Cleaning the oven can be one of the most dreaded chores in the kitchen. The thought of trying to clean the different parts of the oven and the difficulty of removing stains, burns, and residue makes cleaning the oven unappealing. Additionally, the result of getting a sparkling clean oven seems unrealistic.
However, the professional cleaners from Pure House Cleaning share some of their tips and hacks for cleaning ovens successfully. Try them out during your next spring cleaning!
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Our Top 5 Oven Rack Cleaning Hacks
- Steel wool
- Degreaser
- Self-cleaning feature
- Dishwasher
- Soaking
Use Steel Wool to Clean Your Oven
Using fine or super fine steel wool is the perfect oven racks cleaning hack to help preserve the shininess. It is a more effort-intensive cleaning method, but it is the most effective and eco-friendly approach. Steel wool also does wonders cleaning burnt pots and frying pans bottoms.
All you need to do is:
- Wet the steel wool pad
- Apply regular dishwashing detergent
- Scrub and rinse.
Pros
Non-toxic
Green/eco-friendly
Immediate results
Cons
Effort intensive
Clean Your Oven with Standard Degreaser
We have not found any non-toxic or eco-friendly degreaser. We use degreasers for move-in or move-out home cleaning projects. It allows sufficient time for ventilation. We like to work with Easy-Off and Zep brand cleaners.
Depending on the product, usually, we apply the product on the racks and let it stand for an hour (while we are focusing on other areas of cleaning the home). Make sure you wear gloves and use any standard kitchen sponge with an abrasive pad to wipe off or scrub off the burnt residue.
Rinse the racks with plenty of water. And the last step is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and leave it on for 30 minutes. This final step allows for any left-over cleaners to burn off end evaporate. After this oven rack cleaning hack, your oven will be ready for baking and broiling.
Pros
Easy
Quick results
Cons
Highly toxic
May cause the oven to smell if not adequately rinsed
Self-Cleaning Oven Cycles for an Easy Clean
Occasionally on an older oven with older racks, we may use the built-in oven self-cleaning option to clean the oven and racks. Because the self-cleaning mode produces a lot of heat, nickel-coated racks may change colors, and the metal may warp. This oven cleaning hack is not recommended for new ovens as it may alter the overall look appearance of the oven appliance.
Pros
Easy
Quick
Minimum effort
Cons
May discolor rack’s nickel coating
Excessive heat may warp rack and may create friction for sliding in and out
Lose overall appeal of the appliance
Let Your Dishwasher Help You Maintain Oven Rack Cleanliness
Any standard size oven racks can fit into standard size dishwasher. Depending on the dishwasher, you may need to remove the top shelf/rack to fit the oven racks. Set the dishwasher cleaning to “heavy/extra scrub” mode and start it.
After the dishwashing, there still may be some residue left on the racks that can be easily removed by kitchen sponge or abrasive pad. This is the least effort-intensive and most green cleaning hack for your oven racks.
For best results, we recommend you clean oven racks in the dishwasher after each baking.
Pros
Non-toxic and green
Quick
Minimum effort for scrubbing off the remaining residue
Cons
May require removing dishwasher top rack to fit in the oven racks
Soak it Overnight
This oven rack cleaning hack is more practical for cleaning smaller oven racks because they can fit in the majority of home sinks for soaking. In rare cases, standard racks can fit in on oversized kitchen sinks or utility sinks.
You can clean your oven racks in the sink by filling the sink with hot water and adding your regular dishwasher soap. Mix in the soap to distribute it evenly. Place racks in the sink or tub so they are submerged.
Leave the racks to soak for 12+ hours. The soaking process allows burnt-on grease to soften and to be easily removed by scrubbing it with a standard kitchen sponge with abrasive pad. Usually, home cleaners don’t use this oven rack cleaning hack as we don’t have 12+ hours.
Pros
Best method if four of the above are not available
Cons
Large sink or utility sink required
Can’t use the sink for a long time
If you would prefer to hire a professional to clean your oven, then contact Pure House Cleaning and enquire about our deep cleaning services. We’re also happy to take on all your cleaning needs, whether it’s just a one-time visit or routine cleaning services.