How to Clean an Oven with Baking Soda

Co-authored by Chris Willatt

Last Updated: June 17, 2024 Approved

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There are a variety of methods to clean an oven, but many of those methods involve the use of chemicals. Using baking soda is a great, natural alternative to harsh chemicals. To clean your oven, coat the oven with a baking soda paste, let it sit overnight, and then complete the cleaning with white vinegar.

Things You Should Know

After clearing out old food and the oven racks from your oven, coat the appliance with a baking soda & water paste using rubber gloves or a clean spatula.
After leaving your paste overnight, wipe off the mixture using a rag and scrape off the excess with a spatula.
For a similar process, spray vinegar inside of your oven before wiping it down with a rag.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Coating the Oven

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You should also remove anything else that is inside the oven, such as pizza stones or oven thermometers. Check to make sure nothing is left inside of the oven before you begin cleaning.^{[1]
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You may have a lot of burnt food and build-up in your oven. Try to remove as much of the loose build-up as possible before applying the baking soda. Use a plastic or silicone spatula to scrape off the loose matter. You don’t have to remove it all—just remove what is already loose or nearly loose.^{[2]
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Mix ½ cup (170 g) of baking soda with 3 tablespoons (14.8 mL) of water in a small bowl. Stir the mixture until it forms a paste that can be easily spread. Adjust the amount of water used if 3 tablespoons does not create a spreadable paste.^{[3]
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Spread the paste inside of the oven. You can spread the paste by hand if you’re wearing rubber gloves. If that doesn’t work for you, you can also spread the paste with a clean spatula. Coat the interior of the oven with the paste. Do not apply the paste to the heating elements.^{[4]
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- It’s okay if the paste turns brown or is chunky in some areas of the oven.

Part 2

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Wiping Down the Oven

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The paste works best if you allow it to sit overnight or for 12 hours. If you don’t have that much time, you can let the paste sit for 40 minutes. You may have to repeat the process for a deep clean if you let it sit for a short amount of time, however.^{[5]
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Use a damp cloth to wipe off the paste after you’ve let it sit. Use warm water to dampen the cloth. You may have to firmly scrub to get most of the paste off.^{[6]
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You may have trouble getting all of the paste off with a damp cloth. If that’s the case, use a spatula to get the rest of the paste off of the oven. There may be some leftover residue, but that’s okay because you will use vinegar to remove it.^{[7]
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Part 3

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Finishing with Vinegar

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Pour white vinegar into a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar over the areas where residue remains from the paste. The vinegar will cause the baking soda to foam up.^{[8]
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Use a damp cloth to wipe off the foamy areas of the oven. If residue remains, use more vinegar and then wipe again. Continue to wipe until your oven is clean.^{[9]
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Sprinkle baking soda over the oven racks. Then, pour or spray white vinegar onto the racks. The baking soda should begin to foam. When that happens, submerge the racks into a tub or hot water. Allow the racks to sit in the water overnight.^{[10]
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Once you are finished cleaning, put the oven racks back into the oven. You can also put back in whatever you’ve taken out of the oven. Your oven is now ready for use.^{[11]
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Expert Q&A

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How do I get baked-on grease off my oven?

Chris Willatt
House Cleaning Professional
Chris Willatt is a House Cleaning Professional based in Denver, Colorado. Chris is the owner of Alpine Maids, a cleaning agency that he founded in 2015. Chris is on a mission to elevate what it means to be a cleaning professional and has built up Alpine Maids with that goal in mind. Chris has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, and Readers Digest. Alpine Maids received Angie's List Super Service Award for three years in a row from 2016-2018. They were also awarded Colorado's "Top Rated Local House Cleaning" Award in 2018 and were featured on the Inc. 5000 Company List.

Chris Willatt

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Make a paste out of baking soda and water and cover the whole inside of the oven. Let it sit for about an hour, which gives the baking soda time to bind with the grease. When it's done, wipe it out, then scrub any baked-on grease that's left with a pumice stone or a scouring pad.

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Is this method safe for a gas Does the stove need to be unplugged before cleaning?

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Community Answer

This method is safe to use in a gas stove. The stove does not need to be unplugged, but it should be cool to the touch before cleaning.

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Can I use this method on the glass of an oven door?

Community Answer

Vinegar and baking soda are both safe to use on glass individually and in combination. In fact, vinegar water in a spray bottle is is a really common thing to use as glass cleaner.

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You may have to repeat the process again if you can’t get the oven as clean as desired the first time.^{[12]
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Add 1/8 cup (236.6 mL) of liquid dish soap into the mixture if baking soda and water alone doesn’t get the job done.^{[13]
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