Cleaning the oven with household remedies

We should clean our oven regularly to keep it looking and working well for a long time. But you can save yourself expensive special cleaners, because with these tips you can clean the oven with household remedies - it's really easy.

Frau reinigt Backofen mit Hausmitteln© iStock
To clean the oven, you only need a few household remedies. We'll tell you what they are here.

Baking soda as a miracle weapon in the oven against burnt-on food

Baking soda is an environmentally friendly and easy-to-use household remedy for cleaning the oven. First dissolve a sachet of baking powder in three tablespoons of water. Then apply this paste to encrusted food residues in the oven and leave it to work for around 30 minutes. In the case of heavy soiling, a longer exposure time may be necessary, for example overnight. You can repeat the treatment at any time if necessary. The baking soda contained in baking powder effectively dissolves the dirt. Alternatively, baking soda powder can be mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio. The paste becomes powdery again and can then be easily swept out of the oven. If small residues remain, these can simply be removed with water, for example by wiping with a damp sponge. The advantage of this method is that there is always baking powder in the household. It is also environmentally friendly and safe for children and pets living in the household. However, the paste should of course not be eaten! However, it does not taste good on its own, so pets do not usually avoid it. Of course, it is still safer to keep the oven closed or lock the kitchen door.

Salt for burnt or dried-on food

Salt is also a very good household remedy for cleaning the oven. Logically, it can be found in every household and is also significantly cheaper than most oven cleaning products. It is ideal for baked-on food. To do this, sprinkle all stains generously with salt so that they are covered. Then switch the oven on to 50 degrees Celsius. When the salt has turned brown, you can switch off the oven. Once it has cooled down, you can sweep out the salt and dirt and wipe with a damp cloth.

Lemon juice against odors and stains

The oven is not always completely dirty. Sometimes there are just stubborn odors that cannot be removed despite cleaning. In this case, a very popular household remedy for cleaning the oven is lemon juice. It is a true all-rounder for cleaning a wide range of appliances and should therefore be in every household. Pour the lemon juice and a little water into an ovenproof container and heat it in the oven to around 120 degrees Celsius. When the water has evaporated, switch off the oven. The odours in the oven are neutralized. At the same time, grease stains in particular can be removed more easily. Once the oven has cooled down, you can simply wipe them off with a damp cloth. The advantage of this method is that you can also remove stains in places that are difficult to reach with cleaning foam. The ceiling of the oven in particular is often difficult to clean, as foam usually drips down before it can take effect. If you are only bothered by the smell of your oven, coffee can also help. All you need to do is place coffee powder in the oven (leave it switched off) and leave it to work overnight. The next morning, remove the coffee powder and let the oven air out a little. This works well after using a harsh cleaning agent, for example, the smell of which still lingers in the oven.

Other household remedies that are a little unusual

The home remedies mentioned so far are relatively well-known for cleaning, but there are also more unusual things that can be used as home remedies in the oven that you might not even have suspected for use in the kitchen. If stains are burnt on, shaving foam can also help. Apply it to the stain, wait for about half an hour and then wipe out the oven thoroughly. Shaving foam removes most stains, but is less effective against grease than lemon juice. However, it can do a good job on burnt-on stains.

Detergent also works wonders in the oven. Simply sprinkle the powder on the stains and place damp kitchen paper on top. It is best to leave it on overnight. The next morning you can wipe out the oven and the stains will be gone. It is particularly important with detergents, as well as with harsh cleaners, that you wipe out the oven well afterwards so that no vapors come into contact with the food. With household products such as lemon juice, on the other hand, it is harmless if any residue remains in the oven.


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