The oven is one of the most dreaded household appliances to clean. It’s easy to ignore it – simply close the door – but the consequences can be terrible. Months can go by before the full extent of the mess is realised, and by then you’re faced with layers of hard-baked grease and grime.
You might be tempted to go shopping for one of those common “all in one” oven cleaners that you apply and leave in there overnight, but all those warning labels about chemical fumes are there for a reason – this can be a little off-putting!
Thankfully, there’s a more organic approach for how to clean your oven properly, which we’ve outlined in the points below. With any luck, you’ll be cooking meals in a sparkling clean oven again in no time!

Here’s the best way to clean your oven
- First things first – you need to ensure your oven is switched off and sufficiently cooled down before you start any work. Once you’re ready to start cleaning, begin by removing and cleaning the oven racks and giving them a good scrub separately.
- Then, make your own simple homemade cleaning detergent out of baking soda and water. Half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water should do the trick!
- The detergent should congeal into a sort of paste, which you can now spread throughout the interior surfaces of your oven. Put on some rubber gloves for this – you’ll be glad you did afterwards! Don’t forget to apply the paste to the inside of the glass oven door as well.
- At this point, the baking soda solution needs to rest on the interior surfaces of your oven overnight (or for the next 12 hours, anyway). It might be time to order takeaway for dinner as a treat!
- After a 12-hour soak, wipe down your oven interior with a damp dish cloth. For any particularly stubborn bits that can’t be wiped away, a spatula is a good tool for dislodging them!
- Pour some white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it throughout the interior of your oven for a sparkling clean finish. Don’t panic when you see foam accumulating – this is a natural reaction to vinegar coming into contact with baking soda!
- Give the oven a final wipe down, perhaps with a fresh damp cloth to avoid re-applying dirt and grime to what should now be a 100% clean oven, ready for cooking your next meal in.
- Put the oven racks back in and start preparing dinner!
Need oven repairs? Give us a call
If your oven needs urgent repairs, don’t hesitate to call National Appliance Repairs for efficient and reliable service. From standard residential oven repairs to commercial ovens and even combi ovens, we are your no-fuss solution for oven repairs and servicing Australia-wide.