Dec
Deep Cleaning the Kitchen - Oven Edition
Today we jump headfirst into my dirty oven. Sort of. While I was definitely all up in my oven, it was only temporary and strictly for the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge.
Fortunately, I knew this challenge was coming and I didn’t want you, dear reader, to be disappointed, so I made an especially large mess of the appliance. (Only part of that extra long sentence is true.)
OVEN BEFORE:
Wow:
Inside the storage drawer: (don’t overlook the crumbs!)
Cleaning tools: (plus a whole lot of heat)
How to Clean your Oven with Vinegar, Lemon & Baking Soda:
1. I started by reading the manual for the oven. To get the most out of the self-cleaning feature with the least amount of smoke, the manufacturer recommends removing as much gunk ahead of time as possible. (Gunk is my word, not theirs. Obvs.) So, I removed the racks, then vacuumed up the crusty, charred chunks from the floor of the oven.
2. Using a cloth soaked in water and vinegar mixture (3 parts water + 1 part vinegar) clean the parts of the oven that will not get hot enough to char off any filth: the outer frame of the interior of the door:
and the frame of the oven by the gasket. This part may require a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and some elbow grease. (At least mine sure did.)
Be careful not to damage or dislodge the gasket. Rinse off the paste with a wet cloth and dry the surface with clean cloth.
3. Because the oven gets extremely hot during self-cleaning, all items should be removed from the stove-top and the storage drawer—especially those that can melt. Also from the manual, I learned that the storage drawer could be removed. I was slightly concerned about what would lurk underneath, but I was pleasantly surprised at the relatively small amount of hound hair and cobwebs there. (Side note: what’s with all of the spiders in North Carolina?! I know they kill other bugs and blah blah blah, but they’re so creepy & crawly.)
I was also surprised to learn that the plastic liner in the storage drawer could be removed. Who knew?! Vacuum under the oven and in the storage drawer.
4. Open the window(s) to allow for adequate ventilation. Set the self-cleaning timer. The manual for my oven suggested anywhere from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours. I went with 2.75 hours and crossed my fingers that would do it.
5. Tackle the oven racks during the cleaning cycle. Partly because they don’t really fit in my sink and mainly because I didn’t want to dirty my shiny sink, I used the storage drawer liner as a tub for cleaning the racks. I used steel wool soap pads to scrub the cooked-on food.
Rinse the racks and set them out to dry.
6. Drain the drawer liner and wipe it clean with vinegar & water solution. Rinse and dry.
7. When the cleaning cycle is over, wait for the oven to cool.
Then, using a clean cloth soaked in vinegar-water, wipe the ash from the floor and walls of the oven and interior of the door. I was surprised how easily this came off.
8. Wipe down the front of the door and drawer with the vinegar-water solution. Use the lemon-baking soda paste on the handle, if necessary.
9. Enjoy your clean oven. Keep it that way by switching to a raw diet.
OVEN AFTER:
Still a few spots, but all-in-all, MUCH better:
Length of Time Spent on this Project (excluding the self-cleaning cycle):
32 Tobes’ Tunes (approx. 96 minutes)
My Thoughts:
- I anticipated more smoke and stench than actually occurred. In fact, because past dinnertime smoke disasters have stressed him out, I relocated the hound to the bf’s for this project. I’m pretty sure he would’ve been fine.
- Like the microwave project, it was a little unnerving to be INSIDE the appliance cleaning it.
- Avoiding the gasket as I scrubbed the frame wasn’t all that easy. And it got a little dirty in the process.
- The racks are not 100% spot-free, but I grew bored with that part of the project after about 10 Tobes’ Tunes. They definitely look better, but not brand new. I think soaking them first would have made a difference. I also found this suggestion to soak them in the bathtub overnight. Heh. Maybe next time.
- It’s also worth noting that the label on the soap pads indicates they are made of biodegradable ingredients.
How does your oven look? Do you use the self-cleaning feature? Have you ever removed your storage drawer? And what do you store in there?
Other projects in the Order Up Organizing kitchen deep cleaning challenge:
