Caring for your cooker or oven

Cleaning the oven – made fun!

Well, our tried and tested method may not be fun, but it’s as quick and easy as we can make it – from years of experience!

Yes – it’s a chore, but regular cleaning keeps your oven functioning better and will help it last longer, so I’m afraid it’s worth it.

What you need:

• A couple of cheap J-cloths
• Scrubbing pads/scourers
• Cheap clear vinegar
• Lots of hot soapy water
• General household cleaner or baking soda mixed into a paste with water (effective but a chore)
• A can of spray oven cleaner
• Rubber gloves (to keep your hands nice)
• Newspaper
• A big, old sponge

Step 1 – Safety First!

If it’s an electric oven, turn it off at the wall, just to be on the safe side. For gas ovens, …

Step 2 – The Hob

You can take a photo of the oven top to remind you where everything goes, as you are about to dismantle it! Remove all the stove top items and drip pans and bung them in a bowl or bucket of hot soapy water and let them soak

Whilst they are soaking, clean away any old bits of debris on the oven top and use the household cleaner to wipe the surface down – if it’s really bad and you need to run hard, use circular motions to dislodge everything. Give it a quick wipe down to remove any traces.

Put some vinegar into a jug or bowl of cold water and use this to ‘finish’ the surface – it works a treat as it kills germs and smells – but it may attract the wasps in summer!

By now the stove top items should be ready to wipe down after their soaking, then pop them back into place.

Step 3 – The Main Oven and Grill

Remove all the racks from inside the oven and put into a new batch of hot soapy water (if they’ll fit – if not, they will need a wipe down with a damp cloth and household cleaner).

Put some newspaper down on the floor around the oven – things are about to get messy!

Armed with your rubber gloves, let loose the oven cleaner. Always start with the roof of the oven, then spray the sides and back, then the base (avoid spraying the electrical and/or gas units). Grab the big sponge and start wiping down (again from the roof first) and rinse away the oven cleaner. Give the main door and glass door a quick wipe down too.

Leave the door open and let the inside dry out whilst you wipe down the racks and slot them back in.

Step 4 – Check it still works

Make sure you’ve put everything back in place and turn the oven back on at the wall. It’s very easy to turn on the automatic timer when you are cleaning the oven controls, so just turn the oven on and make sure the lights come on before you are done. If nothing happens, check you haven’t knocked the oven into Auto mode.