Home · Cleaning · Best practice · Oven cleaning without wrecking the oven
Cleaning best practice
The short answer
Caustic oven cleaners work, but they damage aluminium, self-cleaning liners and some seals, so the product has to match what the oven is made of.
Carbonised food needs an aggressive alkali, and the same alkali attacks several materials commonly found inside an oven cavity.
How it is done
- Check for catalytic or pyrolytic liners; caustic products ruin both.
- Remove racks and trays and soak them separately.
- Protect the seal, the element and any aluminium trim.
- Ventilate the room and wear gloves and eye protection.
Why it matters
Replacing a catalytic liner costs considerably more than the clean did. Knowing which oven you are standing in front of is most of the skill.
questions
Asked about this
One with a self-cleaning cycle that heats the cavity high enough to reduce residue to ash. It should be run rather than chemically cleaned inside.
Bicarbonate paste and steam help on light soil and are a reasonable choice around food. Heavy carbonisation generally does not yield to them.
references
Background reading
- Sodium hydroxide — Wikipedia
- Oven — Wikipedia
External encyclopaedia entries for the underlying concepts. They explain the science; the practice above is how we apply it in UAE properties.