How to Clean Your Oven Without Toxins

By JULIE - 3:36:00 PM

January is my month to clean here on the homestead, since the holidays are over and gardening is a way off I have a lot more time. My goal is to clean the house top to bottom, that way if I don't get around to a lot of cleaning throughout the year done I have at least touched every thing once. In order to accomplish this task I have been doing one extra cleaning chore a day. Today my task was to clean the oven. I clean mine the natural non-toxic way.

Mr Cat in the oven he always such a good little helper!

I know it seems logical to use seriously toxic cleaners for a nasty job like this but, it really is so no necessary. Not only is it not necessary, it can be dangerous for you (think of all the fumes you're breathing in), your kids, and pets. The thing with kids and pets are you never know what they are going to do. I found this out today after I shot the above shot for this post Mr Cat decided to jump into the oven! I had cleaner still in the oven. I would have been horrified if it was covered in toxic cleaners and he jumped in there. Just think of it on his paws and fur and then grooming himself, seriously not cool!

Here is What You Need

paper towels and rags
a good brush with a long angled handle
stainless steel scrubby
Bon Ami natural powder cleaner (it's made out of limestone, feldspar, coconut oil, and baking soda) or baking soda
rubber gloves
homemade "bleach"

First start by removing your oven racks
Then spray homemade "bleach" all over the inside and wait a few minutes
Then take some bon ami natural powder cleaner or baking soda into a bowl and make a paste by adding a little water then using your brush spread your paste you made all over and let sit for a few minutes. I tried just baking soda first then bon ami and I found bon ami to work better, but it's not a big difference.
Spray your homemade "bleach" again before scrubbing with your brush (I used a dish brush) and wipe clean
Repeat until clean and use your stainless steel scrubbier for those really hard to get off parts.

Mr Cat playing in the oven thank god I used natural products!

Tips

Prevent spills in the oven happening by covering your oven racks with aluminum foil. (Make sure to never place aluminum foil directly to the heating source). I'm all about preventative cleaning!
If your dreading cleaning your oven you can split up the task by cleaning the inside of the oven door one day, and the rest of the oven another day
invest in a variety of brushes, it is so worth it! I have found that even just water and a good brush or cleaning cloth cleans about 80 % of all normal cleaning tasks
use rags instead of paper towels whenever possible, why not it's greener and you save money.