Everything You Need To Clean An Oven Door Is In Your Pantry

If you haven't cleaned your oven in a while — and let's face it, most of us haven't — chances are it's looking at least a little dingy, thanks to spills and splatters. While there are plenty of oven-cleaning hacks you can use to make your oven door sparkle like new, we wanted to know whether any household staples could make the process easier. To find the answer, we reached out to Jill Koch, the owner of Jill Comes Clean and an expert on cleaning and organization. Not only does Koch have tons of great kitchen cleaning tips on her YouTube channel, but she also shared with us the secret ingredient for cleaning dirty oven doors: baking soda.

According to Koch, baking soda is exceptional for removing built-up grime on oven doors. "You can start with baking soda and water or use baking soda and dish soap," she said, adding, "You can follow with vinegar to help remove any remaining residue." However, Koch warns against mixing baking soda and vinegar together when cleaning as these two kitchen staples actually cancel each other out.

Baking soda is so good at cleaning grimy oven doors because it can dissolve grease and other compounds while also acting as a mild abrasive that can scrub away stuck-on gunk without scratching surfaces. That said, Koch advises that baking soda might not be enough for particularly dirty doors that have years of baked-on sludge. Instead, a steamer and a more heavy-duty store-bought oven cleaner might be needed to help loosen the grime.

While store-bought oven cleaners might be warranted in some severe cases, if you get in the habit of cleaning your oven door regularly, baking soda should be all you need. Thankfully, cleaning your oven with baking soda is much easier than using heavy-duty cleaning chemicals, many of which can cause skin, eye, and lung irritation.

When cleaning with baking soda, all you need is to combine about a half cup of baking soda and a couple of tablespoons of water. The goal is to create a thick paste that you can spread over the gunk on your door. Once the paste is applied, let it sit for about 20 to 30 minutes so the alkaline baking soda has time to cut through the acidic grease. You can also use your baking soda paste on other areas, like the oven spots most people overlook. After the paste has sat long enough, wipe it away with a damp cloth.

If any gunk remains, you can use a plastic scraper to help lift it off and apply more paste if needed. You might need a few applications and a bit more elbow grease for tougher baked-on messes, but the work is well worth it for a sparkling clean oven!