Oven Cleaning Tips: Prepare For Holiday Hosting

Posted on 12.14.22

As amazing as ovens may be when it comes to cooking, we all know that things can get messy pretty quickly especially if you are an avid chef constantly cooking-up tasty meals. We know deep cleaning an oven may sound like a tedious task, but in today’s modern age, high-tech ovens are equipped with built-in cleaning features that make cleaning your oven and keeping it clean a breeze. We’ve rounded up every tip and trick in the book to help you keep your oven clean and ready for holiday hosting.

How Often Should You Clean Your Oven?

The inside of your oven should be cleaned once every three to four months and the outside (door/knobs) should be cleaned at least once a week. It’s important to use your personal judgment as well, if you notice that there are leftover stains or gunk then you know it is probably time to clean the oven.

It’s important to keep your oven clean since bacteria can easily build up leading to an unsanitary cooking space for your food preparation. It is also a well-known fact that dirty or crusty ovens can cause the oven to not function properly or efficiently.

How To Clean The Inside Of Your Oven

Self-Clean Function

There are a few options when it comes to cleaning the interior of your oven, our preferred (and simplest) way to get the job done is by utilizing the helpful self-clean features that are already built-in most modern ovens. These features save you time, energy and, ensure the inside of your oven is not damaged by harsh chemicals.

Depending on the make and model of your oven, your self-clean features may vary, two common versions of self-clean are Pyrolytic and Catalytic cleaning. Pyrolytic cleaning means your oven will heat up to more than 750 degrees Fahrenheit so any leftover food debris will be burnt and easily swept away.

Pyrolytic self-cleaning normally takes a few hours to complete a full cleaning cycle compared to the 30-minute Catalytic self-clean but it will provide a deeper cleaning. Catalytic uses catalytic liners that break down grease and grime at a significantly lower temperature than Pyrolytic, any excess that was not burned off can be easily removed with a damp cloth.

Before beginning any self-clean cycle, make sure that you have emptied the oven and removed any debris, such as tinfoil or leftover food, to avoid any possibility of a fire. Lastly, ensure that your oven has fully cooled down before going in with a damp cloth to clean out any leftover gunk manually.

Store-Bought Cleaners

There are a wide variety of store-bought cleaners for you to pick from, once you select one, remove the racks (those are cleaned separately) and evenly spray the cleaner into the interior of the oven. Once your oven is coated, wait for a minimum of 30 minutes, and you should then be able to easily wipe away any grease or stains that were left behind.

When it comes to store-bought cleaners and harsh chemicals we don’t suggest repeating the cleaning process too often since the chemicals can damage the interior of the oven. Make sure you also open up windows and wear gloves/mask to protect yourself from the strong chemicals.

DIY Cleaners

If you are not a fan of store-bought cleaners and are looking for a more natural way to clean your oven, you can quickly make your own effective cleaning solution. The most popular DIY cleaner involves mixing together baking soda and water to make a paste that you then apply to the inside of your oven.

Leave the mixture on for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better) then wipe away the paste, for extra cleaning power, add some white vinegar to the mixture. Make sure to use either cotton cleaning cloths or paper towels when you wipe away the mixture as the naturally formed chemicals can damage microfiber cloths.

How To Clean The Exterior Of Your Oven

Glass Doors and Knobs

When it comes to cleaning the outside of your oven, it’s really a quick and simple process. For the glass doors, you can either spray on a glass cleaner (add in diluted vinegar for extra shine) or apply a baking soda mixture, letting it sit for 20 minutes, then gently wiping.

For the knobs on your appliance, use a microfiber towel to restore shine or a damp cloth with soapy water if you feel you need a deeper clean. If you decide to use a store-bought household cleaner, make sure to spray the product directly onto the cloth or paper towel instead of directly onto the knobs.

How To Clean Oven Racks

The first step is to remove the racks from the oven and place them into a bucket or a tub. Next apply baking soda and vinegar over the racks where the mixture should begin to fizz. Once the fizzing has stopped, soak the racks in hot water (either in the tub or bucket) and leave them in overnight.

After removing the racks from the water, use a stiff brush and scrub them down until they are sparkling and clean. You can also use dishwasher detergent if you do not want to use the baking soda mixture, although the baking soda mixture will likely be more effective when it comes to tough stains.

Whichever option you choose to go with, make sure you stay away from using bleach as a cleaning solution, as it will most likely damage the interior coloring of your oven and leave a potent bleach smell that can linger on your food (yeah, not very appetizing if you ask us).

Recommended Self-Clean Ovens

After going through all of the different ways you can clean your oven to make sure it’s prepped and ready for holiday hostings, we have a few oven recommendations. Being able to use the self-clean features is our number one preferred method when it comes to cleaning our ovens for various reasons.

It saves you time, energy, is extremely easy to use, will not leave behind any strong odors, and does not damage your oven as harsh chemicals can often do. That being said, here are a few of our top recommendations for easy-clean ovens.

Beko 30" Stainless Steel Wall Oven

This heavy-duty stainless steel wall oven comes with a programmable Pyrolytic self-cleaning function built to save you time and energy. With 11.4 cubic feet of interior space, you can cook large quantity meals at once, there is also a no preheat air fry option for you to cook healthier and faster meals.

The twin-turbo convection feature allows for even heat distribution and faster cooking time! This oven also includes a removable telescopic rack type making it easy to access both the rack and the interior of the oven for further deep cleaning whenever you feel necessary.

Features:

• 5.7 cu. ft. Interior Volume

• Air Fry (no pre-heat)

• Fast Pre-Heat

• Turbo Twin Convection

• LED Control Display

• Full Extension Removable Telescopic Rack

• Meat Probe

• Programmable Self-Clean

• Sabbath Mode

• Interior Illumination

Frigidaire 27" Double Electric Wall Oven with Fan Convection

This double electric wall oven features various self-clean options for you to pick from offering convenient 2,3 and 4-hour cleaning cycles. There is also a premium touchscreen control panel that makes selecting your preferred oven temperature and times a breeze.

With customizable broil temperatures, you will always be able to get that perfect finish and the convenient cook time setting allows you to program your oven to cook and automatically turn itself off.

Features:

• Fan Convection Baking

• Self-Clean Oven

• Premium Touch Screen Control Panel

• Customizable Broil Temperatures

• Cook Time Setting

Thermador Masterpiece® Single Wall Oven 30'' Stainless Steel ME301YP

The Thermador oven comes with a self-cleaning option to clean the interior and rack supports of your oven within two hours. This high-tech oven is also WiFi enabled which allows you to control every aspect of your oven with the use of your smartphone or Alexa.

With eleven different heating modes for you to choose from and a quick 7-minute pre-heat, this luxurious appliance will have you preparing amazing dishes for your holiday parties (with easy clean-up) in no time.

Features:

• WiFi Enabled

• 11 Heating Modes

• Convection Multi-Rack

• Soft Close Hinges

• Self-Clean Oven

• Fast Pre-Heat

• Telescopic Rack

Shop Self-Clean Ovens at DeWaard & Bode

If you would like more information on which self-cleaning oven works best for you, visit us at any of our Bellingham or Burlington, Washington locations. Our trained specialists will gladly help you decide which oven works best for your needs and budget. At DeWaard and Bode, we offer financing solutions, giving you the convenient option to pay monthly for your home appliances.