Cleaning the oven

babyharley

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I desperately need to clean out the bottom of my oven
Does anyone know of a good product to use? I've never had to do this before, so I'm not sure what kind of product to look for.

THANKS!
 
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babyharley

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Originally Posted by Bella713

Is it not self cleaning Mackenzie??
HA! Are you kidding? I wish
I live in an apartment so I don't have the luxury of a super nice oven/stove
 

bella713

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LOL I just wanted to check because I think maybe u could ruin it or something I don't know much about it LOL Not sure what to tell you to use but if u use some sort of spray oven cleaner be careful of the fumes! Can u tell I am not Martha Stewart
 

zissou'smom

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Is it electric or gas?

Mine isn't self cleaning either. Anyway, make sure not to get the gas lines wet if it's gas, but you can try soaking the crud in water and scraping it with a PLASTIC scraper (metal will seriously ruin it) or a pot scrubber (again, not steel wool). Once you get as much crap as possible out of there, use some kind of cleaner that calls itself an oven cleaner, and then rinse it out again with a spraybottle and some rags.

I usually make sure to "bake" a tin of water or something in there for a while to get the smell out.

Oh, and there's no light in mine either... so I wear a camping light on my head (a flashlight on a strap that goes on your forehead). Odd, but it works.
 

lsulover

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I just never liked using oven cleaners, I didn't like the smells, and when I used a brillo pad or something, I always made sure I got then nice and soft.
 
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babyharley

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Ok, thanks guys, maybe I'll just get a brillo pad and clean it out a bit. I don't think its been cleaned since we moved in.... or before that even
 

zissou'smom

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Originally Posted by fwan

Ovens clean them selves?
They have a cycle (some do anyway) where they lock and get REALLY REALLY hot, and it burns all the crud off the walls/floor. Then you basically just sweep out the burnt-up crumbs.
 

wookie130

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I so much appreciate having the self-cleaning cycle on my oven...

You can scrap all of the really burned on crap with a knife, and get it out of there, and then soak the existing crud with REALLY hot vinegar water. Just take an empty spray bottle, fill it halfway up with distilled white vinegar, and then funnel HOT water up to the top, shake the bottle (with the spray thing on of course), and soak the stains in the solution for about an hour. Then, take a brillo pad or rough sided sponge, and scrub at the surface.

I also like those SOS pads with the blue cleanser gunk in them.
 

icklemiss21

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I saved this (but am not sure from where) because oven cleaners make me feel really sick, it worked for me!

To clean my oven, I sprinkle baking soda all over the bottom until it is covered completely with about 1/4 of an inch of baking soda. Then, using a clean spray bottle, I spray the baking soda with water until the baking soda is thoroughly damp but not flooded. After that, this lazy cleaner goes off and does other things. When I think of it, I dampen the baking soda again if it is drying out. Before I go to bed, I do that again. When I wake up in the morning, the baking soda can effortlessly be scooped out of the oven with a sponge, bringing all the grime with it. That's it! The only downside is that you need to rinse out the white residue left by the baking soda, but it sure beats Oven cleaner because there are no fumes!
 
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babyharley

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Originally Posted by icklemiss21

I saved this (but am not sure from where) because oven cleaners make me feel really sick, it worked for me!
THANK YOU!!
 

emily_325

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I haven't cleaned our oven since we moved in...mainly because I didn't know how and it seemed like it would be a pain in the tookus.

Thanks for the tip icklemiss21! Sounds easy enough that even someone as lazy as me could do it.
 

sillyjilly

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Originally Posted by icklemiss21

I saved this (but am not sure from where) because oven cleaners make me feel really sick, it worked for me!
We're all gonna have the cleanest ovens in the world now... Thanks for the tip... I am going to try that~!
 

gailc

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I use Easy Off Spray Oven cleaner-it says no fume on the can. I remove the oven racks-if it was warmer you could take them outside and lay them on plastic garbage bags and spray then. I them see if there is any loose "stuff" and scoup that out. I lay newspaper on the floor under the oven and then spray away.
Mke sure the oven is cold and follow the directions on the can. I will wear rubbe gloves and use lots of paper towels. This works well for me. If you also shop at a better cookware store some sell a product you can put on the bottom of the oven for easier cleaning-I 've checked into this (yet).
And once its clean (or cleaner) wipe up spills promptly (easier said than done though).
 

yosemite

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I also have the Easy-Off oven cleaner with no fumes. After cleaning your oven if you wipe down the interior with plain vinegar on a damp cloth it will get any residue left over off the surface and it will be easier to clean next time. There are some wonderful silicon mats that you can get now to put in the bottom of the oven that you can just take out, clean off and re-use.
 

gailc

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Thanks for the tip on the silicone mats I know one store that was advertising something for the bottom of ovens. Our self cleaning function blew out on our stove a few yrs ago-at that time $300 to fix and I decided not worth it. I'll have to check into those mats though.
 
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