Short answer
Make sure the oven is switched off and completely cool, check the manual for any self-cleaning or catalytic surfaces, and take out the racks and trays to soak in hot soapy water. Coat the enamel inside with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, leave it to soften the grease, then wipe and scrape it away with a plastic scraper and a damp cloth. Finish with the door glass and rinse everything well. Wear gloves, ventilate the kitchen and never mix cleaning products.
Safety first
Switch the oven off at the controls, and at the wall if it has a plug or isolator switch, and let it cool completely. Open a window or run the extractor. Wear rubber gloves, and eye protection if you are using a shop-bought oven cleaner. Keep children and pets out of the kitchen while you work.
Never mix cleaning products. Some combinations give off harmful fumes, and residue from one product can react with the next. If you use a commercial oven cleaner, follow its label exactly, rinse it off completely and do not use it on surfaces the label excludes.
Check what type of oven you have
Look in the oven manual, or look up the model online, before you start. Many ovens have special surfaces that must not be cleaned in the usual way.
Pyrolytic ovens have a self-clean cycle that heats the cavity to a very high temperature and turns grease to ash, which you wipe out afterwards. Use the cycle exactly as the manual describes: remove racks and anything else it tells you to, ventilate the room, and do not use oven cleaners or abrasive products inside.
Catalytic liners are rough, porous panels, usually on the sides, back or roof, designed to absorb grease and break it down at high cooking temperatures. They should not be scrubbed or treated with oven cleaner, which ruins the coating. Clean around them, and follow the manual's advice, which often involves running the oven empty at high temperature. Some liners can be removed or replaced.
Ordinary enamel cavities, which feel smooth and glossy, can be cleaned using the method below.
Step by step for an enamel oven
- Remove the racks, shelf runners if they unclip, trays and grill pan. Brush loose crumbs out of the oven.
- Put the racks and trays in a sink or large washing-up bowl of hot water with washing-up liquid and leave them to soak.
- Mix bicarbonate of soda with a little water to make a spreadable paste.
- Spread the paste over the enamel walls, base and door inside, avoiding the heating elements, the fan, the door seal and any catalytic liners.
- Close the door and leave the paste to work. The longer it sits, the more it softens baked-on grease.
- Wipe the paste away with a damp cloth, using a plastic scraper for stubborn spots. Avoid metal scrapers and harsh scourers, which scratch enamel.
- Spray any remaining residue lightly with a white vinegar and water solution; it will fizz where bicarbonate remains. Wipe clean. Use vinegar only after the bicarbonate stage, never mixed with other products.
- Scrub the soaked racks and trays with a non-scratch pad, rinse and dry them.
- Rinse the inside of the oven with a clean damp cloth until no residue remains, dry it, and refit the runners, racks and trays.
The door glass
Clean the inside of the door glass with bicarbonate paste and a damp cloth, using a plastic scraper held flat for stuck-on marks. Do not use metal scrapers or abrasive pads, which can scratch the glass.
Brown streaks between the panes are grease that has got inside the door. Many oven doors allow the inner panes to be removed for cleaning, but not all do, and reassembling them incorrectly can be unsafe. Only take the door apart if your manual explains how. If it does not, leave the inner panes alone.
Hobs, grills and extractor filters
Gas burner caps and pan supports can usually be soaked and washed like oven racks, as long as they are completely dry before refitting. Ceramic and induction glass hobs need a cleaner and scraper meant for glass hobs. Metal extractor grease filters can often be washed in hot soapy water; check the manual. Charcoal filters on recirculating hoods are replaced rather than cleaned.
Keeping it clean
Wipe up spills once the oven has cooled, before they are baked on again next time. A tray on the shelf below a dish that might bubble over saves a lot of scrubbing, but check the manual before putting liners or foil on the oven floor, as some ovens should not have the base covered.
When to call a professional
A professional oven clean is worth it if grease is heavily carbonised, if the door glass is brown between the panes, if you have a range cooker with several cavities, or if you are getting ready for a tenancy check-out and want the oven to pass inspection.
We clean ovens, hobs, grills and extractor hoods in homes across Essex. Racks and trays are removed and cleaned separately, door glass is cleaned on both sides and between panes where the design allows, and we check what type of oven you have before starting so each surface is treated correctly. It helps to tell us the make and model, or send a photo, when you ask for a quote.
Rather have it done for you?
Ovens, hobs, grills and extractor hoods cleaned at home, with racks and trays cleaned separately. Family-run by Jason and Lucas Prior, covering south Essex.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to clean an oven?
For an enamel oven, a bicarbonate of soda paste left to soften the grease, then wiped off with a damp cloth and plastic scraper, with racks soaked separately in hot soapy water. Check the manual first.
Can I use oven cleaner on catalytic liners?
No. Catalytic liners should not be scrubbed or treated with oven cleaner, as it damages the coating. Follow your oven manual's advice for them.
How do I clean between the glass on my oven door?
Only if your manual explains how to remove the inner panes. Not every door is designed to come apart, and incorrectly refitted glass can be unsafe.
Related guides
- House deep cleaning checklist: a room-by-room checklist for deep cleaning a house, which also works as a spring cleaning checklist.
- End of tenancy cleaning checklist: a room-by-room move-out cleaning checklist, what end of tenancy cleaning includes and what sets the standard at check-out.
- What affects the cost of oven cleaning: how the type of cooker, number of cavities, hob, grill, extractor and carbon build-up change an oven cleaning quote, and how to compare quotes.