How to clean an oven: The top secret technique used by professionals - dirtbusters.co.uk

Cleaning an oven seems like a daunting task. The inside of the oven can be hard to get to, and burnt on carbon is very stubborn, making the whole process of cleaning quite stressful if you’re not using the right cleaning method and products.

This article will guide you through our professional cleaning method suitable for non-professionals. We reveal our top-secret tip to cleaning any oven, which is a trick missed by many that makes oven cleaning safer, quicker and easier.

With this article as a guide and using our Oven Cleaning Kit 2, you will have the oven sparkling clean and free of grease, carbon and oil in no time.

We created non-caustic oven cleaning products suitable for use in the home that make cleaning any oven easy and fuss-free. These products allow you to achieve professional results with safer solutions. Dirtbusters evolved from cleaning ovens in our local area, to creating non-caustic safe products for professionals that do not burn hands or emit fumes into homes. We train professional oven cleaners how to clean any oven professionally and safely using our oven cleaning tanks and professional chemicals.

We developed a range of oven cleaning products to be used at home for domestic cleaning so that you can clean your own oven safely and professionally as regularly as you need to. 

If you’re short for time and can’t read this whole article, here’s our Quick Tips summary to guide you through:

  1. Take out the oven racks
  2. Top secret technique (find out more in section ‘prepare the oven’)
  3. Spray Bio Oven Cleaner (ready to use 750ml) over the whole of the inside of the oven.
  4. Use the professional Blade & Scraper method to remove burnt on carbon (we recommend reading our detailed description below on how to use this professional method, if you have never used it before).
  5. Remove any excess carbon and dirt using Oven Cleaning Paste and a Stainless Steel Scourer.
  6. Wipe the inside of the oven with a cloth and clean water. Dry with a dry cloth.
  7. Clean the oven racks using Oven Cleaning Paste and a Stainless Steel Scourer. Rinse with clean water and a cloth. Dry with a dry cloth.
  8. Wipe the outside of the oven with Bio Oven Cleaner (avoiding the control panel). Polish with Stainless Steel Oil if the oven is Stainless Steel.

Note: if your oven is only slightly dirty and does not have too much burnt on carbon, you can skip the professional blade and scraper method and head straight to the Oven Cleaning Paste step as detailed below.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO CLEAN AN OVEN LIKE A PRO

  • Oven Cleaning Kit 2 – This kit contains Bio Oven Cleaner, Oven Cleaning Paste, a Scraper and Blades, and a Stainless Steel Scourer.
  • Roughly 5 cloths (preferably microfibre).
  • A bucket or sink filled with hot water.

PREPARE THE OVEN

The first step of giving an oven a full, professional clean, is to take the oven racks and trays out of the oven.

If the oven racks are relatively dirty, we recommend placing them into a bucket or sink of hot water with a capful of Bio Oven Cleaner.

TOP SECRET TECHNIQUE: most people, and even some professional oven cleaners who have not been taught the Dirtbusters method, we frequently find, do not heat the oven up before cleaning. Every oven should be heated before cleaning, especially when using non-caustic products. Cleaning the oven without heating it beforehand is doable but will require a lot more effort and time, or dreaded caustic chemicals! Our ultimate top tip for cleaning an oven is to heat it up to 80degrees for domestic home cleaning.

Heating the oven up before cleaning allows any burnt-on carbon to heat up and soften, making it a lot easier to remove.

After removing the racks from the oven, turn it on to 80degrees. When the oven has reached 80degrees, it is time to turn the temperature off. Do not forget to turn the oven off before going inside!

THE PROFESSIONAL BLADE AND SCRAPER METHOD

Spray Bio Oven Cleaner onto the inside of the oven. Leave it to work for 1-2 minutes whilst you prepare the blade and scraper.

The Blade and Scraper Method is a professional cleaning trick used by oven cleaners. Using this method with our Bio Oven Cleaner solution helps to remove even the toughest burnt on carbon. We teach our oven cleaning trainees this method, it is the best and most effective way to achieve a professional clean.

The first thing to do is put the blade inside the scraper. Carefully insert the blade into the top of the scraper and then place the side of the blade on a hard object to push the blade in, making sure it is secure.

Once the blade and scraper are safely together, you can move on to scraping the carbon off the inside of the oven.

Place the blade flat onto the surface of the oven and move it back and forth without lifting it from the surface. This will enable safe cleaning without scratches.

Once you have finished this section, carefully lift the blade and apply it to another section of burnt on carbon, repeating the process.

OVEN CLEANING PASTE

The next step is to remove any excess carbon from the inside of the oven with our Oven Cleaning Paste and Stainless Steel Scourer.

This could be your first step in the cleaning process if your oven only has a light amount of dirt and therefore does not require the Blade & Scraper method.

Apply the Oven Cleaning Paste using the Stainless Steel Scourer onto the inside of the oven, working it in with circular motions. This will remove any excess carbon after the blade and scraper method, or any light carbon if you have skipped the blade and scraper method.

Once you have worked your way around the inside of the oven with the Oven Cleaning Paste, you will need to remove any excess product and dirt. To do this, soak a cloth (preferably microfibre) in clean water and wipe the inside of the oven. Afterwards, dry the oven with a clean dry cloth.

CLEANING OVEN RACKS

To clean the oven racks, take them out of the sink or bucket of water if they have been soaking. We then recommend using Oven Cleaning Paste for heavily dirty racks and Bio Oven Cleaner for light dirt.

Over a sink or bucket of water, apply either Oven Cleaning Paste or Bio Oven Cleaner to the racks and scrub using the Stainless Steel Scourer. Don’t forget to turn the racks over to clean either side.  

Rinse clean with a damp cloth and dry with a clean, dry cloth. Insert the racks back into the oven.

To clean the oven trays, spray Bio Oven Cleaner into the tray adding a drop or two of water to spread the solution around the tray. Leave to work for a few minutes before scrubbing off with a Non-scratch Pad or Stainless Steel Scourer depending on the material of the tray.

Alternatively, clean the oven trays with Oven Cleaning Paste and a Stainless Steel Scourer or Non-Scratch pad depending on the material of the tray.

THE OUTSIDE OF THE OVEN

Bio Oven Cleaner is safe for use on the outside of the oven too, simply spray the solution onto the surface (avoiding the control panel) and wipe clean with a clean, dry cloth.

If the outside of the oven is stainless steel, use our Stainless Steel Oil for a sparkling shine and protection.

KEEPING OVENS CLEAN

To keep your oven clean, try and wipe it down in between uses to remove any fat, grease or carbon using Bio Oven Cleaner.

If you have a spare tray, keep the tray at the bottom of the oven to collect any spilled food. Clean the tray after cooking if any food has leaked onto it.

Clean your oven as often as needed using all steps in this Oven Cleaning guide or leaving out the Blade and Scraper method if the oven has only a light amount of dirt.

With Dirtbusters Oven Cleaning Kit 2 and our cleaning guide, you can clean any oven no matter how dirty.

If you’ve followed this guide and want to tell us about your impressive results, share your picture or video on Instagram tagging @dirtbustersuk or Facebook @dirtbusterseco. Or you can email us at info@dirtbusters.co.uk

 

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