Did you just notice your oven is getting a little crusty? It might be time to clean it! Rather than running out to the store and grabbing a commercial oven cleaner, there are a lot of DIY oven cleaner recipes you can try. They use simple, non-toxic ingredients to get your oven sparkling.
9 Best Homemade Oven Cleaners
Cleaning your oven isn't something you want to think about, but it has to be done. While you can go to the store and grab a commercial oven cleaner off the shelf, you might be wondering how to clean your oven without harsh chemicals. It's simple! Just grab a few natural cleaners from around your house. Be aware, however, that these are going to take longer to work than most store-bought cleaners. You will typically need to leave these in the oven for several hours or overnight, so consider takeout if it's oven cleaning time.
Natural Oven Cleaner With White Vinegar
White vinegar will be your bestie as a natural DIY oven cleaner when it comes to cleaning your oven. The acidic nature of white vinegar or cleaning vinegar helps break down that gunk and grime that has been accumulating in your oven.
You will need:
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- Brush or sponge
- Damp cloth
To use:
- Add the cornstarch and white vinegar together in a small pan or microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat it on the stove over medium-high (or in the microwave on high heat in 30-second increments) to thicken it, stirring occasionally.
- Once it thickens, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool completely.
- Use a sponge or brush to apply it all over the oven.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 30-60 minutes.
- Wipe out the oven with a clean, damp cloth.
Do-It-Yourself Oven Cleaner With Lemon Juice
Don't have any cornstarch on hand? You might want to try the baking soda and lemon juice recipe. In addition to being relatively simple, the lemon juice creates an appealing lemony smell that many enjoy.
You will need:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- ⅓ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (also good for cleaning toaster ovens)
- Sponge(s)
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- Spray bottle
To use:
To get started, you need the water, baking soda, and lemon juice. The white vinegar is for a little later.
- Mix the baking soda, lemon juice, and water together.
- Use a sponge to spread the mixture on the oven and scrub the racks.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Add the white vinegar to a spray bottle.
- Spray the entire stove down with straight white vinegar.
- Allow it to sit for another 30 minutes.
- Wipe everything down with a damp sponge.
DIY Oven Cleaner With Baking Soda
When it comes to cleaning your oven, baking soda is one of the best cleaners you'll find. It works as a scrubbing agent.
You will need:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- ⅓ cup of water
- Damp cloth or sponge
To use:
With your ingredients at the ready, you can get down to cleaning. You can find a step-by-step tutorial for using this method.
- Create a paste by mixing a cup of baking soda with about a ⅓ cup of water.
- Cover the entire oven.
- Allow it to sit overnight.
- Wipe it out.
Cleaning Oven With Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Dawn
If you find that baking soda and white vinegar alone aren't cutting through the greasy, grimy mess you've created in your oven, you might want to add a bit of Dawn to the mix. While you can use any type of dish soap you like, Dawn in the blue bottle works the best. Therefore, it's highly recommended to use a bit of blue Dawn for this recipe.
You will need:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- ½ cup of Dawn
- ¼ cup of white vinegar
- Cleaning gloves
- Soft bristle brush
- Damp cloth
Remember, baking soda and white vinegar will bubble a little when you mix them together. It's completely normal. With that disclaimer out of the way, it's time to get started.
To use:
- Mix all the ingredients together to create a nice thick paste. Feel free to add more baking soda for a thicker consistency.
- Apply the mixture with a gloved hand all over your oven.
- Allow it to sit overnight.
- Scrub with a soft bristle brush.
- Wipe out your oven with a damp cloth.
Homemade Oven Cleaner With Baking Soda and Cleaning Vinegar
Baking soda works great to clean your oven, but if you don't have time to wait overnight for it to work, you can give it a little extra stain-fighting power by adding a bit of cleaning vinegar to the mix. Cleaning vinegar is like white vinegar but stronger, so it packs more of a punch.
You will need:
- 1-2 cups of baking soda
- ½ cup of water
- Scrubby sponge
- 1 cup of cleaning vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Scrub brush
- Damp cloth
To use:
This is a two-part system for cleaning your oven that packs a wallop.
- Create a paste by mixing the baking soda and water.
- Use a scrubby sponge to apply the paste in circular motions.
- Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
- Add the cleaning vinegar to a spray bottle.
- Spray down the baking soda with the cleaning vinegar.
- Close the oven and allow it to sit for 15-30 minutes.
- Use a scrub brush and cloth to scrub and wipe out the oven.
Simple Handmade Oven Cleaner With Rubbing Alcohol
If you aren't a big fan of white or cleaning vinegar, you can try rubbing alcohol. It doesn't have nearly the pungent smell.
You will need:
- Spray bottle
- ¼ cup of isopropyl alcohol
- ¼ cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of dish soap (Dawn recommended)
- Damp cloth
To use:
- Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle.
- Agitate to mix.
- Spray down the entire oven.
- Let it sit for 30 or so minutes.
- Wipe it down with a damp cloth.
- Repeat as necessary.
Easy Oven Cleaner With Hydrogen Peroxide
Another good all-purpose cleaner for your oven without the harsh white vinegar smell uses hydrogen peroxide. The peroxide works to kill bacteria, while the baking soda is a gentle scrubbing agent.
You will need:
- ¼ cup of baking soda
- 1-2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tablespoon of dish soap (Dawn recommended)
- Cleaning gloves
- Sponge
- Scrub brush
- Damp cloth
When measuring out your ingredients, you don't need to be perfect. You can add more or less peroxide and soap until you get a nice thick consistency to your cleaner.
To use:
- Stir everything together to create a paste.
- Apply it all over the oven using a sponge or gloved hand.
- Close the door and let it sit for 30-60 minutes.
- Wipe it out with a damp cloth.
- Use a scrub brush and cleaner for any stubborn grime.
Salt Cleaner for Tough Oven Stains
Sometimes baking soda isn't tough enough on its own to get out that stuck on grime. In this case, you can add a bit of salt to the mix for more scrubbing power.
You will need:
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- 2 tablespoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon of Dawn
- Scrub brush
- Damp cloth
If you are looking to clean a large area of grime in your oven, you can double this recipe to get more cleaning power. Now it's time to clean!
To use:
- Mix everything together to create a nice paste.
- Apply the paste to the bottom of your oven and grimy areas.
- Allow it to sit for 20 minutes.
- Use a scrub brush to attack baked-on grease.
- Wipe out with a damp cloth.
Oven Cleaner Degreaser With Dawn
Sometimes all you need is a little bit of Dawn to get your oven clean. Dawn is a powerful degreaser, and when combined with the cleaning power of white vinegar, it's not something you want to mess with. Stop gunk in its tracks with this recipe.
You will need:
- 1 cup of Dawn
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Damp cloth
To use:
- Spray down the entire inside of the oven.
- Allow it to sit for several hours.
- Wipe it down with a damp cloth.
How Often to Clean Oven
You should wipe your oven out regularly, like once a week, and clean up any spills when they cool. It's also important to give your oven a deep clean about every 3 months. This helps to keep grime from building up. If you have a self-cleaning oven, you might try to remove a bit of the grime before using the cleaning mode to avoid smoke or a fire.
Using DIY Oven Cleaners to Get a Shine
When it comes time to clean your oven, you don't have to choke yourself out with toxic chemicals. Instead, you can use a few common cleaners you already have in your pantry. And now that you're in kitchen cleaning mode, get some tips on how to clean a toaster and make it sparkle.
