Clean Your Oven with this Easy, Non Toxic DIY

This is my favorite and easiest way to clean a dirty oven using just two simple, non-toxic household ingredients found in every home

This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. My full disclosure policy can be found here.

I don't know about you but my oven gets gross and dirty really fast. Maybe because I use it so much.

Recently I spilled some chicken grease while I was turning a batch of chicken wings and the grease spilled inside the oven, on the glass door (and on me - but that's another story!).

I meant to clean it and then we got busy and you know how that goes - out of sight, out of mind!

It wasn't until the next day when Mr DIY was heating a pizza and we smelled something awful that I remembered the burnt on grease in the oven. Now it was doubly burned on!

I'm not a big fan of cleaning, but what I do love is being able to use something non-toxic to clean my oven, something readily available and simple that really works! All you need is about an hour (only 10 minute or so of that is hands-on time), and a couple of everyday household ingredients that you probably already have on hand!


I hate using strong smelling cleaning ingredients. The chemicals irritate my eyes, nose and throat and I know they're harmful to breathe. So anytime I can clean with simple, household ingredients that are not harmful, I do! I am always amazed at how easily the tough, baked on grease in my oven is cleaned using this easy method!

The easy and non-toxic way to clean a dirty oven


Let's start with the supplies you'll need. These are simple household supplies that you probably already have in your pantry or under your sink!

Supplies

* Don't use a cheap substitute! Dawn is a proven grease-cutter and the only one I'd recommend for cleaning your oven. It is a little pricier but that's because it works!


Step 1 to a clean oven using non-toxic ingredients

Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of baking soda in a bowl and then pour over maybe 2-3 tablespoons of Dawn liquid dish soap. Mix well with a spoon. You want the constistency to be like toothpaste. It should look the the image below. If it's too dry, add a little more liquid...too wet, add a little more baking soda. You can't really mess this up!

The amount you use depends on how dirty your oven is. If you're just spot cleaning, you'll need much less!


Step 2 to a clean oven using non toxic ingredients

Spray the oven stains with some water and then spread the cleaning goop in a nice, thick and even layer over the stains.

I use the spoon to drop dollops of the baking soda/dish soap cleaner in my oven and then spread it with my hand! Remember, this stuff is non toxic and non harmful! Amazingly, you can see below how some of the burnt on grease is already releasing from the glass on my oven door! And I'm just getting started.


Step 3 to a clean oven using non toxic household ingredients

Let the non toxic cleaner sit on all that baked on oven grease for up to an hour. You don't want it to dry out so spray it periodically with water. You can test it by running a finger through the cleaner and seeing what comes away. If the baked on mess doesn't release, leave it to soak longer.


I had a greasy mess inside my oven door as well as a spot in my oven. Leave the door open so the cleaning ingredients don't slide around!

Step 4 to a clean oven with non toxic ingredients

Scrub and wipe. Use a non-abrasive sponge or brush to agitate the stain. You won't need to scrub hard, just enough to remove any stubborn, baked on stains and really work the cleaning solution in. Let it sit awhile longer if still dirty.


Finally, we need to remove the baking soda and liquid Dawn from the oven. Dawn is very sudsy (it's dish soap after all), so use a damp rag and wipe, rinse and repeat until there's no more cleaning residue in the oven. I had to do this about 5 times.

The results are a beautifully clean oven. Now, it's not going to look brand new but all those stains should be gone!

I have had a few stubborn burnt spots where nothing but using my Auto Oven Cleaning setting will work, but this only happens once or twice a year. The rest of the time I rely on the super easy and effective combo of baking soda and Dawn dish soap to keep my oven clean!

It's very satisfying and you don't have to deal with harmful chemicals and strong odors! Just a nice, clean oven...that is really difficult to photograph because of all the reflection 😄


Remember all that chicken grease that made a big mess in my oven? It's gone! And it was so easy to clean!
Please let me know if you try this simple, non-toxic method to cleaning your oven! It's the only way I clean my oven and it's simple enough to do weekly if needed. Cleaning your oven doesn't need to be a smelly, difficult chore!

Want to remember it? PIN IT!

Looking for other highly effective and simple household tips and ideas? Check these out:



bringing beauty to the ordinary,

SIGN UP FOR FREE DIY TUTORIALS

share this post
more

Comments

  1. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! i never look forward to cleaning my oven. the chemical that you buy is so potent and, like you, i cant hardly breath or see while i use it. not to mention in the winter when you cannot open up widows to let it air out! i am going to try this today! where would we be without Dawn dish soap! such an amazing product!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your sweet comments Megan! I've been meaning to share this cleaning tip for years and figured January was a great time! Happy cleaning 😉

      Delete
  2. AWESOME!
    Thank You so much for sharing your oven cleaning technique.
    Do you also clean your oven racks in the same matter?
    As for me; I would place my oven racks in large heavy duty black trash bag and spray them with oven cleaner and let them bake in the hot sun for a few hours and then take the garden hose and rinse them off

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Colleen, I haven't but I'm sure it would work! I'm going to use this on my stove top too (don't know why I haven before!) to try and remove some baked on stains.

      Delete
  3. I tried ur cleaning idea today! WHERE HAS THIS BEEN!!! AMAZING!! I HATE spray oven cleaners & cleaning, toxic fumes, can't breathe.... ok, use a plastic glove which rips because of, u know fingernails, loved I could just get my hands into it & if necessary scrub HARD, I added a lil Dawn to the water spray bottle as not to dilute paste, set the timer @15 mins, spray, check with finger( NO GLOVE, lol) I did the whole oven !! Luv, luv this!! Thank U!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Followed the steps as instructed. No change at all even after leaving for 5 hours. Useless advice!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, I've always had quick success! You need to keep the mixture damp, if it dries out its not as effective. If your oven was especially dirty, you may need to try again.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Your comments are like sunshine and chocolate! Thanks for taking the time to leave a nice one ;) I read all comments and love to respond if you leave your name and email! Otherwise, please look for my response under the post where you left it!