Cleaning your cooker doesn’t have to mean filling your kitchen with fumes or scrubbing in a gas mask.
Many store-bought oven cleaners contain harsh chemicals that leave behind residue and fill your kitchen with lingering, unpleasant odours. That’s definitely not the kind of atmosphere you want at home.
The good news? You don’t actually need them. Here are a few everyday household ingredients that can tackle oven grime, leaving it sparkling clean, saving you money, and keeping your home healthier.
Use a Sodium Bicarbonate and Water Paste
Let’s begin with a true Aussie pantry staple. Sodium bicarbonate is the same product that keeps your fridge fresh and your Anzac biscuits fluffy. And yes, it can be used on oven grime too.
Simply mix half a cup with just enough water to form a spreadable paste. Smooth it across the oven interior with a soft cloth or sponge, giving stubborn spots extra attention and a generous amount of the paste.
The best part is walking away and leaving the paste to do its work overnight. By morning, the bicarb will have lifted away the grease and gunk, and all that’s left to do is a quick wipe with a damp cloth.
Voilà. Now you have a sparkling oven, without a whiff of chemicals. Just the satisfaction of a job well done.
Try Vinegar as a Cleaning Agent
You already use vinegar in salad dressings and over hot chips. Now you can put it to work in your oven, where its gentle acidity helps break down grease and soften baked-on residue for easier cleaning.
Simply fill a spray bottle with plain white vinegar and mist it across the oven’s interior. Let it sit for a few minutes so it can loosen the grease and baked-on bits, then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
For an added boost, spritz vinegar over any leftover bicarb paste and let it fizz. Give it a moment to work, then wipe everything away. The end result is a spotless oven and not a trace of chemical cleaner in sight.
If the previous methods don’t quite shift everything, apply a little more vinegar to the area and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping. This gives it time to loosen any remaining residue.
Squeeze a Lemon for Deodorising and Refreshing
When life gives you lemons, put them to work in the oven. This citrus classic doesn’t just lift grease, it also leaves behind a fresh scent. They tackle grease and leave your kitchen smelling clean and fresh.
Start by warming the oven briefly, just enough to loosen any stubborn grime, then switch it off. Dip a sponge or cloth into fresh lemon juice and wipe across the interior surfaces.
For tougher spots, cut a lemon in half and scrub directly with the fruit itself. The textured rind works much like a natural scouring pad.
Let the juice sit for 10–15 minutes before wiping it clean. Not only will your oven gleam, but the natural oils from the lemon will eliminate any lingering odours. It’ll leave behind a fragrance that’s far more appealing than last night’s roast.
As a bonus, lemons come with mild antibacterial properties, giving your oven an extra level of freshness without the need for harsh sprays.
Sprinkle Salt to Remove Tough Stains
Spills happen, and if you’ve ever had a lasagne bubble over, you know they can turn into stubborn stains fast. That’s where ordinary table salt comes to the rescue.
While the oven is still warm, but not hot, sprinkle a generous layer of salt over the spill. Salt grains prevent the stains from setting and make the mess much easier to lift later.
Once the oven has cooled, simply wipe the area with a damp cloth. If the residue is still hanging on, repeat the process, and let the salt sit a little longer before wiping.
Steam Clean Your Oven
Sometimes the simplest tricks are the most effective. This approach loosens baked-on bits without resorting to detergents, powders, or scrubbing until your arms ache.
All you need is a heatproof dish and some water. Place it on the middle rack of a cold oven, then set the temperature to about 230 °C. As the water heats, the steam softens stubborn food splatters and greasy patches, making them far easier to wipe away once the oven has cooled.
If you want to give it a little twist, add a splash of vinegar or a few slices of lemon to the dish. The combination increases cleaning power and leaves a light, refreshing aroma behind.
Once the oven has cooled, simply wipe the surfaces with a soft cloth or sponge.
Try Deep Cleaning Methods
For those times when a quick wipe just won’t do, a thorough clean can bring your oven back from the brink. Think of it as a reset button for well-loved appliances.
Start with the racks. Remove them and soak overnight in a bathtub filled with hot water and a scoop of dishwashing powder. By morning, most of the grime will slide off with a light scrub.
For the oven interior, mix bicarb soda with a dash of hydrogen peroxide to form a stronger paste.
Spread it over the worst-affected areas and let it sit for a couple of hours before wiping it clean. If you’re battling really stubborn, carbonised patches, try a borax-and-hot-water paste and let it soak for half an hour.
If all this sounds like a marathon, consider booking a professional deep clean oven service. These experts use commercial-grade equipment to lift away years of grime and can return your oven to near-showroom condition.
Better still, they’ll often share tips to help you keep it cleaner for longer, so you won’t need another major overhaul anytime soon.
Maintain Your Newly Cleaned Oven
The easiest way to avoid a marathon scrub-down is to keep up with the little tasks. A quick wipe after cooking, once the oven has cooled, stops grease and crumbs from hardening into a nightmare layer.
Line the bottom rack with a baking tray or oven liner to catch drips and splatters before they become baked-on regrets.
You can also avoid overcrowding the oven when cooking, which reduces spills and makes cleaning easier. Another tip is to regularly check and remove any crumbs or food debris from the bottom of the oven before they burn or stick.
It’s a simple daily maintenance routine that makes the whole cleaning process far less dramatic.
Conclusion
A fresh, chemical-free oven means your roasts smell like rosemary and garlic, not leftover fumes. It means fewer mystery smokes when you open the door, and more confidence when you’re hosting Sunday lunch.
So next time you notice a spill or a stubborn patch, don’t put it off. Grab a pantry staple, give it a go, and see how far its cleaning power can take you.