Professional cleaners agree cheap pantry item works best on greasy ovens
By Rachael Gavin|
Whether you've been entertaining guests or whipping up a few dishes to take to summer parties, your kitchen appliances will likely have had a good workout over the holidays.
That means your oven is probably looking extra greasy by now and ready for a clean.
But choosing what to clean it with can be confusing given all the options ranging from store-bought cleaners with harsh fumes or pantry staples you might already have on hand.
Thankfully, professional cleaners are in agreement here with three recommending baking soda (bicarb soda) ?in an interview with the Express.
Justin Carpenter, owner of cleaning company Modern Maids is one of the three and also advised allowing the oven to ventilate once it's been cleaned so it dries thoroughly.
"First, make sure you clean the oven when it's warm, not too cold. Remove any loose components and use steam to soften the dirt," he said.
"Then focus on the grease with baking soda and water, and leave the vinegar for last."?
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Before cleaning the oven with baking soda and water Gwil Snook, Expert at electrical retailer AO, said to pop oven racks in the dishwasher.
If they don't fit or you prefer to scrub them, then you can also use a paste made of baking soda and water.
To know how thick to make the paste, Snook said it must not be able to "drip down the oven".
The baking soda paste should be left on for about 20 minutes before being wiped off with a damp cloth.
Like Carpenter, Snook recommends using the power of heat to loosen grease and grime before cleaning it.?
You can do this by heating a bowl of water in the oven and letting it sit for five minutes.
"Once the oven has cooled, you can wipe down the insides with a dry cloth, before proceeding with the bicarbonate paste," he said.
Alternatively you can put a bowl of hot water straight in the oven ?and close the door for 15 minutes, according to professional cleaner Chersty Bitsindou.
Also a fan of using a baking soda and water paste? to clean ovens, Bitsindou said to leave it for 30 minutes before wiping off.
Both Snook and Bitsindou recommend cleaning ovens monthly so that it doesn't get to a disastrous point, especially before important dates and events when you need to use it.
"?I've cleaned hundreds of ovens through Airtasker, and I can tell you, most people put it off until it gets really bad. You should be cleaning it every month to stay on top of things, and carrying out a deep clean every three months," Bitsindou explained.
"Once the grease and burnt-on grime build up, it's tough to tackle without the right tools.
"Around this time of year, I get lots of last-minute bookings from people hosting family or friends and wanting their oven to look and smell fresh again."
The reason baking soda is so popular for cleaning ovens is ?because it is naturally breaks down grease. It is also a gentle abrasive so scrubs burnt-on food and grime without causing damage.
While many people like using baking soda and vinegar together to clean the oven, it is better to apply them separately.
This is because when baking soda and vinegar are mixed together the chemical reaction turns them into salty water? จC which isn't very effective at cleaning greasy ovens.
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