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. Here is the easiest way to clean your oven without chemicals.
Now you can follow these easy directions to use a natural oven cleaner and the simple directions on how to clean oven with vinegar and baking soda.
First, we will talk about the different types and oven and then you’ll learn how to clean yours based on the type you have.
- Jump to different types of ovens.
- Jump to cleaning standard ovens.
- Jump to how to clean self-cleaning ovens.
Different Types of Ovens
Before we get started, let’s talk about the different types of ovens and in which cases you should not use this cleaning method for your oven.
Did you know there are several kinds of ovens? Let’s start by just talking about 4 categories of ovens.
- electric ovens
- gas ovens
- convection ovens
- fancy ovens
Electric ovens have heating elements attached to the walls of the oven. Although these types of ovens cost more than other kids, they are the easiest to use and easiest to clean. In addition, they can be convection or conventional ovens.
Although gas ovens are cheaper than electric ovens, you will need a gas hook-up. If you do not already have a gas hook up, then this will be an additional cost to factor. The problem with gas ovens is that they tend to cook unevenly and brown baking items.
Convection ovens cook food more evenly and faster than other ovens. These types of ovens use fans to circulate the air and usually require a lower temperature for cooking.
Fancy ovens have more or all of the bells and whistles. Not only are there self-cleaning ovens, now there are ovens that steam, warm, and have programmable options. If you have a self-cleaning oven, you need to take extra caution when using any types of cleaners in your oven. Please read your oven manuals before you use any type of oven cleaner.
How to Clean Oven without Chemicals
The easiest way to clean an oven is by using items you already have in your house. You can clean your oven easily without chemicals by using vinegar, salt, and baking soda to make a natural oven cleaner.
Or, you can also buy green cleaning products to clean your oven and other household appliances.
Here’s a step-by-step video on how to clean with baking soda and vinegar.
How to clean your oven with vinegar and baking soda using a natural oven cleaner.
Materials
- spray bottle with a mixture of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water
- coarse salt
- baking soda
Instructions
1. First, remove the oven racks (you can clean these separately the same way).
2. Next, spray the whole oven including the inside of the door with the vinegar/water mixture. Get it pretty wet all over.
3. Then, sprinkle baking soda everywhere putting more on any caked on food particles.
4. After that, sprinkle a thick layer of course salt over the baking soda.
5. Then, spray again with the vinegar/water. You’ll hear a nice bubbling sound from the reaction of the vinegar and baking soda.
6. Now, leave it to sit overnight.
7. With the coarse side of the sponge scrub the oven. You’ll see how easily everything comes up. This was amazing to me!
8. Next, spray again with vinegar/water to help remove everything.
9. Finally, wipe the oven with old towels or paper towels.
For natural, green cleaning, follow these steps to clean an oven with vinegar, baking soda, and salt.
- 2 cups vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup coarse salt
- 1 cup baking soda
- 1 spray bottle
- 1 towel or rag
-
Remove the oven racks.
-
Generously spray the whole oven including the inside of the door with the vinegar/water mixture.
-
Sprinkle baking soda everywhere putting more on any caked on food particles.
-
Sprinkle a thick layer of course salt over the baking soda.
-
Spray again with the vinegar/water. You'll hear a nice bubbling sound from the reaction of the vinegar and baking soda.
-
Leave it to sit overnight.
-
With the coarse side of the sponge scrub the oven. You'll see how easily everything comes up. This was amazing to me!
-
Spray again with vinegar/water to help remove everything.
-
Wipe the oven with old towels or paper towels.
That’s it! After following these directions you will have a nice shiny oven and a happy mama. At least I know I was a happy mama. It didn’t take long and I had a nice, clean, chemical-free oven. Yea!
Then, use oven liners and baking mats to keep your oven clean.
FAQs of Clean Ovens
What is the ratio of vinegar to baking soda and amounts of other natural cleaning products?
I have been asked, what ratio of vinegar to baking soda should be used when cleaning or how much salt and baking soda to use. The short answer is, “a lot!” But really, you will want to use enough salt and baking soda to cover the cleaning surface without any gaps.
How to clean the oven door
I have also been asked how to clean oven glass in between the double glass oven window. For how to clean oven glass, you will want to be sure to spread the natural oven cleaner of baking soda and vinegar on top of the glass. If you have dirt between the oven glass, then that is a little more difficult.
How to clean oven glass and how to clean 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 about how to clean between the oven glass.
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, spray the oven racks with vinegar. Or, if you want to clean very dirty oven racks, then submerge them in the vinegar.
Leave the 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.
How to clean self-cleaning oven
If you are wondering how to clean a self-cleaning oven, then here are things you need to know before starting. Most self-cleaning ovens clean by using either very high temperatures or steam.
If you want to clean with steam or 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.
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.
To clean with steam in the steam clean mode, distilled water is added to the oven and then the steam is used for cleaning.
Can you use cleaning products in a self-cleaning oven?
It is not recommended to use cleaning products in a self-cleaning oven.
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 it 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.
Here are some pictures of the non-toxic cleaning process while I cleaned my oven with vinegar, baking soda, and salt.
Use this easy way to clean your oven with a natural cleaner without chemicals. Get items for non-toxic cleaning and directions to clean with vinegar and baking soda.
Share these images with friends to help them learn about chemical-free kitchen cleaning!
Do you leave the oven open or closed while it sits overnight?
I left it closed.
I tried baking soda and warer mixture on kitchen cabinet doors and scrubbed w a toothbrush in all the crevices. It did remove the dirt but left a white residue afterwards. Is there anything similar in this scenario? Does the vinegar perhaps prevent this from occuring in toc oven the oven? Would you happen to hv any tips for getting rid of this residue either? Plz help. Thx in advance
Rinse with clean cloth with vinegar and water solution. Do not use the same cloth use to clean oven.
Use a quality microfiber cloths to do final rinse and wipe down.
I hope this helps
Be Blessed
Is it safe for all ovens I’ve never cleaned one before
Did you remove the heating element? If not did you spray it too?
I did not remove the heating element. I just sprayed around it.
But I do suggest you let the oven dry thoroughly (maybe with open door, overnight) before heating it up. I cleaned mine today, waited a few minutes, turned it on, and the heating element cracked.
Just used this method to clean my oven. Omg the thing hasn’t looked that nice in at least 8 years…and I didn’t even leave the water/vinegar & baking soda in all night, just a couple of hours. I honestly am getting rid of the 4-5 bottles of oven cleaner I have living under my sink now, I tried different kinds and none of them have worked as well as this. Thank you!
Ps….we have the exact same oven as you do ^_^
I didnt either. I just left it for a couple of hours. The racks i placed in the bath tube and sprayed with baking soda and vinegar. Covered the racks with water. Left to soak for 30min and then just wiped them clean
What’s the ratio /recipe for the amounts to use of vinegar and baking soda? Also, your picture shows salt with the vinegar and baking soda.?
This is amazing, it works!!!!
I just finished spraying my oven down with the vinegar, baking soda, salt recipe. I can hardly wait for morning to scrub it all out. My oven isn’t super dirty, but it isn’t proud to have you see it clean either. I’ll let you know how it turns out!!
Fantastic tip! I really need to clean my oven but do not want to use the canned stuff. I am so glad I found this tip on Pinterest. Thank you!
After spraying with the mixture , how do you get the baking soda and salt to stick to the sides?
I just kind of throw it in there… like you are doing splatter paints. 🙂
I’m not finding the instructions for the vinegar/water mixture? 1 part water, 1 part vinegar?
You can try that or I do mixture of 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 water.
Thanks for sharing this simple oven cleaning tip. One suggestion – the oven liner you pointed to has PTFE – per fluorinated chemicals – in it. Just line the bottom with aluminum foil and replace as spills happen.
Cleaning my oven is on my to-do list this weekend and I am going to give this a try. I usually let me oven go through the self-cleaning mode but it uses so much energy I am going to try this method. Thanks for sharing it.
I have used a similar recipe for my oven.
5T Vinegar
5T Baking Soda
5 drops of Dawn dish soap
mix into a paste and paint your oven. Let it sit for no less than 15 minutes, but the dirtier your oven the longer you let it sit. Rinse with wash cloth and warm water. I’m always amazed at how well it works.
Thank you .I like the idea of using a brush. My oven uses gas and has a pilot. I was breaking my brain how to do the size without making a big mess.
Thanks Maureen for the recipe that allows you to clean the oven after 15 or so minutes after applying product! I am definitely going to use this as bought oven cleaning products are so toxic.
Thanks! Another reason to try this method is because self cleaning ovens can blow up during the self clean cycle. Ours did. After many months of fighting with KitchenAid replaced our oven. I don’t want to re-live that experience. Dangerous!
That’s scary. I’m glad you got them to replace it.
I have a self cleaning oven
Did you see that one person said their oven blow up while in self cleaning mode
hoping for a sparkling oven…
Vinegar = acetic acid
Baking soda = sodium bicarbonate
Salt = sodium chloride
So much for “chemical free”!
Everyone knows she is referring to “toxic” chemicals. Calm down.
Non of this stuff is toxic. Better than drinking a diet coke!
THEY ARE STILL SAFE AND NATURAL.. RESEARCH. We do not want TOXIC chemicals in our homes, in our food, nor on our bodies. Doing the best to eliminate as much toxins from out envioroment as we can.
I followed this recipe to the tee and I did not have any real results. Did u turn your oven on while u let it sit or is there a special scrubbie you used? I was so looking forward to using something other than ammonia bc I can’t stand the smell of that stuff yuck! But I tried this twice and it did not work
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. What exactly didn’t work? I’m curious as it has been great each time I have done it. I did not turn my oven on while I let it sit. I just used a regular sponge. Make sure you use one that won’t scratch your oven.
I just did this for my gas oven. I forgot to set it up last night so I did it today and left it for a couple hours. It cleaned up like a charm! I had to clean it by hand even tho it is a self-cleaning oven because we had purchased one of those take and bake pizzas and toppings had spilled all over in the oven. Trying to self-clean had every smoke detector in our three-story home singing! Thanks for the simple, chemical free way to clean the beast!
Can I put on and want for a one hrs. Can I clean it .
I am glad to know that there is a natural way to clean my oven! I hate the ordinary toxic cleaners and this cleaning recipe sounds like the best substitute! Thanks a lot for sharing! Swiss Cottage Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
i tried this last night and cleaned it off today and what a horrible idea! My oven is cleaner, not sparkling by any means and I sat there for 4 hours trying to get the baking soda guck out of all of the crevices in my oven door and there is still a lot caked in there. Also as much as I wipe it off there is still a white film everywhere!! I can’t get it off. I’m tired of cleaning my oven. I should have just used soap and water I would have had to scrub the same amount. Ugh.
Keep spraying with the vinegar and water solution, or spray with straight vinegar… The baking soda will bubble right out of the crevices… Then wash the oven down with warm water and a sponge.
Used this to clean out my oven today and I was amazed that it came that clean without harsh chemicals. I let it set for only 2 hours and it worked really well. Did your oven smell funky the next time you used it?
Cleaning the oven is one of the most daunting tasks in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your tips and providing great pictures. You’re a saviour.
That’s one clean oven!!! Vinegar and baking soda are my go to cleaning items around my house to.
We have a self cleaning oven. But our BBQ isn’t!! I usually put the racks in the dishwasher on the ‘pots and pans’ cycle, which does a pretty decent job of getting rid of grease and most of the burnt on build up. Rather than using oven cleaner for this, I’m going to give this a try. As for the rest of the BBQ, this solution may be a lot less tedious than using kitchen wipes and paper towels! Fingers crossed, I’m going to do this soon when the summer grilling season has come to an end. ☺
No idea why this would work since baking soda and vinegar cancel each other’s ph level out and ur left with basically water
Great cleanning solution indeed! However you should avoid the “chemical free” or “organic products” terms….since you are using both! The only fact is that they are less toxic than others. Oven cleaners are based on ammonia solutions which smell worse but they have similar toxicity to the ones you use…that’s all…
Best wishes and not be so afraid not all the chemical products are dangerous!
Do you close the oven door while it sits overnight? Or leave it open? Thanks!
Technically, vinegar, baking soda, and salt are all chemicals, and the way they clean is through chemical reaction. So if you could clarify that this method of cleaning is with non-toxic/natural chemicals, that would be more realistic! Chemicals aren’t all bad!
Works great yay!! All three of those ingredients are still chemicals, however! Non-toxic in the method used, but still chemicals!
How do you sprinkle the back and sides of the oven with baking soda and salt and get it to stick?
I just kind of throw it in there… like you are doing splatter paints. 🙂
Does the baking soda, vinegar and salt hurt a self cleaning oven?
Thank you, in advance, Sandra
I have a self cleaning oven and it doesn’t hurt mine, but you may want to check details for your specific kind of oven. Read the manual or send the company an email just to be safe.
Do you have any suggestions for getting the whitefront plastic vents that have turned brown?
Thanks a lot, dear Rachel!! I hope your life is and will be good, good, good, good and happy!!
From Florence, Italy, all my love ????
Thank you! You too.
I just got done trying this and I am not impressed by the results. I followed directions and just got through vaccuming the baking soda and salt reminents from my Oven and bottom drawer. It was everywhere! Sure it looks better than it did before but I put some serious elbow grease into it. I appreciate an alternative to chemical cleaners but the oven is not the squeaky clean you have in the picture. Maybe I do not clean my oven enough to use this mixture as lots of the comments have had great results.
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. Did you let it sit for a long time? Yes, it’s messy, but it didn’t take me too long to get all the baking soda and salt removed. Maybe try more vinegar?
thank you for sharing , i shall try it
Je metais désabonner car le site est en anglais est t’il possible de le recevoir en FRANÇAIS S.V.P
merci
This is worth giving it a try, it sure is a reminder I need to clean the oven! and since I need to get oven cleaner, and have all these ingredients, I want to try it!
great
How much salt and baking soda to uses
I have streaking stains in-between the double glass of the oven window. Any suggestions?
I have updated the post to answer to frequently asked questions for using a natural oven cleaner and how to clean between the glass in an oven.
I tried and I would have to do for two nights. While it removed the burnt on residue, it requires a coarse scrub brush. I used paper towel and it was not abrasive enough to remove all of the residue. Also I used kosher salt Instead of regular table salt. I had trash bags on hand for the clean up.
Do you suppose to mix the baking soda in with the water and vinegar? Or just apply baking soda separate?
Great article and blog, we use also a steel wool pad to scrub the interior of the oven. It’s hard to get stuck on baked on gunk without an exacting knife at times too!
Ha! I was told you couldn’t clean the oven without using chemicals! That proves them all wrong. I knew vinegar was great for cleaning, but never thought that it can work it’s magic in the oven.
Thank you for taking the time to share your tips and tricks! Super helpful. If anyone is looking to clean your kitchen tile, Chem-Dry is the company to choose. Like Rachel, they don’t use any harsh chemicals
I am from the old school. Just want to point out it is “coarse” salt not “course” salt.
This doesn’t work at all!! But all you have to do to clean your oven door is to pour 3/4 cup of water on the glass door and then sprinkle (I use my hand ) baking soda all over the door where the water is and then get some Aluminum Foil and make it into a ball and start cleaning the door with it and WOW! It’s AMAZING how you can see it coming clean and you’ll know it’s clean bc the water and baking soda will turn Brown! GROSS!
I also did not see dramatic results. Sure some dirt came off but same old splatter stains still there. Disappointing after all that work
I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. It works really well on my oven.