Preheat Your Oven Before Cleaning To Help Get Rid Of That Gunk And Grime

While modern-day appliances are life savers in the kitchen, cleaning them can be an arduous task — especially cleaning the oven. Whether it's oil splatters, cheese that melted over the side of your frozen pizza, or anything else that made its way to the bottom and sides of your oven, that caked-on gunk is anything but easy to deal with. However, there is one tip that might help you avoid oven cleaning mistakes when tackling those stuck-on stains: preheat the oven first.

Heat helps that caked-on food come a bit loose, meaning it's a great way to start the cleaning process. Loosening the food from the oven walls and floor means when you go in there to clean, everything will be just a little bit easier. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off. Make sure you don't clean the oven while it's still hot, though. Let it cool until it's safe to touch. Plus, there are a few additional cleaning methods that will ensure your oven is sparkling every time.

Heating the oven will not only loosen the gunk but will also create condensation as the oven cools, so make sure to leave the door closed while it cools down. The condensation will help keep that grime from re-adhering to the oven doors or walls and make it easier to clean.

Once you carefully spray the oven with cleaner, let it sit for at least a couple of minutes to help further loosen the food and grease. Then, for the less dirty spots, wipe the oven down with a cloth. If there is stuck-on food, you'll likely need something heartier like the rough side of a sponge. Between the condensation and the cleaner, the food should come off pretty easily with a good scrub.

Once you're done cleaning, wet a towel and give the inside of the oven one more wipe using nothing but water. This will help remove any residual cleaner.

Besides using a traditional sponge and cleaners, there are other methods to cleaning the oven. For a chemical-free option, vinegar and baking soda might be your best bet. Just add a bit of water to some baking soda to create a paste, then put it all over your oven door and floor. Let it sit for several hours, then use a spray bottle to add some vinegar to the paste before removing it. Wipe it or scrub it away, and your oven should be pretty clean without the use of harsh chemicals.

Try using a tool you probably hadn't thought of: a pumice stone. Similarly to how it removes dead skin from your body, it can also remove stuck-on gunk from an oven (they're commonly used to keep your grill shiny and clean, actually). Just wet the stone, then scrub the oven just as you would with a sponge. Surprisingly, that caked-on food should come right off. Make sure you keep the stone wet while you clean. Wipe away any remnants of the stone or the food with a soft cloth, and you're good to go.