Cleaning Guides
How to Clean an Oven: Interior, Racks and Everything Between
A greasy oven doesn't just look bad — it takes longer to heat up and costs more to run. The good news is that a proper clean, done once and maintained after, keeps it from ever getting that bad again. Here's how to actually do it, walls and racks included.
Cleaning the interior walls
Start with a cool oven — never a warm or hot one — and remove the racks along with anything else inside. Lay towels or an old trash bag under the door to catch any drips as you work.
Mix a baking soda paste
Roughly half a cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water makes a thin, spreadable paste. Coat the top, sides, bottom and door of the interior with a brush or flexible spatula.
Let it sit
Anywhere from 20 minutes for light build-up to overnight for a genuinely neglected oven. The longer it sits, the more it loosens on its own before you have to scrub.
Wipe and rinse
A damp cloth removes the dried paste along with the grime it's lifted. For anything still clinging on, a spray of white vinegar reactivates the baking soda and helps finish the job — wipe again once the fizzing settles.
Cleaning the racks properly
Racks are easy to under-clean because they look fine at a glance while carrying baked-on grease underneath. A proper soak works far better than a quick scrub:
Lay them somewhere they can soak
A bathtub, a large plastic storage bin, or a heavy-duty bag set outside or somewhere well-ventilated all work.
Add hot water and dish soap
Enough hot water to fully submerge the racks, with a generous squeeze of grease-cutting dish soap dissolved in. A handful of dryer sheets added to the soak genuinely helps loosen baked-on residue too — an odd-sounding trick that works surprisingly well.
Soak for at least an hour, ideally overnight
The longer soak time is what does the real work here — it's a plan-ahead job, not a five-minute fix.
Wipe, scrub, and rinse
A sponge or the used dryer sheets themselves usually lift the loosened grime with minimal effort. For anything stubborn, a little coarse salt added to the sponge gives extra abrasion. Rinse thoroughly and dry before returning the racks to the oven.
For genuinely stubborn buildup
If baking soda and vinegar alone aren't cutting through carbonised, years-old residue, a commercial oven cleaner will get there faster — wear gloves, ensure good ventilation, and follow the manufacturer's timing exactly. A plastic scraper handles any remaining loosened debris without risking the interior coating; avoid steel wool or anything abrasive on painted or coated surfaces, since it can scratch permanently.
Self-cleaning mode: worth it?
If your oven has this feature, it's genuinely effective — high heat burns off residue throughout the interior, including most of what a manual clean would otherwise need to tackle. It does produce noticeable smell and some smoke, so ventilate the room, and clear any large food debris first. For the full method, including safety notes, see our guide to cleaning oven glass, which covers self-cleaning mode in more detail alongside the door specifically.
Keeping it from getting bad again
A deep clean every three months is a reasonable baseline for regular use, more often if you're cooking daily or frequently making greasy meals. The bigger lever is what happens between deep cleans: wiping up spills once the oven's cool, using oven-safe liners or covered dishes to catch drips before they bake on, and not letting one deep clean become the only clean for the next year.
Worth knowing: a genuinely dirty oven takes longer to heat up and holds heat less efficiently, which shows up as a real difference on your energy bill over time — not just an appearance issue.
Skip the scrubbing entirely
Our oven cleaning service covers the interior, racks, door and glass properly — no elbow grease required on your part. Book online or call us directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I deep clean my oven?
Every three months is a reasonable baseline for regular use, more often for daily cooking or frequent greasy meals, less often if the oven sees light use.
Why do dryer sheets help clean oven racks?
The softening agents in dryer sheets help break down grease during a long soak, and the sheets themselves work well as a scrubbing tool afterwards — a surprisingly effective trick for baked-on residue.
Can I use steel wool on my oven interior?
It's best avoided on painted or coated surfaces, since it can scratch permanently. Non-abrasive sponges or a plastic scraper handle most stubborn residue without that risk.
Does a dirty oven actually cost more to run?
Yes. Grime and grease build-up can affect how efficiently an oven heats and holds temperature, which shows up as a real difference on energy bills over time.
Is it safe to leave racks in during a manual clean?
You can, but removing them gets a more thorough result on both the racks and the interior walls, and lets you clean each properly rather than working around them.