Confession time: We’ve lived in our current house for nearly 20 months, and until today, I had never cleaned the oven. I use the oven maybe 3 or 4 times a month, and the bottom of it was looking pretty grubby. Cleaning the oven is not particularly high on my list of things to do, but with the possibility of both my mother and my mother-in-law using our oven to cook for us after our baby arrives (for which we are very grateful!), I decided that it probably needed to be cleaned.
Ten years ago, I would have headed to the grocery store to buy a can of oven cleaner and a pair of rubber gloves. But since I no longer use any sort of toxic cleaners (or any cleaner that requires rubber gloves), I decided to see if my trusty baking soda and vinegar solution would do the trick. I sprinkled baking soda all over the bottom of the oven, and on the open door. Then I sprayed vinegar all over the inside of the oven and let it sit for half an hour or so while I worked on other tasks. I used a razor blade knife (designed for cleaning ceramic stove tops) to gently scrape the stuck-on gunk out of the oven, and it came off with very little effort. Then I rinsed everything a few times with water and clean rags. It took me about 10 minutes of actual scrubbing/cleaning time to get it done.
So we have a clean oven. Our son was able to hang out right next to me while I worked on it, and neither of us inhaled any nasty fumes. For a while during the oven cleaning process, the kitchen smelled like vinegar. Now it smells like nothing at all, which is what clean really smells like. I didn’t have to go buy oven cleaner or rubber gloves (I buy baking soda and vinegar in bulk at Costco, and always have plenty on hand). I’m convinced that there’s nothing in our house that can’t be cleaned with baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and water. For laundry, all I need is soap nuts and hydrogen peroxide. A simplified arsenal of cleaning products is not only less expensive and easier to keep stocked, but it’s also a lot better for our bodies and the environment than a bunch of bottles of toxic cleaners.
Anybody have any other tricks for cleaning an oven without using commercial oven cleaners?
Money Beagle says
If the oven is warm, it will often be easy to get a good portion of the gunk off with a wet rag. You just have to be careful it’s not too hot. We had a cheesecake incident a couple of years back, and I was able to get most of it off with this trick and without any chemicals at all.
MKT says
I have never heard of soap nuts. Can you use a sack of them for one load and save it for the next week? How do you store a sack that was only used for one load? If you buy them in bulk how do you store them? How long will they keep? What happens when they “go bad”?
Also, how do you use hydrogen peroxide in your laundry? Is it the liquid form found in drug stores?
Thanks.
Learning something new every day.
MKT says
I have never heard of soap nuts. Can you use a sack of them for one load and save it for the next week? How do you store a sack that was only used for one load? If you buy them in bulk how do you store them? How long will they keep? What happens when they “go bad”? Where do you buy your soap nuts?
Also, how do you use hydrogen peroxide in your laundry? Is it the liquid form found in drug stores?
Thanks.
Learning something new every day.
KYN says
A few months ago we purchased a silicone oven liner at Aldi’s. It looks similar to the Silpats, but it’s made for the bottom of your oven. When it’s dirty, just run it under some soapy water, rinse and let it dry. Put it back in the oven. I haven’t had to clean the oven since I got it!
Marc at Minimalist Freak says
I cleaned my oven the same way you did before the holidays. Then I took a few minutes to cover the bottom with aluminum foil. It isn’t exactly a cleaning trick. As much as it is a future time saver after you have cleaned it.
Karen (Scotland) says
My oven was last cleaned when I had to stay in hospital with baby number three and my mum stayed over with my two boys. That baby turned three last October and another one came along last March. I was out the hospital and home within four hours so my mum never cleaned the oven that time.
It’s reached a scary stage. I have actually hoovered the oven a couple of times…
This is on my to do list. It really is. I haven’t really cleaned ovens since I was a student and avoiding revising tax law…
Karen (Scotland)
FrugalBabe says
MKT – I started using soap nuts about a year and a half ago, and I can’t imagine ever going back to regular laundry detergent. I line dry all of our clothing, and I love the fact that the clothes are completely scent-free after they’re washed. And the soap nuts do a great job of getting everything clean.
These days, I only use cold water to wash laundry, so I make soap nuts liquid every few weeks: 10 – 12 soapnuts in 6 cups of water, and boil it gently, uncovered for about 30 minutes. You’ll be left with about four cups of liquid soap (strain out the nuts at that point and compost them). I use 3 Tbsp for each load of laundry.
When I used to use hot water to wash diapers, I would put about six soap nuts into a small cloth bag (the bags come with the soap nuts) and toss it in the wash with the diapers. When the load was finished, I would just set the bag of soap nuts on top of the washing machine to let it dry, and use it again for the next load (it would last for 4 or 5 loads). This only works if you’re using hot water though – for cold water washes, I think you have to make the liquid soap first (but it’s very easy and takes very little effort to do).
I buy 1 kg at a time, and that lasts about 15 or 16 months. Dry soap nuts don’t go bad, as far as I know. I just leave the bag in a cupboard and get out a few soap nuts at a time when I need to make more liquid soap.
Hydrogen peroxide… it’s a great stain remover (especially for blood, which will vanish before your eyes if you put some H2O2 on it) and my go-to laundry aid for diapers. When I wash diapers, I put my soap nuts liquid along with about 1/4 cup of regular grocery store hydrogen peroxide into the detergent dispenser on the washing machine. It’s great for extra sanitizing, whitening, and stain removal. Of course, my favorite stain removal technique is the sun, which works wonders on milk-stained baby clothes and diapers.
Jane Little says
Well, I am not sure if this is as non toxic as it seems, but it smells a whole lot nicer than oven cleaner. I have found that a good quality dryer sheet like Bounce (which I don’t use for drying at all) will get lots of stuck on stuff off. I usually put it in the oven with some water and let it soak for an hour or two. Then everything scrapes off and the kitchen smells like laundry. Except not my laundry because I use Charlies soap which smells like nothing.
Now that you are saying that vinegar and baking soda works, I will probably try that instead. Just one less thing to buy and store.
Jackie @ Crest Cottage says
That’s exactly how I clean my oven!
Meg says
This is great to know! I told my husband I would like to be getting into a “greener” way of cleaning the house. He uses bleach on almost everything (and it stinks so bad!) So, I have made it my personal mission to start cleaning WITHOUT the chemicals.
I am putting a link to this on my blog. I thinka lot of people would like to know this!
Thank you!
sherry says
Soapnuts?…..are they manufactured or do they grow on trees? Just asking. Can’t quite figure out what they are and how they work.
FrugalBabe says
Sherry – they grow on trees and bushes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapindus
satchell says
I found this idea online and tried it. It works!!!
Oven cleaner:
in cold oven spray a mixture of water and baking soda (approx. 3T soda/liter water)
let dry (oven will be grey)
use old wet rag and wipe (no scrubbing required) clean
if not completely clean reapply mixture where needed.
I had not cleaned my oven in quite a long time and really doubted it could be this easy, but it was!!!
Kristi says
So excited about soapnuts, I just ordered some. Now I find myself wondering how you clean your floors and wash the dishes and what do you use in the dishwasher? There might be a whole post here. Thanks for your blog! Kristi
Molly On Money says
I haven’t tried this but it seems like it might work. Steam the oven with water/distilled vinegar in a glass container. It might make the scrubbing easier. I do this when I clean my microwave oven. I use BS on everything (including my hair and skin!). My husband doesn’t like the film it leaves behind when cleaning the stove so he’s switched to washing soda. I use it to make my laundry soap so we have it around.
Jim says
You’ve inspired me to clean my oven… which never gets clean! Thank you!