The Ultimate Deep Cleaning Product Checklist For Bringing Your Crusty Oven Back To Life

Of all the kitchen cleaning tasks we have to fit into our routine, refreshing the oven is often the last one we want to take on. Nobody wants to deal with gunky ovens, with their burning residue, smoky cooking sessions, and poor-tasting food — to say nothing of the fire risks they create. Cleaning all that gunk and grime, though, can seem too time-consuming and futile for us to commit to. Relying on your oven's self-cleaning function seems like a perfect convenience, but that comes with issues like high electricity consumption and irritating (and potentially harmful) fumes. In the end, putting in a little elbow grease to manually make the oven look like new is usually the better option.

Fortunately, there are several effective oven-cleaning tools available. Generally speaking, to get your oven to sparkle, you'll need a good commercial oven cleaner, a non-abrasive sponge or scrubber, an optional cleaning tool for the tough spots, rubber or latex gloves and goggles, a face mask and apron, and a good supply of paper towels.

Stuck-on grime and baked-in food are notoriously stubborn, so picking a powerful oven cleaner that can tackle the dirtiest appliances is critical. Easy Off is a tried, true, and highly-rated product, but for cleaning an extremely grimy oven, a heavy-duty cleaning spray like Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner might work best. Spray and foaming cleaners begin dissolving burnt-on food and grease immediately. You can wipe some of the more heavy-duty products away after only a few minutes, while others may take over an hour to work, especially on grungy, crusty ovens. When the cleaner is done working, wipe away the mess with paper towels. Keep in mind that these types of cleaners can be hazardous, so you should always include safety gear in your deep-cleaning checklist. Wear goggles, rubber or latex gloves, a mask, and an apron to protect yourself while cleaning — and never use multiple cleaning products at once to avoid the risk of a chemical reaction.

You may need additional tools to scrub stubborn spots. Materials like steel wool are too aggressive and could scratch your oven's glass, enamel, or metal components. Instead, use non-abrasive nylon scrubbers or scrub sponges. You can also use a stiff bristle brush to scrub corners and pull debris from crevices. For even more scour power, you could upgrade to a bristle attachment for your portable drill. Products like Drill Brush help your high-speed hand tool power through tough messes. Another handy item for delivering more scrubbing power is a pumice stone, like the PUMIE Scouring Stick. The soft volcanic rock abrades stuck-on material as it dissolves. Just be sure to use it with plenty of water to maintain its gentle touch and leave your oven sparkling.

With the oven's interior cleaned, you can focus on the stovetop and exterior. In many cases, soap and warm water can manage your racks, grills, and cooktop surfaces, but there are specialty cleaners available for tough jobs. Cleaning pastes like The Pink Stuff work well to dissolve stuck-on gunk on the stove. Some of these products double as interior oven cleaners, but you should always reference the product instructions to ensure it's safe to use on the intended surface. A cooktop scraper can also help with tough grime, and if you're worried about scratches, a plastic scraper will be safe for any surface. Alternatively, a Magic Eraser makes a clever cleaning hack for dirty stovetops. 

Finally, making routine oven maintenance a regular part of your overall cleaning checklist will make your life easier. If you clean your oven every three months or so (more often if you're an avid baker), cleaning will be a breeze. You might even be able to skip much of the aggravation and more aggressive cleaners by using the ever-convenient steam cleaning technique, which is all you really need for a sparkling oven. With regular attention, oven cleaning is surprisingly easy.