How To Ditch The Self Clean Button
Another part of our home we’re noticing right now is the inside of our oven. Again, increased use has our oven caked in all sorts of things – including chicken grease splatter, burnt mozzarella from our homemade pizza night, and other oils from dropping random things here and there. It wasn’t pretty and we learned recently that the leftover residues can actually impact the flavor of the food we cook. So, we cleaned it.
No, we didn’t use the “Oven Cleaning” function that many ovens have because that’s strangely messier and more stinky than our method and not nearly as effective. Instead, we used our go-to cleaning products: baking soda, vinegar, and time (as in overnight, so start this activity before bedtime). The results were totally worth it.
Here’s how you can do it, too.
1. take all of the racks and things out of your oven.
2. make a spreadable paste from ¾ cup baking soda and ¼ cup water.
3. spread the paste all over the inside of your oven, avoiding metal parts that heat the oven, the gasket, and the door.
4. spread the paste all over the racks and let them sit in the sink.
5. wait until the morning.
6. use a damp cloth to wipe away the paste inside the oven, you can scrape any paste with a plastic scraper that looks like it has some caked-on bits.
7. using a vinegar solution (two parts vinegar one-part water) spray the inside of the oven to remove any remaining baking soda (it will foam and be easy to wipe away).
8. use that same spray on the oven racks and rinse them clean.
9. tackle the inside of the door with that vinegar solution or make another baking soda paste but only let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then wipe it away with a damp cloth.
10. replace racks and allow the oven to dry.
Then, enjoy the aroma and flavor of your next oven-made meal.
No, we didn’t use the “Oven Cleaning” function that many ovens have because that’s strangely messier and more stinky than our method and not nearly as effective. Instead, we used our go-to cleaning products: baking soda, vinegar, and time (as in overnight, so start this activity before bedtime). The results were totally worth it.
Here’s how you can do it, too.
1. take all of the racks and things out of your oven.
2. make a spreadable paste from ¾ cup baking soda and ¼ cup water.
3. spread the paste all over the inside of your oven, avoiding metal parts that heat the oven, the gasket, and the door.
4. spread the paste all over the racks and let them sit in the sink.
5. wait until the morning.
6. use a damp cloth to wipe away the paste inside the oven, you can scrape any paste with a plastic scraper that looks like it has some caked-on bits.
7. using a vinegar solution (two parts vinegar one-part water) spray the inside of the oven to remove any remaining baking soda (it will foam and be easy to wipe away).
8. use that same spray on the oven racks and rinse them clean.
9. tackle the inside of the door with that vinegar solution or make another baking soda paste but only let it sit for 20-30 minutes and then wipe it away with a damp cloth.
10. replace racks and allow the oven to dry.
Then, enjoy the aroma and flavor of your next oven-made meal.