Another question of oven-cleaning...

[TheCG]

I started cleaning my kitchen. My stove is now cream instead of brown with cream showing through in a few places.

 

However, my oven is still kinda nasty. It's not self-cleaning, and I'm highly sensitive to chemicals. The cleaners I have on hand are baking soda, washing powder, borax, vinegar, oxyclean, lemon juice, Dawn dish soap, and bleach (bleach makes me sneeze, but I use it rarely and sparingly).

 

Is it possible to make something of those that would effectively clean the oven?

 

If not, does anyone know of a product that won't drive my nose crazy that I might try?

 

Thanks for any help, and yes, I know I have to use lots of elbow grease. Once I get this done, I just have to clear off and clean a counter and my kitchen will be CLEAN and uncluttered (as long as you don't look in the cupboards)! Then I'll promptly mess it up by starting the Xmas baking.

[Genoa]

I'm sorry, I don't have an answer for you, although I do understand being sensitive to chemicals. I have very bad asthma and allergies, and am able to use fewer and fewer cleaning products. Actually, I use them when I have to but have to be very careful and ventilate well in order to manage my reactions.

 

I hope you don't mind if I insert another question about oven cleaning. I DO have a self-cleaning oven, but it has developed a buildup of black stuff right at the front edge, next to where the door hinges. The self-clean cycle doesn't seem to touch it. The instructions caution not to use any kind of oven cleaner with a self-cleaning oven, so I'm wondering what I can do to clean this. I've tried using a steam cleaner or vinegar, but nothing is working.

[Violet]

I have not tried it, but there is an Easy Off Fume Free oven cleaner. There is one that also says safe for self cleaning ovens. I use it on the glass door on mine, plus the places that the self clean cycle doesn't get. It works well. I have a self cleaning oven, so why does it always seem dirty, LOL ?? I think they should rename them, not self cleaning. Unless they mean like in YOURself has to clean it. You still have to wipe out the ash residue when it is done.

Other than that, I use Soft Scrub or Comet, things like that, or SOS pads when I have to scrub things in the house.

I have not tried vinegar, but this is what I found:

Vinegar cuts grease by itself and will soften deposits if you cover the area liberally with it. While it's hard to keep it from running off the walls of an oven, it works wonders on the floor of an oven and the fumes will help soften the gunk on the walls, too. Let it set several hours. If you're in a hurry, use a quarter cup of vinegar and a drop of dish detergent in a pint of hot water and let it set for just a few minutes and then scrub.

[Shawna]

I am monsterously late in replying to this thread, but I'll give ya my .02 anyhow LOL!

 

If you have alot of yuck--stuck on goobers on the bottom of oven, I'd wet a big towel (not sopping wet, but not wrung out completely) and lay it right on the bottom of oven. Let it sit for a while (1/2 hour, hour, whatever floats your boat!) and then wipe out what you can in the oven. Just keep doing this until you have the heavies off the bottom (I have used a metal spatula to scrape stuff off after letting the towel sit). Then just use an SOS pad or steel wool to scrub the other stuff. It may not be perfect, but it'll do when you don't want to use chemicals!!!

 

 

Shawna