Without a self-cleaning oven, removing grease and burned-on spills from an oven usually means enduring the harsh toxic fumes of chemical oven cleaners. If you are looking for an eco-friendly, non-toxic alternative, try this recipe for homemade oven cleaner. It may not spray on and wipe off quite as easily as the chemical cleaners available in stores, but you won't have to deal with toxic fumes or worry about damage to the environment and it does a good job of removing greasy, baked on stains.
With the exception of washing soda, you'll likely find the ingredients already in your kitchen. Washing soda, also called soda ash, is sodium carbonate and is often found in stores along with laundry detergent. When added to this mixture of baking soda, liquid soap, water and white vinegar, it effectively removes oil and grease. For particularly greasy ovens, use the larger quantity of washing soda in your mixture.
Tips:
- Before adding the liquid ingredients, prepare your oven and be ready to apply the mixture. As soon as the liquid is added, the mixture begins to harden and needs to be applied to the oven surfaces immediately.
- Use a non-abrasive scouring pad to wash the cleaner off the oven for added scrubbing power on the hard to remove stains.
Non-toxic Oven Cleaner Recipe
- 1C Baking soda
- 1/4-1/2 C Washing Soda (sodium carbonate)
- 1 Tbsp liquid soap
- Hot water
- Few drops white vinegar
- When the oven is completely cool, wipe off the surface soot and any fresh spills.Important: Make sure you are ready to apply the mixture immediately when the ingredients are combined. The mixture hardens very quickly.
- Combine the dry ingredients and the liquid soap.For greasy ovens, add an additional 1/4C of washing soda.
- Gradually add the hot water to form a thick but malleable paste.
- Add the vinegar.The mixture will fizz.
- Coat the oven surfaces and leave it to sit overnight.As the mixture hardens, it breaks down the dirt and grease and absorbs it.
- Wipe off the mixture with warm water and a non-scratching scrubbing pad.
- Wash off any remaining cleaner using a cloth or sponge rinsed in clean water.
Sharon Russell - Currently a freelance writer, Sharon has worked as a technical writer in the high tech industry for over 15 years. Prior to that, she ...
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