in the kitchen, hiding within a mass of baked on grease and grime, you approach, gloved up to the armpits, mask on not to mention the goggles. You open the unsuspecting oven door.................then you wake up with the realisation that today is the day you said you would clean the oven!! Sound familiar?

Lets start by looking at the exterior surfaces of the oven. If you remove food spills with a moist sponge every time you wipe down the work surfaces it will always save you time in the long run. Perhaps granny was right, a stitch in time?

To clean the interior of the oven remove all the racks and grill pan, if they fit in your dishwasher, brilliant, if not wash them by hand with a nylon bristle brush or non metal scourer.

To loosen baked on deposits pour 100ml of full strength ammonia* into a glass bowl, place the bowl in a completely cold oven and leave overnight. The next day open the door (and the kitchen window) to let the fumes dissipate, remove the bowl and wipe away loosened deposits with a damp sponge. If this doesn't work you may need to resort to a commercial cleaner, these can be very caustic so exercise caution when using.

Now you've done all this work how do you keep it clean, here is the lazy man's guide to cleaning your oven.

Get yourself a garden spray bottle and fill with warm water, adding three spoonfuls of baking soda - shake until this dissolves, then add another spoonful, repeat until the soda stops dissolving.
Spray this solution on all sides of a cool oven, after every use. The solution will dry and the soda will dissolve any deposits and fall to the oven bottom. You can carry on using your oven, albeit white - soda is completely safe, its in lots of recipes!

It's a good idea to put some kitchen foil on the bottom of the oven to catch any spilt food. Wipe the residue out periodically with a damp cloth and change your foil. Follow this religiously and you'll never have to resort to gloves and masks again!

We at HomeMaid know that all these hints and tips work and work well, how do we know? We use them at home every day! We try out every method, product and tip before we recommend them to you, the ones that work we pass on... the ones that don't....... well that's a matter for Jude and I to resolve without it going to print!!

(*take common sense precautions when handling ammonia. Always ensure good ventilation)