When the Oven Door Is Really Gross: How to Clean It

Learning how to properly clean a glass oven door is a crucial skill for keeping your oven in good working order. After all, messes made in the kitchen, particularly on the glass door of the oven, tend to stay there until you remove them. However, by the time you've finished eating and the oven has cooled down, you've forgotten about those messes you made inside the oven. So dirt, dust, and grease can easily accumulate

Glass oven doors can be cleaned, but doing so requires some preparation, a strategy, and maybe even some elbow grease. Different oven models, levels of grime, and preferred cleaning products all call for different approaches when it comes to maintaining a sparkling glass oven door. We contacted Molly Maid of Mahoning/Trumbull County owner and cleaning pro Katie Burkey to find out how to properly clean a glass oven door. She showed us how to clean a glass oven door, including tricks for getting rid of baked-on grime.

How often and what you cook will determine how often you need to clean your oven's glass door. Every three to six months, or after every time you give your oven a thorough cleaning, you should give the inside of the door a good wiping down. Clean the outside of the oven once a week, or after any spills. About once per year, you should clean the space in between the oven door's two panes of glass. If you clean the oven door on a regular basis, you won't have to scrub as hard to remove baked-on grime, and you can get away with using milder cleaning solutions.

• Use a specialized vacuum cleaner with a crevice tool to clean those hard-to-reach
• Measurement Stick (Possible)
• Towels for dusting
• Add-on rubber bands.
• Salicylic acid
• Vinegar that has been distilled
• Sponges or scouring pads without abrasives
• Washing the windows
• Anti-grease dishwashing liquid
• Oven cleaning product from the store

1. Burkey advises that before attempting to clean a glass oven door, you should wait until the oven has cooled down completely.
2. Put the oven door glass away "Once the door is open, prop it up on your leg and unscrew it along the top. Burkey reassures you, "If the glass breaks, your legs will catch it."
3. She explains that once the pane of glass is gone, "you will have access to the in-between layers of your oven, which are often filled with crumbs and dust." Burkey proposes attaching a vacuum to the void there. Find a vacuum with a small enough crevice attachment to reach all of the nooks and crannies. They'll extract every last bit of it.

Glass oven doors typically have to be taken apart in their entirety for thorough cleaning between the panes of glass. Before you begin using your oven, be sure to read the manual (and keep in mind that many appliance manuals are now available online).

1. To remove the door from its hinges and remove it from the oven, you'll need someone's help holding the door. Together with an assistant, hold the door at a 75-degree angle and slide it up and away from the oven. Mind the door's weight, please.
2. Make sure the door is resting on something stable, like a towel-lined countertop.
3. Cover a yardstick with a dampened cleaning cloth and fasten the cloth to the stick using rubber bands. Place the yardstick in the space between the panes of glass, and scrub away any grime or stains with a sponge or cloth.
4. A dry, lint-free cloth should then be used to dry the area in between the panes of glass, and the yardstick should be used again. Once the door has dried, reinstall it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Glass oven doors are easiest to clean with a combination of baking soda and vinegar, both of which you probably already have on hand. Rather than using toxic chemical cleaners, Burkey recommends this method because "it's a great non-toxic alternative."

1. Put some baking soda on the dirty glass to help remove the grease and grime. The baking soda will start to bubble when sprayed with a solution of one part vinegar to one part water.
2. Spread the paste all over the glass with a nonabrasive pad, and then remove it with a damp rag. Scratch-free scouring pads, such as Mr. When all else fails, a clean Magic Eraser will do the trick However, it is crucial that whatever you use is non-abrasive, as scratching the glass can result in irreparable damage.
3. To conclude, use glass cleaner to restore the glass's luster.
4. When you're done, put your glass door back together, this time making sure to use the right screws in the right holes. When closing the door, double check that the glass is in place and the screws are locked.

The best way to clean your oven's glass door is to remove it, but this isn't always possible. It's possible that you need to clean the door, but you either can't or don't want to take the risk of removing it and potentially breaking the glass. The good news is that the glass doesn't need to be removed in order to be cleaned. Here's how

1. Verify that the oven has cooled to the point where it is not hot to the touch.
2. Mix baking soda and water into a thick paste. You can apply it to the glass with a sponge, rag, or even your hands (just make sure to wear cleaning gloves first). Depending on how dirty the glass is, let the paste sit for 15–20 minutes. You can let it sit for as long as a full day if necessary. Keep in mind that the mixture will get darker as it soaks up the grime and grease.
3. Paste can be easily removed with a damp cloth once you're ready. All-natural, inexpensive, and user-friendly, this cleaning product gets the job done quickly and efficiently.
4. If the glass oven door is still cloudy or streaked, try wiping it down with a damp cloth that has been treated with a drop of grease-cutting dish soap. After that, wipe it down with a damp cloth and let it dry completely.
5. White vinegar or cleaning vinegar, diluted 1:1 with water in a spray bottle, is another option. The door should be sprayed with the concoction. Use a lint-free cloth to wipe down.
6. If the oven door glass remains unclean after using baking soda, you can always resort to a store-bought cleaner. One excellent choice is Easy-Off's Professional Fume-Free Max Oven Cleaner. It's multipurpose; it can be used to wipe down individual racks or give the whole oven a thorough scrub. Method Heavy Duty Degreaser Spray is a good option if you want a non-toxic product. A clean, lemongrass aroma is also present. The products should be left on for the specified amount of time before being wiped away.

Scrub the Door's Surface:

1. Applying a drop of grease-cutting dish soap to a damp cloth can help remove tough residue or grease splatters. Apply dishwashing liquid to the residue, and scrub until the messes disappear. Clean with water, then pat dry.
2. Wipe the door in an S-pattern using a lint-free cloth sprayed with glass cleaner to remove any streaks.

Baked-on spills, grease, and messes are no match for the oven's self-cleaning cycle, which cleans not only the glass door but the interior as well.

Make sure the oven is completely devoid of food before starting the self-cleaning process. Take the racks out of the oven and clear the burners. Then, throw open your house's windows. Depending on the oven model, the self-cleaning cycle can reach temperatures of nearly 900 degrees Fahrenheit. Proper ventilation is essential because this will warm your home but may also release fumes. Keep the room (or the house) clear of kids and pets before activating the self-cleaning mode for maximum security. However, in the event of a fire, an adult should stay at home throughout this procedure.

High heat from the self-cleaning cycle destroys any remaining food or residue on the oven's interior surfaces, including the glass door. Depending on the model and mode chosen, the process can take anywhere from an hour to six hours to finish, so it's best to plan ahead or order takeout. Allow the oven to cool down after the cycle is complete. Debris will have been reduced to ash and can be easily removed with a wet sponge or rag.

Next, I will explain how often you should clean your oven and the simplest method for doing so.