How to clean the oven from grease and carbon deposits

Modern ovens, especially electric ones, are often equipped with self-cleaning systems. But the functions of pyrolysis and catalysis greatly increase the cost of the unit.

Most users prefer ovens with conventional, hydrolytic cleaning. This is when you put a baking sheet with water in a preheated oven and wait for the steam to melt the fat.

But water alone is often not enough. If the stains are stubborn and old, you need auxiliary cleaning products. They will be discussed below, but for now there are a few basic rules.

Method 2. Quick

Now let's look at a way to clean the oven from grease using steam, acid or... regular dishwashing detergent. The method is suitable for cleaning a moderately dirty oven.

What you need:

Citric acid, 70% vinegar or regular dishwashing detergent;
Water;
Deep baking pan or large bowl;
Latex gloves;
Sponge and damp cloth.

Instructions:

Remove everything unnecessary from the oven: remove and set aside the baking sheets and everything else that is inside, but leave the wire rack in place - it will also benefit from a cleansing “bath”.
Turn on the oven and leave it to heat up: you need to preheat the oven to 150-200 degrees.
Pour water into a baking sheet and dilute citric acid in it: while the oven is heating up, pour water into a bowl or baking sheet and dissolve a sachet of citric acid (10-20 g) in it. Citric acid can be replaced with 1-2 teaspoons of vinegar essence or a small amount of dishwashing liquid.

Place the baking sheet with the solution on the bottom shelf of the oven: place the baking sheet with the solution in the preheated oven on the lower tier. The bowl can be placed on the bottom.
Leave the oven for 40 minutes: Leave the oven for 40 minutes, namely until the water boils and the oven door “fogs up”.
Turn off the oven and leave the baking sheet to cool: when the water boils, turn off the oven and leave the baking sheet to cool for about 30 minutes.
Clean the oven and rack: When the pan is cool, take a damp cloth and give the oven walls and rack a good wipe. As necessary, use the hard side of the sponge, spray with water, and soda or the same citric acid to remove old stains of grease and carbon deposits.
Return the baking sheets and wire rack to their place: Woo-ala! The oven shines again and inspires culinary exploits.

Self-cleaning

With new, modern technologies, cleaning the oven at home has become even easier. Increasingly, manufacturers are equipping products with a self-cleaning function. Owners of such equipment do not need to look for the best way to clean an oven at home. This option effectively removes grease and burnt food.

The technology can use one of three self-cleaning mechanisms: hydrolysis, pyrolytic, catalytic.

The hydrolysis system allows you to wash an electric oven at a temperature of 90 °C. The design includes a compartment for detergent.
In catalytic samples, the surfaces to be cleaned are made of special enamel. When it is heated to 270 °C, the entire fat layer disintegrates.
Pyrolytic models are capable of reaching temperatures of 500 °C. Thanks to this, all deposits turn into ash. The cost of equipment directly depends on the cleaning mode it uses. For normal operation, pyrolytic options require a large amount of electricity. Therefore, such ovens are the most expensive.

Method 3. “Heavy Artillery”

And now, let's look at a more radical way to clean the oven from old grease and fumes using special products from Amway, Faberlic or Bagi Shumanit spray.

What you need:

Gel for cleaning ovens. Briefly about popular oven cleaning products:

Amway “Oven Cleaner” - odorless, effective, economical to use, sold together with a brush for distributing the product, but has a high price;
Faberlic “Oven and Stove Cleaner” - costs less, has good reviews, but is not used economically;
Bagi “Shumanit” is effective, easy to use, as it is sprayed from a spray, sold in any store, relatively affordable, but has a pungent odor.

What we need:

Water;
Rubber gloves (required!);
Sponge, rag, brush for treating hard-to-reach places;
...Fresh air from an open window (especially if you use Schumanite and other products with a strong odor).

Instructions:

Remove everything unnecessary from the oven: remove and set aside the rack, baking sheets and all other oven contents.
Lubricate all surfaces of the chamber and the door with gel: this is very convenient to do with a brush or a toothbrush (for example, a toothbrush). Before you start processing, open the window and put on gloves!
Let the product “work”: leave the oven for 15-30 minutes, depending on the degree of contamination.
Clean the oven from burning and grease: after this “soaking”, old grease and burnt-on food stains will be washed off quickly enough.
Remove any remaining product: When you have cleaned all surfaces of dirt, thoroughly rinse off any remaining gel. A spray of water will help clean the camera in hard-to-reach places.
Put the pans and rack back in place: well, that's it. All that remains is to wipe the outside of the door.

Cleaning Rules

To effectively remove dirt, you must adhere to the following rules:

It is best to wash an electric stove, gas stove or oven with minor dirt using traditional methods;
choose specifically the cleaning agent that is best suited for a particular type of oven;
it is necessary to ventilate the room well during the process;
When working with aggressive substances, it is important to protect the skin of your hands with gloves;
Children or animals must not be in the room while cleaning;
When working without gloves, you must remove jewelry.

Separately, it is worth mentioning aggressive products, whose manufacturers claim how quickly and easily they clean the oven from carbon deposits, grease and other contaminants. It is better to work with such substances in a respirator or mask. If they come into contact with your skin, you must wash it with soap and water.

Method 4. Effective

This method will make it much easier for you to get rid of complex contaminants due to ammonia vapor.

What you need:

5 bottles of ammonia (200 ml);
Soda (if necessary);
Small bowl for ammonia;
Large bowl for water;
Water (about 1 l);
Latex gloves;
Sponge and rag;
...Fresh air from an open window.

Instructions:

Remove pans from oven: Remove and set pans aside, but leave racks on.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Pour the water and ammonia into their respective bowls: While the oven is heating, pour all 5 bottles of ammonia into a small bowl and the water into a large bowl. Don't forget to open the windows.
Turn off the oven and place both bowls in it: in the preheated oven, place a bowl of water on the bottom of the oven, and place a bowl of ammonia a little higher (on the shelf).

Leave the oven to cool: this process will take approximately 30-40 minutes. But, if the stains are very old, then it is better to leave the bowl of ammonia overnight.
Clean the oven and grate: when the walls of the chamber have cooled, use a damp cloth, sponge and baking soda to remove grease and carbon from all surfaces and the grate.
Wipe the oven clean: remove any remaining residue from the ammonia solution and dirt.
Place the pans and rack back in place and wipe down the outside of the oven door.

See also the material: How to clean an automatic washing machine from dirt and scale in 5 steps.

What not to do

When choosing a method for cleaning the oven, you need to take into account the characteristics of the material of the inner walls. Substances that are too aggressive not only quickly combat contamination, but can also severely damage the device. It is not recommended to use household chemicals containing acids. Regardless of the cleaning method, at the end of the mode, the oven should be left open until it is completely aired out. Do not turn on the device if there are foreign odors. Thorough rinsing of special cleaners will prevent the substance from getting into food.

How to clean the oven from heavy carbon deposits - a heating trick

Often, in order to easily clean the oven from old grease and carbon deposits, the dirt must first be melted. Here's how to do it correctly:

Preheat the oven to 40-50 degrees C°.
When the chamber reaches the desired temperature, open the door and allow the cabinet to cool slightly. It should be hot, but not scalding.
Next, apply a ready-made cleaning agent (non-toxic, preferably specially designed for ovens) to the dirt, enough, but not too much, so that the product does not flow down and form puddles.
At this stage, you can immediately start cleaning, or you can close the door, let the oven “steam” for another 5 minutes and only then start cleaning.

Basic rules for oven care

The more often, the easier. If you wipe the inside surface of the oven after each cooking, and steam the oven with water and detergent once a week or a week and a half, there will be practically no need for global cleaning.
To make the dirt easier to handle, warm up the oven a little by turning it on at 50°C for 15–20 minutes.
Immediately before cleaning, remove the trays and remove the side guides. If the design allows, also remove the door and glass. It is more convenient to wash all this separately.
Do not use abrasive sponges or metal scrapers. Scrubbing off grease with them can damage the oven enamel. It is better to work with a sponge or soft cloth.
Never use cleaning agents, especially chemicals, on the oven fan or heating elements.
After cleaning, leave the oven door open for a couple of hours to allow it to dry and any odors to dissipate.
Is the smell still there? Dissolve 10–15 activated carbon tablets in a glass of water and place in the oven for several hours. Charcoal absorbs excess aromas.

Safety precautions when cleaning the oven yourself

When working with synthetic substances and even using home methods, it is important to protect the skin and respiratory tract. It is worth taking care of gloves and a respirator in advance. It is necessary to wear a mask only when handling aggressive substances. During washing, the window or vent must be open.

To avoid breakdowns and waste of money on repairs, you must use chemicals strictly according to the instructions. When washing an electric oven or stove, the device must be unplugged. There is no need to peel off carbon deposits or chip off burnt particles of fat, as this can damage the surface.

The range of household goods is very large. Many people probably cleaned dishes with metal brushes. They cannot be used in the oven!

General recommendations

Before you begin removing grease and grime, turn off the oven . If you have recently cooked food, allow the device to cool to avoid burns.

Remove all racks, baking sheets, and dishes from the chamber. Use a damp cloth to wipe away dust, food particles and other debris from the interior surfaces. Cover the ventilation hole with a thick cloth or piece of polyethylene.

First, wash the top and sides of the cabinet, then clean the bottom, door and outside of the oven. To care for kitchen appliances, use soft cloths or foam sponges.

IMPORTANT! It is strictly unacceptable to use tools for cleaning that can damage the surface of the walls (metal brushes, hard sponges), or abrasive preparations. Ovens made of stainless steel cannot be washed with products containing chlorine and aggressive acids.

Find out 12 recipes for cleaning the inside of your oven right now.

Special products for use at home: top 3

In addition to homemade recipes, special purchased products can be used to clean the oven. They must be used strictly in accordance with the attached instructions from the manufacturer.

Among the most popular drugs:

Mister Chister for ovens and microwaves - from 180 rubles per 0.5 liter.
Gold Unicum grease remover for stoves and ovens - from 250 rubles per 0.5 liter.
Synergetic for stoves - from 150 rubles for 0.75 liters.

It is convenient to apply the liquid product to the vertical surfaces of the oven using a spray bottle.

A review of the Schumanit oven cleaner is presented in this article.

Preparatory stage

Before you begin to thoroughly clean your electric oven, you need to prepare it for this procedure.

Lightly wash all surfaces (external and internal) with a soft cloth dampened with water. This will help soften fats, carbon deposits and make cleaning easier.
After this, prepare the soap mixture. To do this, pour a glass of water into a container, preferably slightly warmed, and add two tablespoons of any dishwashing detergent.
Prepare a rag or soft sponge for work.
Remove racks and baking sheets from oven.
Make sure that no liquid gets on the fan.
Preheat the oven well.

Which methods and means do you trust more?

People's Professional

Useful tips

When carrying out this procedure, you should listen to the advice of specialists:

the oven needs to be prepared for cleaning;
chemicals must be used correctly;
observe safety precautions;
don't forget about your health.

By listening to these recommendations, you will avoid many troubles..