Safely cleaning an oven?

[Michellec]

How do you do this safely?

 

Thanks,

Michelle

[Talon]

I use Fume free oven cleaner very sparingly

[Luvparrots]

I have a self-cleaning oven and I clean my oven on a warm day in the Spring or Summer and make sure the birdies are all outside for the day. I air out the whole house before I bring them back in.

[BaileysPapa]

I, also, put all the birds' cages outside, open all windows, put on ceiling fans, and do it in the morning to let the house air out all day before bringing the birds back in. I also clean any upholstery, rugs, etc. of bird poop stains that day. Of course, I clean bird poop off of things every day! But, any heavy cleaning is done on days that the birds can enjoy the screened in patio.

[Michellec]

Thank you. I'll wait till late spring.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I also have to wait until Spring! Good thing I don't bake often! Nancy

[Inara]

I bake a lot and even though I have a self cleaning oven, I don't like to breathe that residue myself! Here is a great youtube video that shows a decent non-toxic non-fumey approach and it is also great at how to take the various parts of one's oven apart:

 

 

Am in the process of doing this today. It does help to let it sit in your oven for awhile to cut the grease. Be sure to try it (or anything else) on an unobtrusive spot to ensure that your oven finish is OK with this mixture. Baking soda, vinegar, and Dawn dishwashing liquid.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Inara

[birdhouse]

^^^ Inara, can't get the link to work for me ^^^

 

Vinegar is good for lifting a lot of crud. It's safe & got a few natural antimicrobial properties. It's also a grease cutter, although not the greatest. I don't happen to mind the smell which is harmless & evaporates pretty quickly anyway. So I use it for a lot of hard surface quickie clean ups.

 

In the oven, I drench trouble spots w/white vinegar & let sit while I boil a kettle of water. Then put the water into an oven safe dish. I leave the oven set on lower bake setting until the window steams up. Once the oven has cooled enough to work in, remove water dish. Spray oven w/vinegar, again & wipe clean w/wet sponge. Sometimes I need a non abrasive scrubby for the really tough spots.

 

It does well enough to get by in the big oven. Works great in the microwave.

Edited December 9, 2013 by birdhouse

[Inara]

Birdhouse, I used the recipe:

 

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup vinegar

1/8 cup Dawn liquid

 

And then did put my own twist on it by pouring boiling water onto folded up paper towels and putting them upon the worst spots to soften them up. Then I simply dabbed the above mixture on, used a plastic scrubby lightly on the worst spots, rinsed everything and my oven is sparkling. I soaked the racks in a sink filled with scalding water and the same mixture, and they came out shiny and bright.

 

Microwave, I just put a bowl of water with a lemon slice in it and then zap it for 3 minutes, then wipe. Works great.

 

When I was young, I'd pour boiling water into a bowl, put a couple of capfuls of ammonia in it, shut the oven door, then wipe out in the morning. But I gave up ammonia long ago. Great to know that even just the vinegar and hot water alone works, thanks for that, tip!!

 

I fixed the link, because she does have some good tips on taking the oven door off, etc.

[birdhouse]

I am a big fan of Dawn & it's all I use. Great degreaser imho. The only thing I don't like is the after taste. Especially w/the antibacterial line, I think it's a little harder to rinse thoroughly & sometimes I smell/taste it in plastics that were left to soak. Eww! Yuck!

 

Nothing's left behind no matter what w/plain vinegar & water because it evaporates completely. That's one of the reasons I like using it.

 

Baking soda's also a grease cutter. Baking soda or salt are of my go to's for replacing abrasive powders, though. I have a self cleaning oven. So I'd limit the scrubbing on the inside to those little green scrubbies & elbow grease. But it sounds like your potion might be be pretty good for the outside. Think I'll try it next time. Thanks!

 

Baking soda & vinegar are pretty effective for cleaning other things, too because they bubble up when they're combined. Have you ever tried them as a drain cleaner?

Edited December 10, 2013 by birdhouse

[aerial.2000]

I set mine to clean Sunday and packed Marco up and we headed out for the day the smell in there while its self cleaning gives ME a headache I cant imagine what it would do to a bird. I use the vinegar/dawn mixture on cleaning marco's cage