How to Clean Your Oven Properly

With Christmas just around the corner, now is a good time to give your oven a deep clean ahead of the season’s festivities. Here’s the best technique to get your oven sparkling clean ready for Christmas. 

How often should I clean my oven?  

Your oven should be cleaned every three months, or when you notice a build-up of food and grime. It should also be cleaned ahead of cooking important meals, such as Christmas, to make sure your food tastes its best.

Why do you need to clean your oven?  

A build-up of burnt food waste inside your oven can create an unpleasant, smoky smell in both your oven and your kitchen. These unpleasant odours can even impact the taste of your food, so it’s essential to remove them regularly.  

Your oven can also become less efficient at reaching temperatures if grime is left untouched, which puts you at a greater risk of consuming undercooked and therefore unsafe food. 

How to clean your oven  

Start by removing the shelves and wiping out any pieces of loose food and dirt. Set the shelves to soak in warm water and washing up liquid. You can also wash your shelves in the dishwasher if they fit, but soaking is better for shelves that are particularly grimy.  

The best way to give your oven a thorough clean is to use a high-quality oven cleaning product, such as Oven Pride, Oven Mate, Cif Oven & Grill or Mr Muscle. These products should be applied to all surfaces inside the oven – including the door – and left to work for around 30 minutes.  

When the chemicals have worked their magic, thoroughly rinse your oven using water and a clean cloth. It’s important to remove all traces of the oven cleaner – harsh chemicals in these products can be harmful to your health if left to contaminate food while it cooks. 

Once clean, leave your oven interiors to dry whilst you clean the shelves. You can use a sponge or cloth to wipe the shelves down, and a scrubbing brush or metal scourer to remove tougher stains. 

How to keep your oven clean  

After all your hard work to deep clean your oven, keeping it clean can save you more work down the line. Wipe down your oven doors with warm soapy water once a week whilst removing any residual food and grime. 

You can also use an oven liner in the base of your oven to keep it clean. There are many non-stick, easy-clean liners available to buy that catch any food that drops from the shelves. Empty these regularly to prevent burnt food build-up. 
 

If your oven is broken, get in touch with the CB Domestics team today to arrange a visit from a qualified engineer.