How to clean your oven 

The chances are that your oven has seen more heavy action over the last month than the rest of the year, with all of the festive baking, meal prep, and of course the Christmas feast!

And there is absolutely no doubt that at one point or another, something has spilt, spurted, or just fully exploded all over the inside of your oven, so it's definitely time for a proper deep clean.

From top to bottom, and even the outside, we’ve got all the advice and guidance you could need to do a thoroughly fantastic job of cleaning your oven.

In this guide we’ll talk you through the easiest and most efficient ways to clean your oven, including the hobs, oven glass, oven hood, and oven trays too.

It will look as sparkly clean as when you first bought it when you’re through!

If the brown stains on the oven door aren’t enough to spur you into action, you’ll be thrilled to know that dirty ovens don’t cook very efficiently, and you can end up with food poisoning from leaving it too long to pull out the cleaning gloves.

So, here are our top tips to help you scrub that oven into a sublime state of cleanliness.

Before we start, you'll need to ensure you have the right equipment before tackling this job!

You shouldn’t have to clean your oven more than once a month – or more regularly if spills happen – so buying slightly more expensive cleaning equipment and cleaners will be worth it.

• A quality cleaner – whether you opt for store-bought or the classic combo of baking soda, water, and vinegar in a spray bottle, ensure you have the best you can find
• Rubber cleaning gloves
• A damp rag you don’t mind getting ruined
• Plenty of newspaper
• A scouring brush
• A large sink or bathtub full to fill with hot soapy water

First things first, before you start any cleaning, switch off your oven at the mains and lay newspaper on the floor to catch any debris, then you can get started on cleaning the inside:

1. Get rid of caked-on food by brushing it off with a dry brush and sweeping it on the newspaper.
2. Use your chosen cleaning product to spray the interior of the oven. If it's a gas oven, don't spray the fan or gas supply elements. The product should be left on for the length of time specified.
3. If you use a baking soda and vinegar paste, leave it on all night so that it can do its work.
4. Remove the cleaning product and debris by sweeping or wiping with your damp rag. Don't allow the products to come into contact with your skin and wear rubber gloves. Sweep it straight into the bin and remember to vacuum afterwards to pick up any small remaining debris. Try our 8V Handheld Wet & Dry Vacuum to pick up wet remains

1. Put your oven racks into a tub or sink filled with hot water with 250g of dissolved dishwashing product for an hour (we recommend using some strong stuff for these).
2. With a scrunched-up ball of aluminium foil, scrub away baked-on food.
3. Rinse and allow to dry.

1. Remove any cooked-on food from the oven door with a plastic spatula or scrubbing brush and catch it in your newspaper.
2. Use the oven cleaner you used for the inside and leave for the same allocated time.
3. Wipe off with your damp rag.

1. Clean off any debris from your pots and pans.
2. Spray with a vinegar and bicarbonate of soda mixture and allow to sit for a few minutes.
3. Rub with newspaper if there are any particularly stubborn marks – this stops you from ruining too many rags!
4. Use a damp rag to remove the bicarb mix and grease and spray with conventional cleaner for a final shiny look.

1. Remove all of the removable parts of your cooker, including the filter.
2. Soak the filters in very hot, soapy water with a cup of vinegar added to help cut through the grease, and leave for as long as possible, preferably overnight.
3. Scrub the soaked filters with a toothbrush to get rid of the greasy residue.
4. Ensure you use specific products for your cooker hood finish e.g., stainless steel cleaner.
5. Use a soft damp sponge to work the product into the hood and then wipe it off with another clean cloth.

If you don’t really fancy scrubbing for hours to clean your oven the traditional way, you can always try these internet hacks to see if they work for you:

• Clean your oven with a vinegar paste - Mix 1/2 cup of liquid dish soap with 1 1/2 cups of baking soda and 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Mix it into a paste and dab around the inside of your oven with an old toothbrush or abrasive sponge. Allow it to sit overnight and wipe away the paste the following day with a sponge and clean water.
• Clean your oven with a dishwasher tablet - Simply dip the end of the tablet in water and rub it over the oven door like an eraser. Leave it to sit for five minutes before wiping the suds off with a damp cloth.
• Clean your oven with lemons - Cut five lemons in half, squeeze the juice into a baking tray and place the squeezed lemon ends in the tray as well Bake at 250°C for 30 minutes. The moisture from the lemons will perform somewhat of a steam clean in your oven. Allow the oven to cool and wipe it out with a damp cloth.

Let us know on social media if any of these oven cleaning hacks worked for you! From sparkling ovens to hilarious fails, send us your pics and feedback on either Instagram or Facebook.

You can also find some more amazing hacks and DIY inspiration on our blog.