Deep-Cleaning Products That Bring Crusty Ovens Back To Life

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Cleaning out the oven is one of the most annoying (and often overlooked or neglected) kitchen cleaning tasks. Yet the longer you put it off, the harder it will be once you actually get around to it. A dirty oven can be more than an eyesore. All of the grease, oil, baked-on food residues, and other debris can also be a fire hazard. When you use your oven, this debris could be releasing dangerous, and even toxic, smoke and fumes into your home. Dirty ovens even reduce the overall lifespan of your appliance, and can lower its efficiency and damage heating components.

All in all, it is a good idea to do a deep cleaning of your oven every few months — or whenever you notice that it has gotten particularly icky inside. Before you start, check to see if you have a self-cleaning oven. If you decide to use the self-cleaning feature, you should avoid using heavy-duty oven cleaners before, during, or after, as it could damage the oven's enamel coating and create toxic fumes. You should also read your oven manual (or look for a copy online) to see if the manufacturer recommends any specific oven cleaning products or methods.

While cleaning, be sure to wear rubber gloves and potentially a mask depending on what products you choose. Some contain harmful chemicals that could enter your lungs while spraying. Finally, remember to use a soft, wet cloth and clean water to remove any traces of cleaning product from your oven when done. Looking for the best deep-cleaning products that will bring your crusty oven back to life? Read on for our top five choices, along with some cleaning tips that will keep your oven spotless.

Don't forget to remove your oven racks before cleaning the interior of your oven — and then clean the racks, too. However, you do not want to use a harsh chemical oven cleaner on the racks. Instead, the best product for safely cleaning crusty, greasy oven racks is a Cascade Platinum Plus dishwasher pod, which you can get at most grocery or big box stores. 

Dishwasher tablets will leave your oven spotless because they contain enzymes that actually break down grease, grime, and food particles so they can be easily rinsed or scrubbed away. If you have a bathtub, fill it with hot water and drop a pod in, then put the oven racks in. If you do not have a bathtub, you can use a large plastic tub, or soak the upper halves of the racks in your sink and then flip them over to soak the lower halves. Let them soak for about an hour or just while you are cleaning the interior of your oven. Once they have soaked long enough, scrub away all of the crud with a scouring sponge or a Brillo steel wool scouring pad.

Easy-Off Professional, which is made for commercial ovens, is also the gold standard for getting years of built-on crud off of home ovens. It is available in a heavy-duty formula that comes in a yellow can and a blue can containing a fume-free formula that is safe for self-cleaning ovens. The blue can can be used every day for light-duty oven cleaning, and it works in just 30 seconds. The yellow can is best for deep cleaning, as it can remove baked-on food, oil, and grease. For heavy duty, manual oven cleaning, the yellow Easy-Off Pro works well because it is highly caustic and can dissolve stubborn grease and grime so that it can be wiped away or scraped off. Before you begin, make sure the oven is cold, as it is dangerous to clean a warm oven. 

Then remove the oven racks and set them aside. Grab some rubber gloves and open a window or door to ensure the kitchen is properly ventilated. Next, spray the cleaner on the interior of the oven from about 9 to 12 inches away, making sure you are evenly coating the oven sides, floor, and ceiling. Lift up the oven's heating element to spray underneath, but try not to spray the heating element directly. Let the foam sit in place for at least five minutes, using paper towels to maintain better contact between the cleaner and the oven surfaces. Then use a soft sponge or microfiber cloth to remove the foam and grease, and a damp cloth to rinse all traces of the cleaner off.  

After you have cleaned your oven's interior using a heavy-duty oven cleaner, you may notice that there are patches of burnt-on food, grease, or grime that did not come off. Luckily, you can remove baked-on oven residue with one cheap tool. The best tool for removing stubborn crud without damaging your oven's enamel coating or the glass on the oven doors is a razor scraper. A Hyper-Tough 4.5-inch retractable razor blade scraper, which is just $3.44 at Walmart, will work really well for this annoying task, and it also has a nonslip rubber handle to help you avoid accidents. Make sure to use a brand new blade that does not have any rust or damage. However, if you do not want to risk scratching your oven or injuring yourself, you can use a plastic razor blade scraper.

Use a packaged cleaning paste or a homemade baking soda paste along with the scraper to lift up the built up crud. Hold the blade at a 45-degree angle to the surface you are cleaning, move slowly, and be gentle. This method may take a while, but it is very effective at stubborn areas that did not respond to Easy-Off or whatever oven degreaser you used.

Your glass oven doors will get coated with grease, oil, and food debris over time. All of that grime can affect the flavor of your food and potentially damage the door itself. However, you cannot use the same hardcore cleaning products on the glass door as you would on the oven's interior, as they could cause etching or discoloration of the glass. Instead, it is best to use something mildly abrasive that is formulated for glass cleaning. Try to get into the habit of cleaning the outside of the oven door at the same time you clean your stovetop and kitchen counters. The interior glass should be cleaned whenever there are obvious spills or splatters, or every three months when you are cleaning the inside of the oven. One hack for cleaning your oven and keeping it spotless is to use an all-purpose cleaning paste to scrub away grease and grime.

Scrub Daddy Power Paste, which is about $10 at Walmart, is safe to use on ovens and grills as well as pots and pans, and it can remove grease, oil, and stuck-on grime. Plus, it has a pleasant citrusy smell. Mix a couple spoonfuls of the paste with water and apply it to the greasy glass on your oven door. Use a clean, dry microfiber cloth, a razor blade, or plastic pan scraper to get rid of tough grime. When you are done, use a different microfiber cloth or paper towels to remove the residue. Wipe the whole area clean with a damp cloth and then dry it off.

If you are concerned about using harsh or dangerous cleaning products in your kitchen, there is a safe, chemical-free way to clean your oven. It is best to use all-natural and non-toxic options if you have young children or pets, or if you just want to eliminate the risk of breathing in harmful chemicals. Method Heavy Duty Degreaser is just $4.39 at Walmart, and it is safe to use on ovens and stovetops. It won't be as powerful or work as quickly as a heavier duty product like Easy-Off, but it is a safe, all-natural alternative that is formulated with plant-based ingredients.

To use it, just spray it on stubborn, burnt-on grease, oil, and food splatters and let it sit for three minutes. Then wipe it clean with a soft cloth. You can also use a plastic or razor blade scraper along with this cleaner for more stubborn messes. If you are skeptical about whether an all-natural product will work as well as one with caustic chemicals, just take a look at the reviews. This degreaser has 4.4 stars on Walmart's website, with one customer saying it is "the best product I've ever used for degreasing," and another claiming that it "gets all the hard grease off without having to deep scrub."