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My mother, bless her heart, has always been an excellent homemaker and had all sorts of nifty little tricks. One of her sayings was always that you weren’t finished baking until you had cleaned up, and the dishes weren’t done until you had wiped down the counters and the stove.
My college roommates weren’t as lucky as I was to have grown up with such habits. They were second nature to me but foreign practices to the poor roommates. My husband-to-be benefited from listening to me complain about my roommates and the dirty kitchen, because he knew what to avoid doing so he didn’t push my buttons when we finally shared a kitchen! He’s always been a dear about wiping down the stovetop when he does the dishes, even though it does extend the time in the kitchen before evening leisure.
Keeping a Clean Stovetop
So many people have dried on, cooked on food and drippings under their burners, and it’s definitely one of those problems that snowballs as you allow it to go unaddressed. When we keep up on the simple habit of wiping everything down after each meal, our stovetop stays fairly (very?) clean. A friend visiting my mother, in fact, commented on how great her cooking surface looked. My mom told her that it’s not really that difficult. This is all you need to do:
- Wipe everything down with your washcloth and soapy water when you do the dishes.
- Take the burners apart and get under them (gas or electric!) whenever you drip or let a pot overflow (for me, usually that’s every meal!).
- When something is cooked on or stained, use baking soda as an abrasive. I keep some in an old Parmesan cheese shaker under the sink for easy access. Just shake on and scrub with the wet cloth. It might take a little elbow grease, but baking soda won’t scratch your surfaces or harm your family with icky chemicals. Plus, it’s super cheap.
- If you have removable burners or drip trays, don’t be afraid to soak them in your dishwater. Adding a little baking soda can help release tough, baked on food. Mine go right in the dishwasher when I need a few extra items to make a full load.
How to Clean an Oven without Toxicity
I’ve never used oven cleaner in my life. I’m a little afraid of it; it seems like it’s a pretty toxic substance. People who have self-cleaning ovens say it’s the greatest, and I guess that just uses high heat to knock out the gunk, but it still uses energy and isn’t something I would want to do regularly. Since we’re focusing on conserving energy in the kitchen this week, let’s explore an alternative that just takes a little human fuel instead of fossil fuel. (It’s worth a click over here to my natural, homemade kitchen cleaners, too.)
Here’s what I do when I have a spill in the oven:
- Immediately, while it’s still warm, and preferably before it’s baked on (as soon as you smell the problem, even if your food isn’t done yet), sprinkle a generous layer of salt on the oven floor. I keep plain old cheap salt around just for this, even though I don’t use it in cooking/baking anymore.
- If you can, before the oven cools down all the way, get the oven mitts on (or just be really careful!) and reach in with a rag and scrub as hard as you can. No, this isn’t very scientific or tricky, but it works to get the bulk of the gunk out.
- Later, when you can take the oven racks out and really get in there, use more salt, baking soda, maybe vinegar and water spray to scrub out the remainder. You might not get every last spot out, but I guarantee you won’t have a burning smell in your kitchen the next time you turn the oven on.
- As an added bonus, the last step can be a real marriage builder if you put on your “skinny jeans” and call your husband to the kitchen saying, “Dear, I made a real mess in the stove and I have something I think you need to see.” Then reach waaayyyy back in the oven and clean it well until he figures out what you mean!
- If you have serious baked-on nastiness, try making a paste of baking soda and water and spreading it on the problem areas. Wait at least 30 minutes before tackling with a plastic scraper, like the kind you’d use to wash a non-stick pan or baking stone. (I had help from Miss Thrifty for that tip.)
- Orange-based cleaners are also pretty helpful in getting stains off that baking soda and salt alone can’t handle.
Of course, the best way to keep a clean oven is to avoid spills in the first place, but when a baking potato without foil explodes (yes, this has really happened to me – twice!) you just have to deal with what you’re given!
To try to avoid the spills:
- Don’t cover the entire bottom of the oven with aluminum foil. It hinders the heat moving around the oven.
- Do put a cookie sheet on the shelf under or immediately under something (like a very-full pie) that you think might try to sabotage your beautiful oven by spilling over.
- Be wise about the size of casserole dishes you choose for juicy main dishes.
- Poke all your potatoes if you bake them without foil.
photo source
If you’re tempted to use a nasty, toxic oven cleaner, just remember – it will all bake off eventually, and it doesn’t hurt anything or even smell THAT bad to have something in the bottom of the oven.
What about you? What’s the worst thing that ever made a mess in your oven? Do you have other tips to get the gunk off?
Definitely check out the Natural Housecleaning Carnival at Passionate Homemaking!
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Natural Dishwasher Detergent Experiments
- Called to Be Good Stewards of the Earth
- Energy Use in the Kitchen
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If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
I’m pleased to participate in Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s Recipes and Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family and the Festival of Frugality.
Hungry for more? Related posts:
I dumped salt on a smoking overflow in the oven and it stopped the burning/smoking. I forgot about the salted mess before using the oven again and by the time I checked to make sure my oven was empty, I let it go with no problems. After repeated oven uses, the debris was still there, but flakier and ready to scoop up. The remaining stuff wiped up easily. Lazy worked for me! (I don’t store things in my oven and often don’t check if it’s empty before turning it on even though I know it’s a good practice. )
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Katie Reply:
August 25th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
I love when lazy works!
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Great post, I use baking soda and lemon juice. Works great, non-toxic and smells wonderful!
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Thanks for the tips! I, like you, don’t want to resort to oven cleaner – something that smells that badly cannot be good to breathe in.
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ROFLMBO!!
I’ll have to come back and read the rest of your post later. After reading the part about the skinny jeans, I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
So I guess I’ll need to consult my NFP chart to see when it’s ok to clean my oven!
Thanks Katie! I needed that, I’m gonna be laughing about that all day
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Katie Reply:
August 25th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Tee hee…I’m so glad somebody out there shares my sense of humor!
I didn’t know if talking about behinds in tight jeans would go over well, you know? Fabulous. Glad to make your day, my dear!
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Oh, my momma was the same way about the kitchen sink, counters and stove top. You weren’t finished with the dishes until all those things were done! It did pose a small problem for me at college. I think my roommates thought I was either a super neat freak or that they were total slobs. It was really neither. I was just the way I was raised to clean the kitchen!
Many blessings!!
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Natural Housecleaning Carnival – Passionate Homemaking // Sep 4, 2009 at 10:55 am
[...] Homemade “Clorox” Wipes (Emily) 2. Washing Windows (Amy) 3. How To Clean Your Stovetop & Oven the Simple, Safe & Frugal Way (Katie) 4. Elbow Grease: The Most Natural Cleaner of All (Meghan) 5. Frugal & Natural Laundry [...]
Just recently discovered you Katie & am enjoying reading through your posts.
Love the skinny jeans tip, this might make cleaning the oven much more enjoyable!
Have you any tips for the wire racks? Mine are very much in need of attention.
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Katie Reply:
September 6th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Stacey: First, I would try the same baking soda paste and wait/elbow grease that I’d use on the walls. Then, if that didn’t make enough impact, since the racks can come out, you could soak them in your bathtub with baking soda infused water. I’d probably use steel wool just like I would on a tough pot. I hope that helps! Let me know if you have success. Glad you found items of interest here at KS.
Katie
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Ooh, I wanted to post this article that includes a recommendation on using ammonia to clean the oven. Just let it sit!
NOW, I’m going to get the toddler up. :>)
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Katie Reply:
September 10th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Lenetta,
Yes, cheap and easy…but ammonia has some pretty noxious fumes. I wonder if that’s the active ingredient in oven cleaner anyway? Sorry to burst your bubble!
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Ellen Reply:
March 13th, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Thanks again, Katie…Just found you yesterday and have already found several useful tips. I started early yesterday morning cleaning our oven…fans going full blast,front door open,door to garage open…all due to the “fume free” oven cleaner!!….Now the only thing left is the door..which I’ll clean with baking soda,salt,and vinegar….AFTER I put the half used can of oven cleaner in the trash(actually a box we have for toxic chemical disposal).
God Bless
Ellen
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Thanks for the advice with cleaning the fresh spills but, what happens if you don’t know those tips at the time of the spill, allowed the oil spill to sink in when cooling and now, nothing seems to be cleaning or removing the oil stain??!!
Made yorkshire puddings which, I must have overfilled as oil spilled out on the bottom of the oven. Was smoked out so thankgoodness rest of dinner was ready so just dumped the yorkshires and ate (too much…..couldn’t handle cleaning oven after such a big meal).
Now though, the oil seems to have settled into the metal/material and, even though i’ve cleaned it to the point that no smudge is coming off when wiped, I’ve dismantled the oven etc, everytime oven is put on, it’s smoking within 5 minutes.
Please advice if you can as really don’t want to be telling my partner we need to buy a new oven!
Thank u
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Katie Reply:
November 4th, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Lucy,
This sounds like a toughie! I haven’t had experience with anything like this, but I would try the salt still, and maybe the self-cleaning oven thing (super high heat until the smoking is gone). Sometimes manual extraction works – with a plastic scraper tool. Hope something other than “new oven” works for you!
Katie
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What great tips! I came through Tip Junkie, and I just found the wonders of baking soda to clean my smooth top stove recently, but putting it in a shaker is a great idea.
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LOL………. LOVE the “Skinny Jeans” tip. So does the hubster. Thanks for the chuckle.
Oh and as for the “other” great tips, I too have a mom that believed in the power of baking soda, vinagar, and salt. They were a household staple then and to this day (thank goodness for moms).
Great post, thanks for shareing
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Hello! I found you through Tip Junkie. Great advice. My oven is filthy!
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A layer of baking soda on a wet sponge spread on the inside of your fireplaces glass doors works wonders as well. Just spread it on wait 10-20 minutes and wipe off. Of course you would do this when the glass is cold, not while fireplace is in use… Sit back, and enjoy.
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HOW do I clean behind the turners (I don’t know what you call
them — the things that adjust the flames on the stovetop) and behind
the oven door handles? I’ve tried a toothbrush, but there’s not enough
room to get it in there!! What fits in there — it’s like 1/4 of an
inch. How do I get to the grease behind them?
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Katie Reply:
January 6th, 2010 at 2:42 am
Hannah,
Katie
My turners come off, so that helps a lot! I use a wooden skewer (like for kebobs) to get into some tough spots doing dishes – maybe that would help. Good luck!
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Thanks Katie!! Great idea! Maybe I’ll wrap them in some cotton soaked with cleaner, too. Never thought of this.
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I have been realizing how badly my oven needs cleaning, so I linked to this on my weekly roundup hopefully as motivation. :>)
There was also an incident with a casserole in a foil-lined pan and the hook that acts as the lock for my self cleaning oven. You know how things go in slow motion sometimes? The hook grabbed the foil as I attempted to put the pan in the oven. It actually held the casserole vertically for a few seconds while I frantically tried to figure out what to do. It then fell onto my hot oven door – food side down, of course. Sigh…
Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Link Roundup – Will The Sun Ever Shine Again? Edition
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Katie Reply:
January 25th, 2010 at 1:34 am
Ohhhhhhhh, painful episode! Gaaaahhhhh!
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My kids always stick stuff in the cold oven, so I HAVE to check! Once I melted a plastic magnetic letter that my youngest had stuck in the very back.
Expat Mom´s last blog ..Excuse Me While I Freak Out a Little
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The only time our oven gets bad is when bacon fats manages to escape the foil.
Our stovetop, on the other hand, gets bad because I only started learning to cook a few years ago and still do some very stupid things. Two examples that come to mind… the time that I turned on the wrong burner and melted the bottoms of a couple of plastic appliances onto our glass stovetop. I learned from that to store nothing on the stove, even if I’m not using the entire stove. =P
The other is one we are still struggling with. I was making marshmallows the other day, wasn’t paying attention, and added my bloom to my base while it was still on the heat. It exploded in foam, bubbles and smoke. The marshmallows ended up fine, but we still haven’t managed to get that layer of burnt gunk off of that burner. We’ve used vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, olive oil, a razor blade, and a spoon. If I could find the stovetop cleaner I’d try that, but until then we will just keep working on it. For now cover it with a baking soda paste, let sit, and scrape it with a spoon to keep from scratching the surface. Awful.
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If you have stainless steel appliances, cooking oil is a great ‘cleaner’ for the exterior. I actually clean the appliance first with a soapy dish cloth, then after it’s dry (or I dry it with a towel), just put some oil on a lint-free cloth (or, okay, so most the time I use a paper towel – not very green, I confess…) and rub it in well. It may take an application or two, but it’s an easy way to make your appliances shine with something already in your kitchen. I typically use olive oil, but now I have a pretty decent size bottle of canola oil that I need to use since finding out how bad it is for us, and have been using that
. If you have an excess of coconut oil, I’m sure that works great too.
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If you miss the window when your oven is still warm, you can put a cut lemon into a baking dish and bake it for a while… the lemon oil will get into the air and help make it easier to clean.
Rebecca´s last blog ..Tuesday Twister – Week of 2/23/09 – Beets, Beans, and Arugula Pesto
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