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If you’ve lined an oven with aluminum foil or foil accidentally fell off while you were cooking, you may be horrified by the mess stuck to the bottom of your oven. Luckily, there are a handful of tried-and-true solutions to your problem. Here, we’ll break down what your options are. We’ll show you everything you need to do to restore your oven to its former glory.

Scraping Aluminum Foil Out of an Oven

  • Start with a cool oven. While it might be tempting to try and remove the foil while the oven is still hot, it's not worth the risk.
  • Try scraping the foil off with a razor blade. Hold the blade at a 45-65 degree angle and scrape off as much of the foil as you can.
  • For particularly stubborn places, try a chemical solution such as Easy Off, Naval Jelly Rust Remover, or The Works.
1

Let the oven cool completely.

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  1. If the foil has just melted, resist the urge to try removing it while it’s still hot—it’s just too dangerous. You’re also likely going to need to use some chemicals to get the foil off, so put rubber gloves and a dust mask or respirator on. Open the windows and turn some fans on to keep any fumes you’re going to create from building up inside.[1]
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2

Scrape the foil off with a razor blade.

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  1. Take a razor blade and drag it over the aluminum foil at 45- to 65-degree angle. Continue scraping the melted aluminum repeatedly. If the foil flakes off and you’re making progress, keep at it. However, if you aren’t getting a lot of the aluminum up, move on to stronger solutions.[2]
    • You can use a stiff, metal spatula instead of a razor blade if you prefer.
    • Unless your razor blade is extremely dull, this shouldn’t scratch your oven.
    • This is the only way to remove aluminum foil from a glass stovetop. Chemicals and acids will stain or crack your stovetop, so you can only use a razor blade. You can always remove the old cooktop and install a new one if you prefer.[3]
3

Spray the foil with Easy Off.

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4

Use Naval Jelly Rust Remover.

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  1. Pour a little bit of Naval Jelly Rust Remover into a plastic container. Dip a paintbrush into the Naval Jelly and coat the melted aluminum in the rust removal paste. Wait 24 hours for the acid to dissolve the aluminum foil and scrape the remaining foil off. There will be a chalky residue left behind, so scrape that stuff up with a wire brush and wipe the area with a damp cloth to clean it up.[5]
    • There’s a stern warning on the back of Naval Jelly that says not to use it on aluminum. That’s because it destroys it, which is actually what you want here.[6]
    • Discard the paintbrush when you’re done or rinse it thoroughly under water.
    • You can purchase Naval Jelly Rust Remover online or at any store that sells cleaning supplies.
5

Give The Works a shot.

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  1. The Works contains hydrochloric acid, which will do the job. Pour a small dollop of The Works directly on the melted aluminum foil. Spread it over the foil with a brush or a fully-gloved finger. Wait at least 10 minutes for the cleaner to dissolve the foil and bubble up. Wipe the toilet cleaner off with a paper towel and scrape foil off as needed. Scrub the area with soap and water when you’re done.
    • Hydrochloric acid and aluminum will create hydrogen gas, so make sure your home is well ventilated and don’t start any fires (do not turn the oven on, either).
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7

Use a wet towel to soften the foil.

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  1. Soak a towel with water and wring the excess out so that the towel isn’t dripping. With the oven off, set the towel on top of the aluminum foil and close the oven door. Wait 24 hours and then remove the towel and use any kind of oven cleaner to scrape the remaining foil away.[8]
    • You can also try to heat the towel at the lowest temperature to fill the oven with steam. If you do this, put the towel on the oven rack, monitor the oven while you do it, and remove the towel as soon as the steam fully covers the oven door.
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Tips

  • Avoid lining the oven with foil in the future. Putting foil at the bottom of the oven used to be a popular way for folks to protect their appliance from food droppings and grease. With newer, self-cleaning ovens, you can clean the bottom automatically. The burners get hot enough to melt aluminum foil, though.[10]
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About This Article

Andrii Gurskyi
Co-authored by:
House Cleaning Professional
This article was co-authored by Andrii Gurskyi and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. Andrii Gurskyi is the owner and founder of Rainbow Cleaning Service, a New York City cleaning company specializing in apartments, homes, and moving cleanup using non-toxic and artificial fragrance free cleaning solutions. Founded in 2010, Andrii and Rainbow Cleaning Service has served over 35,000 customers. This article has been viewed 94,427 times.
18 votes - 88%
Co-authors: 9
Updated: July 23, 2024
Views: 94,427
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 94,427 times.

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