The Unlikely Vegetable That Can Do Wonders For Your Dirty Oven

Ovens harbor the brunt of grime, burns, and stains, and the process of cleaning a dirty oven can sometimes feel impossible. Believe it or not, there are actually a number of foods you can use to clean your house, most of which achieve results by being placed in a specific dirty area. Many vegetables act as natural disinfectants, the properties of which can clean, polish, and repair a number of household items. When it comes to ovens, however, there's an unlikely vegetable answer that will scrub your dirty oven clean: onions.

Over the past few years, we've seen multiple plant-based trends that have proven the power of natural ingredients. Much like using cucumber to eliminate scuffs on the wall, onions are a surprisingly effective way to rid your oven of stubborn grime. With approximately 6.75 billion pounds of onion produced every year, there's certainly no shortage of this natural cleaner on hand. Not only can onions help regulate blood sugar, improve heart health, and boost the digestive system, but they can also turn a dirty oven into one that's totally spotless.

Onions are rich with antioxidants, acidity, and antibacterial properties that act as natural disinfectants against stubborn and textured stains. An onion is also much less harmful than the chemical cleaners we're likely to use on tough stains. We should be especially careful using chemical cleaners around appliances that render heat, since most chemical compounds shouldn't be met with extremely high temperatures. Instead, an onion takes on the role of a natural cleaning aid without damaging any surfaces, all while preventing any bad odors and getting rid of rust. What's even better? You can use an onion like a sponge.

To get started, cut a large onion in half. While it doesn't matter the size or color, a larger onion can cover more surface area, making the cleaning process more efficient. Using one half at a time, begin scrubbing away, squeezing out any excess juice as you go. If the oven is still hot, use a grilling fork to move the onion around while adding pressure to ensure all grime is removed. Though not completely necessary, you may want to wipe down the inside of your oven with a clean, damp cloth once you're done.

Beyond using onions to clean our dirty ovens, there are multiple personal and household benefits of keeping onions around. For example, their antibacterial properties have been proven effective against bacterial infections, such as E. coli, staph infections, and pseudomonas. Per the BBC, older onions carry an ingredient called quercetin, which inhibits certain bacterial infections from even entering the body. Although eating onions can help improve our overall health, leaving them around our space won't affect the toxins in the air, as many people sometimes claim.

Another benefit of onion may come in handy for those tending to their garden. If your plants are riddled with insects, drop a few slices of onion in your watering can, allowing the onion to steep in the water under the heat of the sun. After a few hours, water these insect-riddled plants with the onion-infused water and watch the bugs disperse. Since insects (and humans alike) are not huge fans of the strong stench of onion, they'll leave your garden alone. Clearly, the benefits of keeping onions around the house are too many to count.