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How to Steam Clean Your Oven

Cleaning the oven is one of those necessary but dreaded chores. It is difficult to get in there, it requires a lot of elbow grease, and it is tough on your back. Not to mention the fact that most oven cleaners, while effective, contain toxic chemicals like dichloromethane, sodium hydroxide, and ethylene glycol. If you want help lifting the gunk from your oven in a less harmful way, the steam cleaning method might be right for you. Here are a few ways you can do it.

Check If Your Oven Has a Built-In Setting

Some ovens actually have a built-in steam setting. So, check to see if yours does before you try the old fashioned way!

If it does have this setting, prepare your oven to use it by first removing any pans and baking racks from the oven. Vacuum up any food debris that is already loose.

Ovens that have a steam setting will have a reservoir you can fill built in. Once you’ve located the reservoir, fill it with a cup of distilled water. Then, select the steam setting and allow it to run through the cycle. This usually takes about 10-30 minutes.

Once your oven has cooled completely, wipe out loosened gunk with a clean cloth.

Use a Baking Dish

If your oven does not have a built-in steam setting, the manual route is almost as simple and easy.

Use the largest casserole dish that you have. Then, fill the dish with one cup of distilled vinegar and fill the rest of the way with tap water. Place the dish on the middle rack in your oven.

Set your oven to 450 and leave it on for 45 minutes. This should allow plenty of time for the steaming mixture to loosen up any baked on messes.

Once your oven has completely cooled, use a clean cloth to wipe out the food scraps.

Use a Handheld Steamer

If you have a handheld steamer, this is also an excellent option for cleaning your oven. Fill the steamer with distilled water and secure a scraping attachment to it.

For this method, you do not need to heat your oven at all. It should already be fully cooled when you get to work.

Then just turn the steamer on and run it over the surface of your oven. Stop periodically in order to wipe away bits of gunk that have been lifted.​

And there you have it! Three simple ways to clean your oven without the need for toxic cleaning chemicals.

At Handler Homes, we build our homes with dreamy and functional kitchens. And that’s just the start. Take a look at our galleries to see why our name is synonymous with quality homes in Delaware.

By Handler Homes 5-20-2022