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How clean is your oven? Help!

(115 Posts)
gmelon Tue 02-Oct-18 13:31:23

How clean is your oven? grin
Time to confess ladies!

Seriously though have you an efficient way of tackling a dirty oven?

My son has moved into a lovely home but although the kitchen is fully fitted and is quite clean the oven is a horrid sticky smelly mess. Real hard film of grime on it as well as the burnt on stuff.

It smells bitter. I've not faced such a dirty one before. My son is doing the cleaning by the way.

Other than getting a professional service in I'm hoping for tips.

Witzend Tue 02-Oct-18 14:56:27

I once had a pro in - best 40 odd quid I ever spent! They used Astonish - and I assume a lot of elbow grease - more than I was prepared to use, anyway.

More recently I bought one of those kits where you put the oven trays in a bag with the cleaning fluid, and spread another lot over the inside. Forget the name. Worked reasonably well.

kittylester Tue 02-Oct-18 15:01:01

I'd get the professionals in too.

Jalima1108 Tue 02-Oct-18 15:03:25

I cleaned ours recently [smug] having put off doing it for ages.

However, it's not as perfect as I would like (can't get to the roof very well), but it's £60+ round here to have it professionally cleaned so I'd rather put that towards buying a new oven at some future date.

I think you mean Ovenpride Witzend - I used that and the racks came out perfectly clean and sparkling.
Hope that's not advertising

Could he afford a new one gmelon - your own grease etc is one thing, but someone's else's is, well, yuk!

Jalima1108 Tue 02-Oct-18 15:04:22

Otherwise, I would get the professionals in.

Menopaws Tue 02-Oct-18 15:05:56

Professional company at this stage then he can keep on top of it

GrannyGravy13 Tue 02-Oct-18 15:06:42

Witzend I'm with you, get someone in. Fortunately I am allergic to lots of strong cleaning products (asthma, Hayfever and skin allergies) so I have an excuse

kittylester Tue 02-Oct-18 15:10:56

I'm just lazy!

mcem Tue 02-Oct-18 15:27:27

Since acquiring a halogen oven my main one never gets too bad (I find reasons to avoid using it!) A couple of times a year Oven Pride does a good job but in this situation I 'd call in the professionals!

MissAdventure Tue 02-Oct-18 15:38:49

Mine hasn't been cleaned for years, apart from the bit that shows. (Slattern that I am!)
I keep telling myself that i'll get a company in to clean it..

FlexibleFriend Tue 02-Oct-18 15:39:04

I cleaned the oven in the flat my son lets out after his last tenants left and it was seriously minging. I used oven pride the one you put in a bag and leave to soak. Well due to how filthy it was I left it soaking for a week, which it clearly needed as not everything came off. I then put it through the dishwasher and it still wasn't clean, so bought a second oven pride and put it in soak again for about 3 days and it was then sparkling. I must admit I wasn't best pleased with the tenant as the oven was only a year old and looked nearer 30 years old but Oven pride worked it's magic eventually and with very little elbow grease tbf.

Jane10 Tue 02-Oct-18 16:20:50

Oh. Can you clean ovens? blush

Eilyann70 Tue 02-Oct-18 16:24:52

It's the job I hate most in the world so when we moved here last year and installed a new kitchen I got a self cleaning one. Bliss!

gmelon Tue 02-Oct-18 16:33:17

Jalima1108 You have echoed my first thoughts-buy a new one. This is the plan very soon.
I've heard of those oven cleaners where you put the trays in a bag. From the comments they seem quite successful.

gmelon Tue 02-Oct-18 16:40:36

He's currently buying a replacement integral dishwasher and having it fitted.
He hates washing up!

farview Tue 02-Oct-18 16:41:18

Oh am with Eilyann70 I absolutely loathe cleaning the oven!!! It's a horrid task...

NonnaW Tue 02-Oct-18 17:32:46

Ours is very clean atm, no thanks to me. My lovely husband cleaned it this weekend (using oven clean). Now we just have to make sure it stays that way till we move.

PamelaJ1 Tue 02-Oct-18 17:40:42

I do mine quite frequently. Is there a Smug emoji??
I use a bit of oven cleaner round the edges next to the bits that you aren’t supposed to clean and the bottom. Always take the doors off,
my oven seems to be easy.
I just soak the shelves in washing powder then use a scourer.
If it was someone else’s manky oven I too would be tempted by a professional.

Patsy70 Tue 02-Oct-18 17:57:16

Definitely get the professionals in. The finished results is as new. Personally, I have much better things to do with my time than clean an oven that doesn't look sparkling after a lot of hard toil!

Jalima1108 Tue 02-Oct-18 20:14:30

Jane10 grin
Yes, it can be done (but rarely)

Jalima1108 Tue 02-Oct-18 20:16:28

I've heard of those oven cleaners where you put the trays in a bag. From the comments they seem quite successful.
gmelon but tell him to be careful not to get any on his skin - it burns!
I bought some rubber gloves with extra length sleeves

DoraMarr Tue 02-Oct-18 20:47:21

When I moved in to my apartment the oven, hob and cooker hood were so caked with burnt- on grease I priced up new replacements. I tried cleaning them myself, but no amount of chemicals, wire wool or elbow grease could clean them. However, I had a professional oven cleaner in, and she brought them up to look like new! So, yes, definitely get someone in, and then he can keep on top of it himself.

Witzend Tue 02-Oct-18 21:17:17

A colleague's sister just went and bought a new oven when her old one got so filthy, even she couldn't stand it any more.
I had to admire her style! grin

Must admit that mine is always pretty disgusting by the time I get around to it (once in a blue moon) but then I do quite a lot of hot temp roasts so it must at least be germ-free filth, Nobody's ever died of my oven-filth, anyway.

SpringyChicken Tue 02-Oct-18 22:06:58

I must be odd. I keep my oven clean all the time.

I use Astonish Oven and Cookware Cleaner (recommended by Good Housekeeping). It's good for the glass door and enamel, (and the hob), it's a paste in a tub, £1 from places like Poundland and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals. I use it after messy cooking like roasting when the oven is still warm - even if there are no obvious splashes. The racks and glass covers for the oven lights go in the dishwasher every week. I spend far less time cleaning the oven now than I used to when I allowed it to get really dirty and then had to have a blitz. I like being able to see through the door, hate seeing the burnt on muck.

gmelon Tue 02-Oct-18 22:21:51

jalima1108
I'll tell him about wearing gloves. He probably would have tried without!
Although I have a feeling we may be getting the professionals in.
Lots of useful comments. Thank you.