Cleaning the oven

[martyna]

It's quite a time since I asked my boyfriend to clean the oven and at the time he said he had/knew a super-foam-cleaner (or something like this) and would do it in a whiz, but when I asked him a couple of days ago, he wasn't able to recall neither the promise nor the product.
We've never used the oven much and back at home mum basically kept it tidy and there wasn't such a mess as is here now, especially since we tried out some recipes recently. (And today's has really spilt over. *wince*) I've done some surface cleaning over the time, but what I'm looking is a real cleaning.
How do you do it? Is there any special product you use? (If you're in France and can name the shop, even better!) Or maybe you make a product yourself? Does heating lemon in water (as in microwaves) help at least a bit? Not at all? Help me? *feels helpless*

Comments

[littlebutfierce]

What I've done is pour in tons of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) on the floor of the oven, then spray on lots of vinegar. Then I leave it to fizz & sit there overnight, & then in the morning I just wipe it all out, which takes out all the crud. Then I spray it w/vinegar again to wipe it clean.

I've never had a huuuuuuuugely messy oven but this seems to work for regular sorts of mess/usage, including burnt bits that have dripped onto the bottom.

[martyna]

I think the name is the same in France and hopefully easily found, because that sounds like a good solution.

[boosette]

The only thing I can advise is that if you use an oven spray: USE GLOVES. the thick yellow rubberish kind.


(Not using gloves is v. unpleasant.)

[martyna]

Ikes, that doesn't sound good - personal experience?

[boosette]

Yep -- I cleaned my apartment's oven last year, pre-inspection, and didn't know we had gloves in the house. Wound up with mild chemical burns for a few days and lots of itchiness.

[martyna]

Now, I don't really know if those we have would be good enough, so I think I'll try to use the either methods first.

[boosette]

Yeah, ours hadn't been cleaned all year and I had 24 hours to make it sparkle, so. If you have a choice, use the other methods before this one.

[martyna]

Oh, and: I love your shark icon. Sharks♥!

[marymac]

Also, try not to breathe any of it and open every window in the kitchen and close the kitchen door.

Oven cleaner fumes = NOT GOOD FOR LUNGS

[martyna]

We have an "open" kitchen, so that does mean no use of the living room... Really, that isn't so much an option.

[marymac]

Well, by the time you're talking about the rest of the house it's mostly to control the horrible smell. But windows open and fan on is enough - it's the bit where you've got your head in the oven that you have to watch.

[twospots]

Leave a small bowl of ammonia sitting in it overnight. Wipe crud off the next day. Stinky, but effective!

[martyna]

Do you know if it would be more effective than the other solutions proposed?

[twospots]

In my experience it's better than baking soda & vinegar. I don't know how it would compare to over cleaner, though, since I don't have much experience with commercial cleaners!

[martyna]

Okay, thank you for your comments.

[jamethiel]

Most oven sprays are caustic. Caustic soda or the like. They do work but they're hella unpleasant to use. Wear thick rubber gloves, tie a rag over your face so you're not directly breathing the fumes (I only do this while spraying it) and use steel wool or the like to scrub. For trays, spray them w/caustic and then leave them for a couple of hours. Clean them once and if they're still dirty leave them to soak in the sink in very hot water and dishwashing detergent. Whatever the case, WASH THEM after using caustic as it's nasty stuff.

Bicarb and vinegar does work but it takes much more physical effort and isn't as effective at getting the really baked on grunge.

I used to be a kitchen hand and we cleaned our ovens once a week. Hope this helps.

[martyna]

I think I'll pass on the spray for now and try the other solution first.

Thank you for your long explanations.

[martyna]

I think I'll pass on the spray for now and try the other solution first.

Thank you for your long explanations.

[landshark]

This may be a no-brainer, but do you use an oven liner?

[martyna]

I had to google that one and didn't know this existed, but at times I try to use a baking try underneath, if there's quite a risk something might be dropping...

[landshark]

Oh, yeah. The roll-out oven liner is kind of spendy. I either use a large low-sided foil pan, costs only 2 or 3 dollars, or if I can't find one that covers the whole thing, I line the bottom of the oven (and a little up the sides) with a layer or two of foil.

[martyna]

Thank you for all those ideas. ♥

[landshark]

Your welcome!

I snapped a quick picture of my oven--right now I have two disposable cookie sheets that fit pretty snug in there:

[martyna]

That's a good substitute for an oven-liner, I'd say!

[bexi]

I use aluminum foil to line the bottom, which is the same basic idea.

[jeshyr]

OMG You are a genius. Why did I never think of this!?

[landshark]

LOL I can't take credit for this--it was a secret handed down from my great-grandmother. We haven't cleaned an oven in 4 generations. :D

[recessional]

I'm assuming off the bat that your oven is NOT a self-cleaning oven?

If it is a self-cleaning oven DO NOT USE ANY KIND OF OVEN CLEANER ON IT EVER, you will destroy the self-clean coat; self-cleaning ovens have a setting where they essentially burn all of the crud off the oven-coating and then after it's cooled down you wipe up the ash. (This is what our oven does.) I have no idea how common these are in France, but if you use oven-cleaner on this kind of oven, it wrecks the self-cleaning coat and actually makes it MORE difficult to clean later. (Experience from my parents' old oven.)

Otherwise, everyone else has good ideas! I just thought it was worth mentioning.

[martyna]

WHAT, that does exists? O____O
So actually, I have no clue. I think the oven belonged to the old owners of the apartement, before Matt bought it, so it's over 5 years old, probably far older since they had no problem leaving it behind. (If I assume correctly it's from them.)
Assuming, too, that this function is only included in never models... well, I'll check all the little pictures on the oven-turning-button-thingie (why do I always lack those words?) and if there's anything that MIGHT be it...
I've a memory coming back from a place I worked 3 years ago where maybe we had a self-cleaning oven. It was all new and shiny and only introduced at the end of my time, but... *intrigued*

[recessional]

Well, "newer" as in "last thirty years"? (I have found "new" and "old" model definitions vary betwixt the Americas and Europe, on some things. ;) ) and yes, it does exist! And works beautifully. I love my self-cleaning oven. I lock it (because it does get dangerously hot, it won't turn on to that feature without locking and won't unlock until it's finished), turn it to the setting and leave it alone (with all my windows open) for five hours or so and voilà! All I have to do is take some damp paper towel and wipe up the ash.

I think our current oven and stove is about ten to twelve years old - we've been in this apartment for six years, and it was by no means "new" when we moved in.

[anatsuno]

Do you speak French? Les fours dits 'à pyrolyse' sont 'self-cleaning' - lancer une pyrolyse signifie mettre le four en route pour un cycle spécial où il va monter à une très haute température pour carboniser tous les résidus de nourriture accumulés, ce qui laisse ensuite une couche de cendre qui se nettoie facilement. :)

No P.

[martyna]

Je ne vois pas de "P" nulle part, mais le bouton-tournant est tellement usé que je ne vois pas au moins 2 "images" de toute façon. (Un est celui pour ne mettre que de la lumière..., l'autre, je ne sais point.)
Donc à priori pas de pyrolyse - après je crois que l'isolation n'est pas très en forme non plus, donc ça ne tiendrait pas de toute façon?
Donc je crois avec les produits je suis on the safe side.

Re: No P.

[anatsuno]

Si l'isolation n'a pas l'air géniale, tu as sans doute raison ! Bon courage pour la suite.

[wicked_socks]

Oh this is excellent to know! I've got a self cleaning oven that probably hasn't been cleaned in 10 years (at least it's 10 years of light use?) and I've been despairing about how to even start going about it. Where by despairing I mean avoiding dealing with it.

[martyna]

Glad my post might have helped someone else, too!

[ninetydegrees]

Ovens with a pyrolysis cleaning system are very common in France. My mother's has had one for as long as I can remember so that's at least 30 years.

[martyna]

Wow, I didn't know!

[holyschist]

Oven cleaners are scary caustic toxic things--they're effective, but if you can clean your oven without using them, I'd recommend it. Like most cleaning supplies, it's a tradeoff between fast/easy/toxic and slower/more elbow grease/safer.

Unfortunately I don't really have any oven-cleaning tips, as we barely use ours and I haven't had occasion to clean it yet.

[martyna]

Well, at least your comment reinforces my decision to not use the foam... :) Thank you.

[ninetydegrees]

If it's a French oven, it probably has a cleaning system.
If it's catalysis, then it's self-cleaning once it's reached 200°C. You can clean it with a sponge but using a caustic product is not recommended as someone said.
If it can be cleaned by pyrolysis, you should do that before using any product. The button may be a P or something symbolizing extreme heat. If the oven's has been used regularly but hasn't been cleaned in a long time (more than a year), you may need to repeat the self-cleaning process several times. Pyrolysis works extremely well but it needs to be done often to remain efficient. Also, you must remove the grills (it could damage them and the oven) and, once it's done, you will have to remove the residues (white ashes) with a sponge.

If you're looking for a product then I think it's Décap'Four, which you should be able to find in any supermarket. The spray/foam can be used for the grills. Do it outside if you can as it's not a pleasant smell.

[martyna]

Thank you for your exhaustive comment!
I tried to find a "P"-function, but to no avail. So I guess no pyrolysis for me, but will ask bf about it later on, so he checks it to.

[ninetydegrees]

If you have the brand and model or a picture of the dial buttons, I may be able to tell you as well.

[martyna]

It's marked "Laden", there's no more precision besides "thermostat"... I tried to google it, but come only up with more recent models.
When bf returns with my cam tonight, I'll try to make a picture...

[medrin]

You've probably already got a sparkling clean oven, but in case someone else are looking for more oven cleaning tips, here is mine:

What I've always done is taken just plain soap and rubbed it in in the whole oven. Turned it on for a while and then it's easy to just whipe it clean when it's cold again.