Cleaning Experts Reveal the Easiest Way to Clean Your Oven

Cleaning the oven may not be your favorite chore, but the right method makes it a lot easier. We tapped cleaning pros from the Home Care & Cleaning Lab for advice on the best way to clean your oven.

No one wants to spend hours scrubbing at the wire racks or getting baked-on gunk off the sides of the oven. Luckily, many modern ovens come with a self-cleaning cycle that can tackle most messes. You generally need to remove the oven racks to use this cycle, so read up on how to clean the racks while you run the self-cleaning cycle. (Hint: Dish soap, water, and time is all you really need).

If your oven doesn’t have a self-cleaning cycle, that doesn’t mean you’re doomed to spend an entire weekend scrubbing it down. The right oven cleaners can loosen grime so it wipes away quickly.

Below, experts share the best way to clean your oven. Turn on your cleaning playlist, grab your rubber gloves, and get to work! If you find you want to harness your cleaning momentum to tackle the rest of the kitchen, read up on how to clean a dishwasher the right way and how to clean a microwave.

What You’ll Need:

• Rubber gloves
• Easy Off Pro Fume Free Max Oven Cleaner
• Scotch-Brite Heavy Duty Scrub Sponges
• Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser
• Brillo Heavy Duty Premium Scour Pads

Step-by-Step Instructions for Cleaning Your Oven

1. Remove the wire racks

Remove the racks from inside the oven before cleaning the interior, especially if you have a self-cleaning oven. The self-clean cycle works by setting the oven temperature incredibly high (some ovens go as high as 900° F!) to burn off any leftover food and grease. While your oven’s racks are designed to withstand high cooking temperatures, the heat can be too much and cause irreparable damage.

2. Remove any loose food bits from inside your oven

After you’ve removed the wire racks, use a wet rag or sponge to wipe away any loose bits of food and grease in the oven.

3. Run the self-cleaning cycle or apply the oven cleaner if your oven doesn’t have a self-clean cycle

If you’re using an oven’s self-cleaning cycle, great news: You don’t have to do anything during this step. Just make sure to open several nearby windows in your home and run your kitchen exhaust fan, if you have one, throughout the entire cycle to minimize odors and smoke build-up. If you can’t remember the last time you ran a self-clean cycle, the odors released will likely be pretty unpleasant, but you shouldn’t leave your home until the self-clean cycle is completely finished.

For ovens without a self-cleaning cycle, follow the directions on the label of the oven cleaner you choose. Many of them should sit for some time to loosen stuck-on debris and grease. You should never spray an oven cleaner onto your oven while the self-cleaning cycle is running.

Pro Tip: Run the self-clean cycle once every 4 months to minimize the unpleasantness of using the function. The odor and smoke that many find uncomfortable about self-cleaning ovens are produced by burning bits of food and grease. With more regular cleaning, less of this debris accumulates, making for an easier, odorless self-clean experience.

4. Wash wire racks in the sink

While the oven is self-cleaning or the oven cleaner is working its magic inside, wash your racks in the sink in warm, soapy water. For stubborn gunk and grime, scrub the racks with a scrub sponge or scouring pad. Then rinse them and let them air-dry until you’re ready to load them back into the oven. If racks are especially dirty, soak them overnight in a cleaner like Carbona 2-in-1 Oven Rack and Grill Cleaner.

5. Clean up debris or oven cleaner inside the oven

After the self-cleaning cycle is complete and the oven is completely cooled, use a wet sponge or cloth to wipe away the ash and food bits from the bottom of the oven. If using an oven cleaner, now is the time to wipe it away with a wet sponge and rinse the interior with water.

6. Replace the wire racks and clean the glass window

Finally, place the racks back inside the oven and clean the glass window, inside and out, with a multipurpose degreaser or glass cleaner, then wipe with a microfiber cloth for a streak-free finish. Remove any stuck-on grease splatters with a non-scratch scrub sponge. “You should never disassemble the oven door to clean between the glass layers,” says Forté. “This should only be done by an authorized technician to help prevent damaging the glass or the door or voiding your oven’s warranty.”

Can I clean my oven with baking soda?

Many others recommend using a baking soda paste to clean your oven’s interior, but we don’t. It’s messy and requires more scrubbing and rinsing, plus who wants to spend two days cleaning their oven? Baking soda is mildly abrasive and a great spot cleaner for your oven, but we don’t recommend using it to clean your entire oven. The same goes for other DIY cleaners, like baking soda with vinegar or lemon.

We understand the hesitation to use oven cleaners due to concerns about fumes and strong odors. But it is simply much easier to use an oven’s self-cleaning function or a cleaner formulated specifically for burnt-on foods left behind in ovens. And oven cleaners on the market today are very different from products of the past. Many are formulated for reduced fumes or to be fume-free.

How to keep an oven tidy between deep cleanings

Just because you now know how to clean your oven effectively doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to prevent a mess in the first place. As a general rule of thumb, cover pans with lids or aluminum foil to prevent splatters and place baking sheets on the bottom racks when baking pies and casseroles to catch anything that might bubble over. As soon as you suspect a spill, carefully sprinkle table salt on it while it’s still warm to absorb the spill, then wipe it up with a damp sponge or cloth once the oven is cool.