By Elisheva Blumberg, Lubicom Staff

Do you find yourself turning a blind eye to the layers of grease and grime on your stovetop?

Do you ignore the charred black bits on the bottom of your oven, telling yourself you’ll get to it someday?

Do you wait till things get really nasty, and then hope to solve all your oven woes with a self-cleaning cycle?

You’re not alone.

Keeping up a clean oven is often the last thing on our to-do list — but with some totally manageable cleaning tips and regular wipe-down maintenance, you don’t need to feel ashamed about the scary stuff that lingers on — or in — this oft-used kitchen appliance.

Keeping it clean and green

There is no doubt that commercial oven cleaning products (think: Easy-Off) work wonders when it comes to eliminating the grossest and grimiest of residue.

However, there is doubt as to the safety of commercial oven cleaners.

The good news is, with additional patience and some extra elbow grease, you can get sparkling results with a few natural (and cheapola!) ingredients. 

Clean your cooktop quick

Whatever you do on your cooktop — sautéing, boiling, pan-frying — there’s bound to be some spillover.

To easily wipe up a greasy ceramic cooktop and range hood, use mineral oil and a rag. In the same way that oil-based makeup removers work like magic to take off mascara, mineral oil can degrease a cooktop in a few simple swipes!

Apply mineral oil to a rag or paper towel and wish good riddance to all that oily residue! For extra perfection, do an additional wipe-down with vinegar or multi-purpose cleaner.

Goodbye dirty oven racks

Before breaking your back scrubbing your oven racks, take a tip from Do It On A Dime and scrub-a-dub them in your bathtub!

Here’s how:

1. Lay down a large bath towel on the surface of your bathtub (this prevents scratches to your tub AND makes cleanup easier)
2. Fill up the tub with warm water and 1 cup of degreasing dishwashing liquid (like Dawn)
3. Let the racks enjoy their bath for a couple of hours (this will loosen up the stubborn burnt-on bits)
4. Scrub off the grates with a bristle brush

All-natural oven cleaner

There are endless variations for this homemade baking soda-based oven cleaner. Not only does this method cost pennies, it also doesn’t emit any of the noxious fumes typical of commercial oven cleaners.

Clean your oven interior with this method from Kitchn:

1. Mix 1/2 cup baking soda + 3 tablespoons water into a paste
2. Spread the paste onto all the interior surfaces of your oven
3. Let sit overnight (12+ hours)
4. Wipe off the paste with a water-soaked sponge or washcloth
5. Spray the interior surfaces with vinegar
6. Wipe off all the residue (baking soda leaves a lot of powdery streaks, so this step may take a while)

(Halachic FYI: Some white vinegars are made from grain, and therefore are chametz. Be sure to check your stock of vinegar before Passover to make sure your favorite natural cleaning products are not grain-based.)

Do damage control

Congrats! You’ve done the work! Your oven is now so spanking clean you feel tempted to post it on your family’s Whatsapp chat!

Maintain your oven’s clean sheen (and hang onto that golden feeling of homemaker’s happiness) by following these steps:

1. Splurge on oven liners

Oh wait — you don’t have to splurge because these heat-safe oven liners are super cheap ($11.99 for three!) These fiberglass mats are easy to wipe down, dishwasher safe, and can be trimmed to fit your oven.

One clever Amazon reviewer even cut these oven liners to fit underneath a cooktop.

2. Salt up spills ASAP

If an oven or stovetop spillover occurs, take action immediately to prevent a caked-on, baked-on mess!

Pour some salt onto the spill before it dries. When the oven cools down, wiping up the mess will be a cinch.