In almost all cases, having a clean oven takes significant time and work. There’s soaking, then scrubbing, and in some cases, the use of harsh chemicals– but it all still requires a whole lot of elbow grease. However, in today’s world of social media platforms, there are plenty of helpful videos, like @nicolepaigelilly’s on TikTok, which show us how to clean our ovens in minutes. Nicole Murphy is an Instagram influencer and TikToker. She’s a mom of 2 and a creator of “uniquely colorful journals” from the Republic of Ireland. Recently, she shared with TikTok viewers her secret to a clean oven. The hack can be done in a matter of minutes. The entrepreneurial mom has nearly 1,000 followers and invests some energy into posting various content, from random and silly to helpful life hacks that make things like parenting a little easier.
Video Showing a Clean Oven
The video of the clean oven hack begins with her step-by-step instructions for removing loose parts of the oven, such as the front glass panel. She notes the glass panel is what weighs down the oven door. Therefore, take care in removing it so the door doesn’t bounce back at you, causing injury. Next, she grabbed a dishwasher tab and a sponge.
Read More: How to Easily Clean Your Entire Oven (Including the Windows)
According to her instructions, simply cut the sponge, creating a perfect space for the tab to fit, then add water
Scrub for a few minutes, allowing everything to get sudsy. “Still some staining on glass so will have to go over that with a Brillo pad later,” she explains. Then, simply wipe away all residue with a paper towel, and to avoid any contamination of chemicals.
Wash everything with water and then dry again
This tip ensures a clean oven door, but what about the inside? Nicole adds that a clean oven inside can be achieved almost exactly the same way. However, she notes that the “top layer” of debris should be wiped away using a paper towel before the cleaning process. She then suggests that the dishwasher tab is left for some time to soak.
Allowing its grease-fighting power some time to take effect
One user commented, “So clean. [I] need to try this.” Amazingly, dishwasher tabs can have another use as well.
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Dishwasher Tab to the Rescue
Astonishingly, dishwasher tabs actually serve a few cleaning purposes. In fact, one TikToker went viral last year after seeing a sofa-cleaning hack that she decided to try for herself. The video racked up more than 200,000 followers as she proved to followers that a dishwasher tab can be used to clean the sofa. However, they can also be used to clean toilets, remove marker or crayon stains, deodorize the trash can, and help remove oil or gas stains from driveways and garages.
Ensuring a clean home often requires the help of certain cleaning supplies or chemicals
Many are toxic for our families and the environment, so it’s best to start with the non-toxic options first. However, these don’t always do the job for tough messes. For example, they won’t easily help you with a clean oven without hard scrubbing, maybe even for hours. As a result, sometimes, the use of harsher chemicals with more cleaning power is necessary. Here are a few solutions to help ensure a clean oven every time cleaning day comes around.
Helpful Ideas for a Clean Oven
Some ovens have a self-cleaning option, which essentially scalds everything at really high temperatures for hours, turning it to ash. An important thing to remember is to remove oven racks, and here’s a separate hack for those. There are sprays like Easy Off that make the job much easier, but they’re also odorous and have strong fumes. A more natural method for cleaning oven racks is to fill the bathtub with hot water, add a cup of laundry powder, otherwise known as detergent, and let it soak overnight, giving a light scrub in the morning using an old toothbrush. Hint: place a towel down to protect the tub from scratches.
DIY Clean Oven
In contrast, not every oven has a self-cleaning option. In these cases, using Easy Off would also be helpful, but still have the fumes. A more natural method for ensuring a clean oven is to cut a few lemons (one suggestion calls for 5) in half, squeeze the juice onto a baking tray, and add the lemon halves. Bake at around 480 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, creating a sort of steam clean. Then, allow it to cool down, and wipe grime away with a damp rag. Leaving behind a fresh-smelling clean oven.
Baking Soda
For starters, it’s commonly known that baking soda serves many cleaning and stain-removing purposes. Therefore, it should come as no surprise it can be used to help with a clean oven. Mix one cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of water, and two tablespoons of vinegar in an oven-safe bowl. The texture should be pasty; dab some onto really greasy or gross areas. Then, place the bowl on the top shelf of the oven and bake at 212 degrees Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. After the oven has cooled some, it should be much easier to wipe away the grime, leaving you with a fresh and clean oven.
Creating a clean oven takes a lot of work and effort, but is weirdly something many people take pride in
Considering allergies, preferences regarding chemical vs. natural, and time allotment, there are plenty of factors that may decide your method for accomplishing a clean oven; luckily, there are plenty of options to fit everyone’s needs.
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Sources
- “Nicole Paige Lilly.” Amazon.
- “Woman shares genius hack to get entire oven clean in just five minutes.” Tyla. Jess Hardiman. October 23, 2023.
- “9 Dishwasher Tablet Hacks to Clean Almost Anything. How Stuff Works. Alia Hoyt. November 11, 2021.
- “5 awesome oven cleaning hacks to test out.” Real Estate. Carly Jacobs. June 28, 2022.