Oven Cleaning

[pelmetman]

Could anyone give us any tips to clean the oven, I just hate this job Don't like using the chemical based cleaners. Have tried using bicarb and water but it doesn't really get it clean. Any ideas gratefully received

[Millymollymandy]

I use a glass scraper on the glass door then scrub it with a green plastic brillo and washing up liquid. Then I put it on pyrolyse* which cremates it and leaves me with a lovely clean oven (except I have to clean the shelf and drip tray myself - but metal brillo thingies do that job quite easily - I don't mean actual Brillo pads which don't work for this job, I mean those stainless steel coiled things, dunno what they are called).

* I don't do this very often and only during off peak hours!!!

[Annpan]

I use a home made spray - I don't have the exact ingredients list to hand and I know I have typed it up here before somewhere.... anyway, it works a treat on ovens

I think this is it

1 tbsp Borax
1 tbsp Bicarb
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp washing up liquid
20 drops of your favourite cleaning essential oil (orange,lemon, tea-tree, lavender,eucalyptus, etc)
around 500 ml water

I half fill an old spray bottle with hand warm water, put in all the ingredients, give a wee shake after you add the powders to help them dissolve and top up with cold water.

Spray it on the oven, leave for 10/15 mins before attempting to wipe it off... it needs elbow grease applied to but it is better than chemicals to my mind.

[Millymollymandy]

Even those chemical spray foam things don't work well and you still need a lot of elbow grease. When Mr Muscle first came out in the 1980s it was amazingly good at cleaning ovens but I also remember the results when a flat mate decided to clean the base of his frying pan - it ate half the metal away! So I think the manufacturers have had to take out half the cleaning properties from their products since! So you may as well just use elbow grease.

[pelmetman]

Thanks for that Ann. The only thing is I've looked at buying Borax recently without any luck and seem to recall hearing something about Borax being withdrawn from sale. Not sure if I've imagined it, does anyone know?