How to Clean Oven with Vinegar and Baking Soda (and salt!)

Our oven gets pretty dirty and stinky over time.  In order to clean without harsh chemicals, I found a way to clean my oven with vinegar, baking soda, and salt.

As a breast cancer survivor and mom of 2 kids, I try to be careful about using too many chemicals.  I want to make sure the house is clean, but prefer to clean using natural, organic, and non-toxic ingredients.

We use our oven a lot and it gets pretty messy from exploded baked potatoes, cookie dough, juices, sauces, and more.  so, I wanted to learn how to clean my oven without chemicals, and use a natural oven cleaner with non-toxic products.

Since I have been using vinegar and baking soda to clean other things around the house (such as our toilets)  I thought why not try it in the oven. It’s true that best oven cleaner isn’t harsh nor expensive.

Video for Green Cleaning

Here’s a quick preview of what you will learn while reading this post.

Now you can follow these easy directions to use a homemade oven cleaner and the simple directions on how to clean oven with vinegar and baking soda.

How To Clean Oven Without Harsh Chemicals Overview

You can clean your oven easily without harsh chemicals by using vinegar, salt, and baking soda to make a natural oven cleaner.

1. Make sure your oven is off and cooled down
2. Mix baking soda, water, and course salt into a paste
3. Remove the oven racks
4. Cover the inside of oven with the cleaning paste
5. Clean the oven doors
6. Clean the racks with baking soda and vinegar
7. Submerge racks overnight in a sink with of vinegar and hot water
8. Let everything sit overnight
9. Spray everywhere you added paste with white vinegar and water mix
10. Wipe down the oven one last time
11. Replace the clean oven racks

Materials

• spray bottle with a mixture of 1/3 white vinegar and 2/3 water
• coarse salt
• baking soda
• small bowl
• paper towels
• rubber gloves are optional

Mix Baking Soda, Water, And Course Salt Into A Paste

How much salt and baking soda to use to create your baking soda mixture depends on how much you want to coat your oven.  You will want to use enough salt and baking soda to cover the cleaning surface without any gaps. In general I recommend starting with one cup of baking soda, 1/3 cup of water, and a 1/4 cup of course salt. You want the consistency to be that of a spreadable paste, not doughy.

Coat the inside of the oven with your baking soda paste. You can use a damp cloth, sponge, or even a paint brush. Be sure to coat the heating element too if it’s an electric oven. If it’s too runny, add more baking soda. Just sprinkle baking soda into the cleaning paste until it is the consistency of thick brownie batter.

Consider adding the salt optional to the baking soda mixture. The course salt acts somewhat like sandpaper and makes cleaning much easier. The drawback is it’s messier to clean up and get all of the salt removed when you are finished because it doesn’t dissolve as quickly as the baking soda mix. Just consider if you use salt you’ll use less elbow grease but will need a few more minutes to clean up salt.

How To Clean The Oven Door

I have also been asked how to clean in between the double glass oven window.  For cleaning the glass oven door, you will want to be sure to spread the homemade oven cleaner of baking soda and vinegar on top of the oven glass.  If you have dirt between the glass, then that is a little more difficult.

How To Clean Oven Glass And Between The Glass Panes On An Oven Door

I have not personally cleaned between the oven glass, but go to Today’s Homeowner to read how to do it.

To clean the oven glass, you can use a mixture of vinegar and water or a glass cleaner such as Windex..

How To Clean Oven Racks With Vinegar And Baking Soda

If you have very dirty oven racks, then you can clean your oven racks with vinegar and baking soda also.  First, remove the oven racks and sprinkle the baking soda on top of them.  Then, take your spray bottle and spray the oven racks with vinegar. 

Or for an easy way leave the white vinegar and baking soda covered oven racks to sit overnight.  In the morning, use an old towel or sponge to wipe off the racks.  Then, rinse with warm water. You can try dish soap instead of vinegar, but vinegar tends to work better than dishwashing liquid.

If your oven racks are very dirty and need something more heavy duty, than submerge them in vinegar and water in your sink. If they don’t fit consider your tub, but that is using a lot of vinegar and water! Leave the racks soaking overnight.

If they fit, you can also try to fit your racks in your dishwasher.

Let Everything Sit Overnight, Then Spray With Vinegar and Wipe Down

After the paste has sat overnight, you simply spray the dried paste with your spray bottle of vinegar and water. Watch the foaming magic happen and the grime melt away. Use a paper towel or a damp cloth to wipe away the foam and baking soda residue. There shouldn’t be much or any scrubbing or elbow grease.

Finish Up

Put the clean oven racks back in. Use a damp microfiber cloth or sponge to wipe down the control panel and knobs. Enjoy your sparkling clean oven.

How To Clean A Self-Cleaning Oven

If you are wondering how to clean a self-cleaning oven, then here are things you need to know before starting.  The self-clean cycle works by using either very high temperatures or steam. It basically leaves you wish ash. I prefer the vinegar, baking soda and water approach because it doesn’t leave ash nor such high heat.

If you want to clean a dirty oven with steam or a self-clean function using high temperatures, first, be sure to remove any large pieces and particles from the oven.  In addition, remove the racks to clean them later.

To clean a self-cleaning oven with high temperatures, be very careful that nothing is around the oven when it reaches the high temperatures.  Also, do not block the vent.

The time of year may also be a factor of when to use an oven’s self cleaning function. The temperature gets so hot it may not be worth heating your house that much more in the summer. Alternatively the winter may be the perfect time of year to use an oven’s self cleaning function. Either way, we still prefer using the vinegar, baking soda, and salt mixture.

Since fumes can be strong, be sure to turn on fans and open windows when you are using the self-cleaning mode.  In addition, be mindful of any pets that will be in the house at the time and keep a close eye on them. Make sure the oven cools before opening the door. Not only is it safer to let it cool but it also helps keep the smoke from puffing up into your face.

To clean with steam in the steam clean mode, distilled water is added to the oven and then the steam is used for cleaning.

FAQ’s of Clean Ovens And Oven Cleaning Tips

Can You Use Cleaning Products In A Self-Cleaning Oven?

It is not recommended to use cleaning products in a self-cleaning oven.

What If I Don’t Like The Smell Of Vinegar?

Depending on how sensitive you are the smell of lemons can help offset the vinegar smell. Try adding some lemon juice to the vinegar mixture.

How To Prevent Your Oven From Getting Messy

Now, to prevent the oven from getting super messy again, I’m going to buy one of these oven liners. You put the oven liners at the bottom of your oven and it collects all the spills. You can remove it, clean it with soap and water, and reuse it.

You can also put down a layer of aluminum foil at the bottom of your oven underneath the heating elements. Make sure the foil isn’t touching the heating elements.

Here Are Some Pictures Of My Oven Cleaning Process

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For more cleaning ideas, hacks, and guides check out Green Cleaning.

As parents to 3 little kids, we are always on the hunt for non toxic/eco-friendly products.  We found one we use daily called Force of Nature, It's a little appliance that uses electricity to turn salt, water & vinegar into a multi-purpose cleaner, EPA registered disinfectant and deodorizer. It's strong enough to kill bacteria and viruses just like bleach, but it has no toxic chemicals whatsoever!  It's also EPA approved for use against Covid-19.  They have a promotion right now for 30% off & free shipping if you use coupon code SPRINGCLEAN30.  Give it a try:  Force of Nature  See our full review of Force of Nature.