If Aluminum Foil Melts In Your Oven, Here's What You Need To Do Next

It's okay to admit that aluminum foil is the number one most-used thing in your kitchen, whether it's used for wrapping up leftovers, making kitchen cleanup a breeze, or arts and crafts. With all this usage, you might encounter a minor issue — aluminum foil melting in your oven. This isn't necessarily a common occurrence, since aluminum foil's melting point is about 1,220 degrees Fahrenheit, but if it does happen, you don't have to live with the blemishes in your oven forever.

While lining your sheet pan with aluminum foil might be the ultimate hack for the crispiest bacon, it's not the most ideal companion for the bottom of your oven. Before attempting any cleaning method, ensure that the oven is turned off and cooled, and that your kitchen is well-ventilated. From here, begin by picking away any loose pieces of the burnt aluminum foil. You can try grabbing a razor blade and carefully scraping away at the mess, or you can go right into the baking soda and vinegar method, which requires making a thick paste out of the aforementioned ingredients and slathering it on the affected area. Leave the paste on overnight and wipe away in the morning, which should remove some (if not most) of the mess. Some experts also recommend following this up by placing a very damp cotton towel on the area and setting the oven to a low temperature for about 30 minutes, creating steam, which should help lift the foil.

Aluminum foil is heat-resistant, but when used incorrectly, it can still burn just the same as anything else. This happens especially when the foil comes into accidental contact with a heating element, which can not only burn the foil but also cause sparks and a potential fire hazard in your oven. When the foil is placed directly on the bottom of the oven, it can adhere to the enamel, which gets hotter than other parts of the oven, and leave you with a permanently damaged, melted catastrophe, which is why you should stop lining your oven with aluminum foil. Beyond cosmetic damage, misuse of aluminum foil can end up altering the way your food cooks.

If the scraping and/or baking soda and vinegar method doesn't help remove the melted aluminum foil, you could also try using an oven cleaner, which is specially formulated to help with tough messes. When you're ready to break out the big guns, opt for Naval Jelly, a type of gel containing phosphoric acid that's designed to break down rust. If you let the jelly sit for 24 hours, you should be able to wipe the melted foil away with a rag the next day, though you may need to repeat the process to get the area fully clean. Before using the oven again, clean it thoroughly with soap and water, follow these 11 cleaning tips for keeping your oven spotless, and your days of melted aluminum foil should be over.