Oven Cleaning After the Holidays: Where to Start
While the COVID-era holidays were different than many that have come before, many of us found ways to make the best of them. Whether you had a small family dinner or a big Zoom event, many events centered around food and—baking cookies, making old favorites, or trying out new recipes.
And while the holidays have passed, the signs that they were here might not have left your kitchen. The delicious food you made might have left telltale signs in your oven—crumbs, baked on grease, and suspicious odors might have overstayed their welcome. But cleaning the oven can be an unpleasant task—after all, those high temperatures can make the messes very hard to clean.
But cleaning the oven doesn’t have to be an ordeal—a few simple approaches can make short work of this daunting job. Read on to find out how the safest ways to clean your oven, and to find out how The Tub Pros can help make short work of other problem areas in your kitchen.
Why is cleaning the oven important?
Debris in the bottom of the oven isn’t just unsightly—it could be a hazard, creating a greater risk of fire when the oven is on. And cleaning the oven can make your food taste better—smoking crumbs in the bottom of the oven can add a strange taste to your food. Even better? Once you clean the oven thoroughly, it’s easier to keep behind it—a quick spot clean can extend the time between cleanings.
My oven’s a mess! Where do I start?
When cleaning the oven, the first step is to ensure that you start with a cold oven—one that has completely cooled down from the last time it was used. The next step is to sweep out any crumbs that have fallen to the bottom of the oven—use a paper towel or cloth to get rid of any loose pieces. Then, remove anything from inside your oven—racks, a thermometer, a pizza stone—and put it aside. You can clean the racks separately.
Now, determine how dirty your oven is—and be honest about it. If there are minimal spots of baked-on food or grease, it might be time to use the self-clean feature on your oven. If, however, there’s a real mess, with lots of burned mystery spots, it might be a situation for elbow grease.
What is the self-clean feature?
Many ovens have a self-clean function. When you turn on this setting, the oven temperature climbs to a very high temperature, which burns off any spots of grease or grime. While this can be a great feature, it can also smell pretty strongly, put off a lot of heat, and put your oven out-of-commission for a few hours.
But for very messy ovens, the self-clean feature could start a fire. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on a self-cleaning oven. And ensure that you never use any products while the oven is in self-clean mode. If you do choose to use this setting, simply wait for the oven to clean itself, let it cool, and then wipe out the ash in the bottom.
How else can I clean my oven?
If you don’t have a self-clean feature, or if that mode of cleaning isn’t for you, there are a few products you can use to clean the oven. The first is commercial oven cleaners, which are available for sale in many stores. But keep in mind that these products, like other chemicals, can be very dangerous—they can damage your lungs and make it hard to breathe. If you do use one, ensure that you wear heavy-duty rubber gloves and follow the instructions exactly—keep your space well-ventilated and wear eye protection.
If you’re looking for a safer way to clean your oven, baking soda might be the way to go. This common household ingredient is a real powerhouse when it comes to cleaning oven grime. Before bed, mix half a cup with water to make a paste, and spread it in the bottom of the oven, though take care to avoid any heating elements.
Leave the mixture to sit overnight—when you aren’t using the oven—and, in the morning, wipe out the baking soda. If any sticks, use some vinegar in a spray-bottle to loosen any remaining areas, and wipe out the oven with a damp cloth. Replace the racks, and you’re good to go—a sparkly-clean oven with no fumes and no fuss.
In Conclusion
Cleaning the oven doesn’t need to be difficult—with some common ingredients and a little elbow grease, your oven can be back to functioning great. But more than ovens might have taken a beating during the holidays—and not all of those touch-ups are so easy to do yourself. If your countertops, sinks, and tile look chipped, cracked, burned, rusted, or otherwise damaged, it might be time to call a professional.
Wondering how to revitalize corian countertops? What to do about your damaged granite countertops? How you’d ever replace that oddly shaped sink? The good news is that those repairs don’t need to be expensive or time-consuming—reglazing or refinishing can get your kitchen looking like new in a fraction of the time of replacement.
Kitchen sink, tile, and countertop refinishing can get your counters and sink back to their original-looking gloss, or can update the look with faux granite countertops or a new color to bring your kitchen into the present day. Whether you love the newest kitchen trends or a classic look, one thing that never goes out of style is a kitchen that looks neat, well-cared for, and clean.
Wondering where can I find counter and sink reglazing near me? The Tub Pros serve the Greater Memphis area, and our factory-certified technicians and written warrant guarantee you’ll have peace of mind during these troubled times. If you’re ready to get started on a project, give us a call at (901) 871-8827 or simply send us a message here.
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