How to Professionally Clean an Oven

Hands up if you’ve been putting off cleaning your oven? You’re not the only one. We imagine there’s quite a few of you reading this and wondering how to professionally clean an oven with ease. Luckily for you, we’ve got a simple step-by-step guide for you to follow, along with a cost-effective alternative, if you really can’t face doing it yourself!

Why is it important to clean your oven?

Before we show you how to professionally clean an oven, we’ll quickly tell you why it’s important. Cleaning your oven brings several benefits including:

• Reduced risk of contamination when cooking
• Savings on energy bills as the appliance can heat up more efficiently
• Better tasting food as the oven can apply heat more evenly
• No horrible smell of burnt on food or smoke in your home
• Increased longevity of appliance (so you really get your money’s worth!)
• Prevention of oven fires caused by burnt on food and debris

How to Professional Clean an Oven: What you'll need

To clean your oven to a professional standard you'll need the following items:

• Oven cleaner
• Vacuum / dustpan and brush
• Scouring pad
• Sponges / Cloths
• Rubber gloves
• Old toothbrush

With hundreds of different oven cleaning products available to buy from the supermarket and online, it can be difficult knowing which is best. You also need to be mindful of the chemicals in some oven cleaners, which can do more harm than good, stripping the natural coating on your appliance.

If you’re going for a store-bought oven cleaner, our advice is to choose a caustic-free product. These are great for shifting stubborn stains and burnt on food but won’t permanently damage your appliance. Make sure you follow the instructions on the product label. Remember, cleaning chemicals can be harmful if you breathe them in, so keep your home well-ventilated.

Step by step guide on how to professionally clean an oven

1. Change into old clothes and put on rubber gloves - it’s likely to get messy. Make sure your oven is off and cold before you start cleaning it. Take care to avoid any electrics.
2. Remove the oven shelves and soak them in a bowl of hot soapy water to loosen any burnt on food. The longer you leave them to soak, the better. Vacuum or brush out any loose debris from inside your oven. Spray inside the oven with the cleaner so it can begin to work its magic.
3. Grab a scouring pad and scrub the oven racks clean. Make sure you tackle both sides. Once clean, rinse with warm water and leave out to air-dry.
4. After the oven cleaner has loosened the dirt and debris inside your oven, use a damp sponge to wipe it out, using circular and sweeping motions. Old toothbrushes are great for getting into the corners. If the food is really stuck on, you may need to try another method of oven cleaning, such as bicarbonate of soda (see the section below.)
5. To clean the glass, remove it (if possible) from the oven door. Place it on a clean towel on the floor. Use a mixture of hot water and oven cleaner to loosen the dirt and grime. Take care if you are using a scouring pad not to scratch the glass. Once clean, buff the glass with a fresh (and dry) microfibre cloth, before placing it back inside the oven door.

Best Homemade Oven Cleaners

Not keen on using cleaning chemicals? No problem! Natural cleaners like bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, washing up liquid and rubbing alcohol can be used for cleaning ovens too.

Our top recommendation is a simple mixture of bicarbonate of soda and water. Not only will it remove dirt and debris stuck on your oven but it’ll also deodorise your appliance, getting rid of any nasty smells.

To clean your oven, follow the steps in the section above but instead of using oven cleaner, follow the steps below for using bicarbonate of soda and water.

• Combine the bicarbonate of soda and water to create a thick paste
• Spread the paste all over the oven, including the glass (just avoid the heating element)
• Leave the bicarbonate of soda oven cleaner to work for at least 30 minutes (though overnight is even better!)
• Wipe away the residue with a clean cloth
• Spray with white vinegar and buff with a clean microfibre cloth for added shine

How to keep your oven clean

Cleaning the oven to a professional standard is no easy feat, so you’ll want to keep it that way for as long as possible. Here are a few tips to help you keep your oven clean:

• Clean up spillages and food debris as soon as you can (when your oven is cool)
• Line the bottom of your oven to catch any fallen debris and prevent them getting burnt-on
• Wipe out your oven every week to avoid extensive deep-cleaning

Is it worth getting oven professionally cleaned?

Today there are plenty of oven cleaning products on the market, plus the option to use a natural oven cleaner, like bicarbonate of soda. Still, cleaning the oven to a professional standard is a mammoth task. It’ll take time, effort and a lot of elbow grease. Hence why so many people choose to hire professional oven cleaners instead.

The main benefit of hiring a professional oven cleaner is that you won’t have to do it yourself! Instead, you’ll be able to spend the time doing something far more pleasant. Sure, it’ll cost you more than cleaning it yourself but then again, when you consider the value of the time you save, maybe it won’t! Plus, you’ll benefit from having your oven cleaned to a professional standard. Even if you spend hours doing it yourself, you can’t guarantee the same level of professional results.

End of tenancy oven cleaning

Are you wondering how to professionally clean an oven for an upcoming end of tenancy inspection? Our best piece of advice is to hire professional cleaners to do it for you. Yes, you could do it yourself using our expert tips above but do you really have the time?

The oven is the first appliance the landlord or letting agent will inspect when you move out. Why? Because it’s the appliance tenants often forget to clean or don’t clean to an acceptable standard.

If the landlord or letting agent doesn’t think the oven has been cleaned properly, they’re likely to knock some money off your deposit to cover the cost of a professional clean.Therefore, it makes much more sense to hire a professional to clean your oven in the first place, and save yourself time and stress. What’s more, you’ll be able to handover a copy of the invoice or a receipt to your landlord or letting agent to prove you’ve had the oven professionally cleaned.

Moving house is stressful enough without the added inconvenience of deep cleaning. Visit our End of Tenancy service page to find out how NG1 City Cleaners can save you time and effort, while helping to get your deposit back from your landlord.