The best way to clean an oven is also the cheapest. Switch it off, let it cool, put the racks in the laundry tub to soak, and spread a thick bicarb soda paste over the enamel walls and floor overnight. In the morning the baked-on grease wipes away with a damp cloth and a spray of white vinegar, the racks scrub clean with a stiff brush, and the door glass comes up with the same paste. Then do the bits people miss: the door seal, the fan cover, the hinges and the drip tray. Never scrub or spray the heating element, the fan or anything behind a panel, and if the oven is not heating evenly, sparks, trips the power or the element looks blistered, that is a job for a licensed technician rather than a cleaning problem.
A dirty oven smokes, taints food and hides what is happening behind the glass. Knowing how to clean an oven properly every few months keeps it cooking evenly and gives you a chance to spot small faults before they become a repair.
Before you start: switch off, cool down and take everything out
Turn the oven off at the wall power point or the isolating switch beside it. That is the first step in how to clean an oven safely. Many ovens are hard-wired, so if there is no switch, make sure every control is off and the oven is stone cold. Never work inside a warm oven or remove a cover to get at a switch.
Take out the racks, trays, grill pan and the side runners if they lift out without tools. Scrape loose crumbs off the floor with a plastic scraper and vacuum the rest. Put gloves on and open a window. If the oven has a pyrolytic self-cleaning programme, run that instead of the paste and wipe out the ash afterwards, and if it has catalytic liners (matte grey textured panels on the walls), leave those alone, because paste and cleaners clog them.
How to clean an oven with bicarb soda paste: the walls and floor
Mix about half a cup of bicarb soda with a few tablespoons of water into a paste thick enough to hold on a vertical wall. Spread it over the enamel walls, floor and roof with a sponge, working it into the brown patches, and keep it well away from the elements, the fan cover and the light cover. Leave it for at least eight hours, or overnight.
The next day, wipe the paste off with a damp cloth, rinsing it often. Spray white vinegar over any streaks that remain; it foams gently and dissolves the residue so it wipes clean. Stubborn carbon lifts with the plastic scraper held at a low angle. Do not use steel wool or a metal scourer on enamel, because scratches hold grease.
Commercial oven cleaners work on heavy build-up but need care. Most are caustic, and left on too long or sprayed onto the wrong surface they dull enamel, pit aluminium trim and perish the door seal. Follow the time on the label, never spray the element, fan, seal or light cover, and rinse the oven out thoroughly afterwards.
Oven door glass, inside and between the panes
The inner oven door glass takes the brunt of spitting fat and cleans up with the same bicarb paste. Open the door flat, spread the paste over the glass, leave it for half an hour and wipe it off. A plastic scraper shifts baked-on rings and a spray of vinegar takes off the streaks. Wipe the edges where the glass meets the frame, because grease gathers there.
If the glass looks hazy and cleaning the inside changes nothing, grease has run between the panes. On many ovens the inner pane slides out of clips at the top of the door; on others the whole door lifts off its hinges. Our guide to removing the oven door to clean the glass walks through it. Never force a clip, and if any pane is chipped or cracked, stop using the oven until it is replaced.
The bits people miss: seal, fan cover, hinges and drip tray
The door seal is the soft gasket around the oven opening, and it is the part most people never clean. Wipe it with warm soapy water on a soft cloth, working along the folds, then dry it. Do not scrub it and keep oven cleaner away from it. A seal that has hardened, split or pulled out of its clips lets heat escape, so the oven cooks unevenly and works harder to hold temperature.
Wipe the outside of the fan cover, but do not remove it or push cloths through the slots, because the fan blade and rear element sit right behind it. Clean the hinges and the frame around the opening with hot soapy water, as this is where fat collects and burns. Wash the control knobs if they pull off, check the drip tray under the grill, and wipe the light cover so you can see inside.
Finish the racks and put it all back together
The easiest way to clean oven racks is in the tub. Line the laundry tub or bath with an old towel, fill it with the hottest tap water you can and add a good squirt of dishwashing liquid or half a cup of laundry powder. Soak the racks overnight while the paste works on the walls, then scrub them with a stiff brush, sprinkle bicarb on any crusted rung and scrub again. Rinse and dry them fully, because damp racks rust.
Refit the runners, racks and trays. Run the empty oven at around 180°C for fifteen minutes with the window open to burn off any residue. A faint warm smell is normal; visible smoke or a sharp chemical smell means cleaner is still on a surface, so let it cool and wipe again. After that, wipe spills once the oven is cool and do a full oven cleaning every three months or so.
When oven cleaning turns up a fault that needs a technician
Working through how to clean an oven is also the best chance you get to look closely at it. An element with blisters, a burnt patch or a break in the coil is failing and should not be used. A fan that grinds, a door that will not close flush, a dead light, or an oven that takes far longer than it used to reach temperature all point to a part on its way out. Sparking, a burning smell or an oven that trips the safety switch means switch it off and leave it off. On a gas oven, any smell of gas is never a DIY matter.
Elements, fan motors, thermostats, door switches and control boards are electrical work for a licensed technician. If you would rather have the oven checked over, the element and fan cleaned safely and the temperature verified, our oven servicing covers that across the Perth metro.
That is where our team comes in. CAI Appliance Services repairs ovens across Perth, with fully qualified mobile technicians who come to you. We are an authorised service agent for Bosch and Electrolux, and we repair all major brands including LG, Samsung, Miele, Fisher and Paykel, Smeg and Whirlpool, so the work is done with the correct parts. Call CAI on 0415 343 413 to book a technician.
How to Clean an Oven Properly: the quick version
Save or print this checklist before you book.
Frequently asked questions
How to clean an oven without harsh chemicals?
Can I use oven cleaner on the heating element?
How do you clean oven racks that are really baked on?
How often should you clean an oven?
Keeping the rest of your kitchen running well? Read our guides on how to remove the oven door and clean the glass and what to check when an oven is not heating, or book a Perth technician with CAI.
