You just enjoyed a hearty meal with your family. That roasted chicken was definitely the best thing about the dinner. At least not until the kitchen oven welcomes you with a greasy smile. Sigh. The price we have to pay for delicious meals. In this article, we’ll learn how to maintain oven cleaning.
Well, you can choose to close the oven door and take it out of your mind for some time. But, you also have to be ready for the monstrous accumulation of grease and oil you’ll face once you open it again. Apart from the mess, why else should you keep your oven clean?
Why Is an Oven Cleaning Important?
There are many reasons why you should keep your oven in top-notch condition. But the most pertinent ones are described by S.A.F.E—Saves energy and money, Assures food quality, Fire safety, and Ensures longevity.
1. Saves energy and money
Ovens already have an average “off” standby wattage of 5.78W and an average capacity of 2-8 kW. These wattages increase when your oven is too dirty. Since a dirty oven is filled with residues, it works harder to reach the desired temperature. More power means higher electricity bills.
Electric ovens consume even more power. In fact, an hour of cooking time using a 600-mm built-in oven can cost over $2. How much more if it’s dirty?
2. Assures Food Quality
Some food and grease left in your oven might have already spoiled. This can potentially contaminate the food you are cooking now, which alters its flavours and reduces food quality.
3. Fire safety
Residual oil, grease, food, and dirt are flammable and can easily deteriorate the functionality of an oven. Hence, failure to remove these will likely start a fire.
4. Ensures longevity
Since an oven covered with dirt has to work harder to achieve and maintain certain cooking temperatures, it wears out faster than a regularly maintained oven.
How to Clean an Oven Efficiently?
Whether you just bought a new oven or using an old model, you’ll find these professional tips helpful in maintaining your kitchen oven efficiently.
1. Cool the oven down
Immediate cleaning is necessary, but it shouldn’t be done at the expense of your safety. Hence, always make sure to switch off and cool down the oven first before you start wiping and picking residual food and dirt from its surface.
2. Remove and cleaning the oven racks
Oven racks are usually cleaned using degreasers, caustic soda, or steam cleaners. But, in cases wherein these products or equipment aren’t available at home, you can also trust a dishwashing liquid and a sponge to do the job.
Specifically, soak the oven racks in a warm water-dishwashing liquid bath overnight. Then, use the sponge to absorb the remaining grease. If tough grease stains remain, you can also scrub it with a cleaning toothbrush.
3. Clean the oven interior
Without the racks, you can now freely pick up food residues and wipe the grease off your oven.
If you opt to use store-bought cleaners, simply spray the cleaner on the oven’s interior, let it sit for at least 30 minutes, and then wipe the lifted grime away.
Alternatively, you can use a baking soda solution. Let it stay overnight on the surface before you wipe down the interior. Afterwhich, spray it with vinegar and do a final wipe-down using a damp cloth.
4. Wipe the glass oven doors
Glass oven doors are more susceptible to scratching. Hence, we can’t use the same cleaning methods we used for the racks.
For this particular part, apply a baking soda and water paste on the glass surface. Let it stay for 20 minutes, then wipe it with a microfibre cloth, rinse with water, and subject to air-drying.
How often should an oven be cleaned?
Generally, ovens should be cleaned every three months. But, you also have to look out for the following aspects in deciding the frequency:
- Appearance: Are there visible grimes and grease?
- Odour: Does it smell?
- Smoke: Is it smouldering?
If you still find these tips overwhelming, you can also consult with or hire cleaners from Cleanrific. At Cleanrific, we make sure that your appliances receive the cleaning they deserve.
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