A while ago on a previous blog I wrote about my oven-cleaning odyssey. Well it is time for another chapter, as you can see. I did have an oven liner but it got stained and was setting off my fire alarm so I took it out and was going to buy one the next day. Then promptly forgot all about it. I bake and cook so much I have no idea what caused that mega stain on the left-hand side of my oven floor but it was almost impossible to remove.
My dear Facebook friends were worried about my health when I said I was going to clean my oven and suggested I use baking soda as a cleaner. I use baking soda all the time so I thought I would give it a shot. I put it all over the entire bottom of the oven and then sprayed it with water. I made a solution of baking soda and water and sprayed the sides of the oven. I left it overnight and sure enough, a lot came off but not all of it. When it came to the giant stain it did not make a dent.
My cleaning nemesis! All that work and it is laughing at me! Time to bring out the big guns. As much as I hate using chemicals that are in such products as Easy Off, I would rather get the job done and not get hurt than scrub and not have results. I covered the elements with aluminum foil and coated my oven and waited half an hour. Still, the stupid stain hardly dissolved!
Oh my god! This stain was absolutely ridiculous! I got out my palette knife and starting scrubbing away. I scrubbed as much as I could and then covered it again with the spray and waited an hour. Then I scrubbed some more.
Not perfectly clean like I would prefer it to be but a heck of a lot better than it was!
I appreciate the idea of going all natural when cleaning but because of this cleaning odyssey I ripped the lining of my rib cage on the left side again and had to rest for days to get it to calm down. Not to mention the horrid physical pain I went through from cleaning my oven. There is a reason why I do this so rarely, it is sheer torture. Needless to say I bought another oven liner and hopefully will be smart enough next time to never leave the bottom of my oven exposed ever again.
The baking soda idea worked great for maintenance cleaning which I will do again for sure. You can find oven liners at your grocery store or dollar store. If you can not find them there just use aluminum foil to catch spills.
Anyone else’s oven setting off fire alarms and in desperate need of cleaning?
Debra She Who Seeks says
Guilty as charged!
AvaDJ says
This is so weird, as I read this, my oven is in self clean mode (had a nasty spill baking yesterday). Up until recently, I always went through the same thing of scrubbing and chemicals. I almost passed out one time from the fumes of the oven cleaner spray, stuck to baking soda ever since. The oven liner is a very wise idea.
Zedral Z says
Try baking soda and vinegar instead of water. Vinegar is a great all-purpose cleaner. That will help keep things clean, hopefully. Ovens are such a pain to clean!
Shell says
My poor oven is overdue for a good cleaning. You gave me a good reminder.
Twyla Gariepy says
I agree with Zedral Z .. use moist baking soda, slather and soak, then add some vinegar. Its more than an hour type process though. Have you ever done a review on what makes for the best oven/drip-pan cleaner at all? I haven’t cleaned mine yet.