Ovens collect a lot of food waste and grime and are notoriously difficult to clean, but this quick and cheap cleaning hack will leave them sparkling in no time
There are few things trickier to clean than a grimy oven, especially if you don’t have the right tools. Not only are they prime incubators for grease and food debris, the small, enclosed space means it can be difficult to work your way around all of the nooks and crannies by simply using a wipe.
But as tempting as it can be to skip an oven deep clean, leaving dirt to fester can ruin your meals. Over time, the charred remnants of food will eventually give the rest of your dishes an unpleasant burnt flavour, as well as allowing all kinds of nasty odours to permeate. In more serious cases, it can even be hazardous. Letting grease build up in your oven tray increases the risk of a fire starting in the kitchen – a more common issue than you might assume. According to research, up to 50% of all structural fires in the UK are related to cooking accidents.
Luckily, for the reluctant cleaners out there, there’s no need to fret over starting an accidental inferno. This viral TikTok cleaning hack won’t take you more than 20 minutes – and, even better, it uses budget-friendly items you likely already have at home.
Step one
The first step is to mix your cleaning concoction. Pour water, vinegar, baking powder (or baking soda) and sliced lemon into a baking tray. There should be just enough to coat the base of the tray.
Step two
If your oven has a steam setting, then turn that on. If it doesn’t, then simply turn on the upper and lower heat setting, and switch the temperature up high enough to steam the water in the tray. Once you’ve done that, this is where the magic kicks in. Simply step back for 20 minutes, and let the mixture do its work.
Step three
After 20 minutes, turn off the oven and remove the tray. Leave it to cool, then go in with a damp cloth to wipe away the grease. The steaming effect should have loosened up the worst of the dirt, making the physical cleaning process smooth and easy. Plus, the video claims that it should also eliminate any bad odours, leaving your oven smelling fresh and lemony.
While most people have these basic ingredients already lying around at home, they can be purchased for incredibly pocket-friendly prices. You can get your hands on a pack of five lemons from Sainsbury’s for just 86p (17p each), distilled vinegar for £1.09 at Asda, baking powder for 65p at Asda, and you can order a pack of 40 multi-purpose cleaning cloths from Wilko for just 79p (2p each). Altogether, the amount used of each item should come to no more than 30p.