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Sunday, 24 November 2013

Tips, Tools & Techniques - Homemade Oven Cleaner!

Hello! Here's our regular feature where we share tips, tools & techniques that have caught our eye, things we have Pinned, and things we have tried. These are probably not going to change your life(!) but might make it a bit easier...
Oven cleaning has to be at the top of the list of cleaning jobs I hate doing.... hence why the before pictures of my oven are very dirty! I would love to pretend I left it to get so dirty just for the post, but it's just because I've been putting it off for so long!!
Before!
I think one of the reasons I hate oven cleaning is the strong, industrial smelling cleaners - where you pretty much have to evacuate the house! So when I found a technique using more 'natural' products by One Good Thing by Jillee it was time to tackle the dreaded oven....

Start by preheating oven to 150F, then turn off once it reaches temperature. Pour 1 cup of ammonia into dish (I used a jam jar) and put onto top oven rack. Then place dish of boiling water onto bottom rack. Close oven door and leave in the oven overnight to work their magic!
 The next day, take out the dishes and add the ammonia to a bowl of warm water and a couple of squirts of washing up liquid. Then start scrubbing and wiping down the oven - making sure you wear kitchen gloves. I found this stage much easier than usual, as all the grease and dirt has 'softened' overnight.
To get the glass nice and clean, I used a mix of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to create a paste. Leave this for a while and then wipe/scrub off.
Give the racks a good clean, put everything back in and there you have a much cleaner oven!!
I found this a much easier method than using standard cleaners and didn't feel like I was being gassed by the fumes while doing it! It was also a strangely satisfying process and am now full of good intentions to do this more often....?!

5 comments:

  1. hi where did you get the ammonia from and what type
    Cheers Dave

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    1. Hi Dave. I just used neat household ammonia & bought it from a local DIY store. You should be able to buy it at supermarkets or if not online :) Hope that helps?!

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  2. Wow, it looks like you just took a picture of a new oven. I remember a few years ago I got my oven cleaned by expert oven cleaning facebook and mine looked like yours, like a new oven.

    I can't afford to get it done professionally at the moment as I lost my job last week :( so this DIY cleaning guide is just what I needed. I am going to pop into BnQ in the morning and see if I can find some ammonia. I imagine they will sell it there?

    Thank you for the guide, and wish me luck!

    - Lisa

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    Replies
    1. It really is a cheap & easy way of cleaning the oven and I always do it this way now! I should think that B&Q would definitely sell it. Would love to hear how you get on! x

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  3. This post is really amazing! Thanks for existing and sharing :) You're Awesome!

    ~ Harlesden Carpet Cleaners Ltd.

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