Indisputably, every homeowner has to make sure their oven is in good shape at all times. This way, they can boost their efficiency and longevity.
There are different types of ovens and the type of oven you have in your home may cause a slight variation in how you clean and maintain your oven.
Today, you can use a broad spectrum of cleaning and maintenance techniques to clean and maintain your oven. Let’s look at some of these techniques in this article.
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How do you clean your oven?
Daily oven cleaning
Suppose you use your oven daily, ensure to get rid of all food particles that may have fallen inside the oven. So, use a clean wet cloth to wipe off any spills or food particles after every use.
Make sure you do this when the oven is off. Also, don’t start wiping the oven immediately you switch it off. Allow it cool first. Otherwise, you can burn yourself.
Check for any signs of spills on the rack, doors, and corners of the oven. Note that spills in your oven can catch fire when left for a long time.
Also, food particles can lead to stains on your oven surfaces. So, always get rid of any spills after using your oven.
Deep cleaning your oven
Aside from the oven’s regular cleaning, it is advisable to conduct a deep cleaning oven procedure at least five times a year.
Needless to say, it depends on how frequently you use your oven. If you use your oven often, you might have to conduct more deep cleaning procedures annually.
When deep cleaning your oven, the first step would be to carefully pull out all the removable components in the oven except the knob.
Then, please place them in warm soapy water for about ten to fifteen minutes. Ensure that you gently clean the oven racks using a suitable kitchen brush. Get rid of any stuck food particles in the rack.
Once you finish cleaning the oven racks, use appropriate oven cleaning products to scrub the surfaces gently. Afterward, rinse the oven.
Ensure that you place the cleaning chemicals away from the burners. Some of them might be inflammable.
The best thing to do would be to check the guidelines for use indicated on the cleaning product.
What is the best way to maintain your oven?
Besides the every day cleaning and the occasional deep cleaning of your oven, there are various tested and tried maintenance tips for ovens that will ensure your oven serves you for many years thus giving you real value for money.
Avoid pulling out the knobs of the oven
Even though your oven knobs are removable, avoid removing it during cleaning procedures. Oven knobs are directly connected to the primary functioning system of the oven.
So, removing them would only interfere with the efficiency of the oven. Wipe them while they are still attached to the oven.
Electric experts report that removing oven knobs to clean them increases the risk of electrical shocks.
Replace your door gaskets from time to time
Have you ever taken the time to check the rubber lining on your oven doors? Gaskets are essential in making your food ready within the required time. This feature prevents heat from escaping the oven.
The gaskets are prone to wear and tear after some years of use. Thus, whenever you notice that your oven is taking more time to heat, check if there is any problem with your gaskets.
Once you notice any problem with the gasket, it might be time to replace it. Worn out gaskets interfere with the efficiency and durability of your oven.
Soak and clean your racks
One way to take care of your oven is soaking your racks in warm soapy water often. Racks are the ones that hold the food. Thus, they are more likely to get dirtier than any other part of the oven.
As a result, they need intense cleaning. Taking good care of your oven racks helps your oven function more efficiently.
Ensure the oven receives proper airflow
Ensure there is proper ventilation in your oven. Most ovens aeration systems tend to change with time.
One of the simplest ways to allow airflow is to leave your oven door open for some minutes after cleanup to ensure proper drying.
Food particles and spills could interfere with adequate aeration in the oven. And when your oven does not receive proper airflow, it could get damaged.
Additionally, it could increase the risk of a home fire. One way to boost adequate ventilation in your oven would be to leave the oven doors open for some time, especially when cleaning.
Use baking sheets when baking
When you are using your oven for cooking or baking, protect the oven surfaces. You can do this by placing an extensive baking sheet beneath the food.
The baking sheet will, in turn, hold any spills and food particles likely to fall on the oven surface. Spills can cause home fires when not wiped off completely from the oven.
So, always take the time to wipe the oven surfaces once you finish using the oven. This prevents staining on the oven doors and racks.
Salting a grease spill
It often gets annoying when it comes to spillovers, particularly if you are doing your best to keep grease off the cooking dish or tray.
Before you use the oven, just take table salt and sprinkle it over a spill to make things easier. After that, close the door and continue cooking the food.
When you are done, you might be astonished to see a tricky spill of grease has turned into an easy-to-clean pile of ash that you can swipe easily.
Cleaning the broiler pan
It is not easy to clean an oven’s broiler pan. Nobody wants to scrub off burned old meals. A simple solution for cleaning up the broiler pan is heating the pan up.
After that, you locate the affected sections and sprinkle some detergent. Use wet paper towels to cover the laundry detergent, and after about 15 minutes, take out the towels and scrub the food off with ease.
Ensure the gas line is in good condition
Keep checking your gas line from time to time. After some time, gas lines tend to wear out, and this can be dangerous.
A worn-out gas line is a potential cause of gas leaks and home fires. New gas lines function effectively and boost safety for everyone in the home.
Oiling the oven rack
If you would like the oven racks to move smoothly when removing them and placing them back into the oven, then it is essential that you don’t overlook them.
Begin by using soap-filled steel wool pads to clean up the wall ridges in the oven, which the racks glide in and out on.
Once the oven wall ridges are dry, use some vegetable oil to wipe them. The racks should now slide on the ridges with ease.
Unplug the oven during cleaning procedures
When cleaning your oven surfaces, always remove the racks. Leaving the racks in the oven could reduce their effectiveness. Remember, an oven is an electrical appliance.
Thus, it would be best if it does not get in contact with water frequently. Moreover, when cleaning the oven, consider unplugging it.
Unplugging your oven when cleaning is much safer and reduces the risk of electric shocks and home fires thus avoiding kitchen hazards.
Additionally, never forget to turn off your oven before you begin any cleaning procedure.
Regularly use the oven’s self-cleaning feature
In this present age and time, the majority of ovens have a self-cleaning feature. Homeowners should make good use of this feature. But ensure you know how to operate it.
Always ask your manufacturer the best way to handle this feature. Alternatively, you can check the instructions indicated in your manual.
When using this feature, keep monitoring the oven. The worst thing you can do is leaving the oven unattended for hours when the self-cleaning feature is on.
Useful cleanup tips for all oven types
- For exteriors made of stainless steel, you can prevent streaking by cleaning up small areas at a time. There are some ways of cleaning up stainless steel; a microfiber cloth, a paper towel, and methylated spirit; a microfiber cloth and hot water; a citrus-based, multipurpose cleaner; and a paper towel and vinegar.
- If you are using an oven cleaner, leave the roof till last after you’ve sprayed all the surfaces. If you happen to spray the roof first, it will probably drip onto your arms.
- After a pyrolytic clean, you can use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of the ash. After that, use warm, soapy water to wipe the oven walls.
- A free from chemical alternative to oven cleaner is vinegar and baking soda. The vinegar cuts through grease while the baking soda gets rid of stains.
- It’s important to use warm water with either washing powder or dishwasher detergent to soak metal shelves and runners.
Conclusion
Currently, there are so many techniques that can help you clean and maintain your oven. Never forget that you spent a lot buying your oven. So, it would help if you took care of it appropriately to avoid replacing it within a short period.
Make sure you wipe your oven after use and conduct a deep cleaning procedure at least four times a year. Constantly check the condition of your oven to ensure everything is in good shape.
