Baking, grilling, and cooking is fun! The entire process of cooking, creating and the satisfaction when you see the completed end product is incredible. That’s until it’s time to do some kitchen cleaning up. Oven racks are especially painful to deal with. Although the oven cleaning may seem like a daunting task, but putting it off is never a good idea. When neglected, grease and grime, debris, and burnt bits solidify, making your cleaning sessions, and recipe instructions harder than it should be.

Don’t Ignore Dirty Oven Racks

#1 – Why? Any unpleasant smells you notice coming from your oven during preheating will likely be contaminating your wonderful recipes!!

#2 – Heat control. The build up on the sides, and oven racks will cause any precise temperature measurement and cooking times to be highly inaccurate.

#3 – Apart from destroying all your cooking efforts, a dirty oven rack poses health and safety hazards.

The built-up residue prolongs the heat-up process as it disrupts the natural airflow inside. This reduced efficiency can then affect food quality, and worse, can lead to food poisoning. Besides, the oil and grease build-up when burned turns into a carbon monoxide, which is harmful to health. Lastly, the food debris attracts pests like cockroaches and rodents.

While some ovens have a self-cleaning feature, experts highly discourage its use on oven racks. The extreme heat can strip chrome finish as they are not designed to withstand such. Hence, the old-fashioned way of cleaning that cleaning companies use is still your best option if you want to preserve your shiny-looking oven racks. Do it yourself with these easy ways:

Easy Ways to Clean the Oven Rack

Pre-soaking the oven rack in water shortens the cleaning time by eliminating the need for heavy scrubbing.

1. Laundry Detergent
● Lay a towel on the bathtub to protect it from scratches. Fill the tub with hot water.
● Soak the oven rack, then add ¾ cup of laundry detergent.
● After six to ten hours, scrub it using a toothbrush to remove the loosened debris.
● Rinse thoroughly.

However, if the racks are rusty, refrain from using the bathtub to avoid staining. Use a large container instead.

2. Baking Soda and Vinegar
● In a bathtub, place the oven rack on top of an old towel.
● Sprinkle baking soda on the rack, then spray some vinegar.
● When the foaming stops, fill your tub with hot water. Leave it overnight.
● Using an old toothbrush, scrub off the remaining residue.
● Rinse and dry thoroughly.

3. Ammonia
● Place the rack inside an unused trash bag.
● Add ½ quart or 473 mL of ammonia. It is unnecessary to fill the entire bag with ammonia as the fumes will do its job. However, it is best to flat lay it on the ground.
● Tightly seal and leave it overnight.
● Rinse the rack and dry thoroughly.

Caution: Wear safety goggles and gloves. Do this in a well-ventilated area.

4. Commercial Oven Cleaner
● Place the oven rack on a flat surface with a newspaper under it.
● Choose a commercial cleaner. Check the product label for special instructions.
● Apply it generously on the rack and let it sit for 2 hours. If you are looking for a fume-free oven cleaner, try Easy-Off Professional Fume Free Max Oven Cleaner. It is known for its heavy-duty formula that removes stubborn stains in as fast as 5 minutes.
● Wipe off with a damp sponge, then rinse thoroughly.

Chemical-based products are not suitable for all oven racks, especially those with self-cleaning features. Check the compatibility first before using it.

For a hassle-free cleaning, wipe the splatters off as soon as they happen or cover the oven rack with aluminum foil. Ideally, ovens should be cleaned every three to six months. However, the frequency really depends on how often they are used. If rarely used, you can go longer in between cleaning.

Enjoy cooking and baking with your oven again after cleaning with these DIY methods! Or you can take a break and simply schedule one of our whole home cleaning services with inside oven cleaning included.