An Almost Effortless Way To Clean Oven Racks

I have a self-cleaning oven, but I never use the self-cleaning feature because I also have birds. For you non-bird people, the super high temperatures reached during the self-cleaning cycle react with the oven coating and create the same type of fumes that are given off by overheated Teflon-coated cookware. Both types of fumes can cause immediate bird death, even when the bird is not in the same room, so using Teflon-coated cookware and the self-cleaning feature on my stove are no longer options for me. Although I have to clean the oven manually, I find that as long as I clean up any spills when they happen, it is never that big a deal.

Cleaning oven racks, however, can be a lengthy, miserable job… messy, too, if you use oven cleaners, ammonia, or even steel wool pads. However, there is another EASY way to get oven racks sparkling clean that takes almost no effort at all. It also doesn’t involve chemicals or toxic substances.

This is an overnight process. In the evening just put the dirty oven racks in the bathtub and fill the tub with enough hot water so the racks are completely submerged. For this to work, the water needs to be very, very hot. Using water that is warm, not hot, does not give the same results. I add regular laundry detergent to the water. You can also use the granulated-type dishwashing detergent, but I think the laundry detergent does a better job. Be sure to put down an old towel or something soft to protect the bottom of the tub from scratches before you put in the racks. Slosh the detergent around in the water, check to be sure that the racks are completely submerged, shut off the water, and go to bed.

In the morning you will find that the baked-on grime that was on the oven racks has already dissolved overnight in the water and detergent and can be easily rinsed away. All that’s left to do is to rinse the racks and dry them with a soft cloth.

Cleaning anything can’t get much easier than that!

Written by Shirley | Filed Under Household Hints & General Information

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Comments

Comment by keira:

the racks in my oven are very dirty and i keep putting off cleaning them because i’m pregnant and i don’t want to use chemicals. i’m going to try your idea and if it works i will be greatful to you for life!!!!! thanks for a wonderful blog. i looooooooooove it!!

Comment by orneryswife:

This does sound less toxic than my method. Actually I so rarely bake any more that my oven stays pretty clean, but I have always just put the racks in a double lined large plastic trash bag and poured 1/2 cup ammonia in the bag (outside) and tied it up for about 30 minutes. There is still some scrubbing involved, but they come out sparking clean. Next time I have to clean them I’ll try the tub.

thanks for the great blog. I always enjoy reading and getting inspired!
tm

Comment by David M:

Just to say a MASSIVE thank you for the tip about the oven cleaning, I had cleaned the oven with CIF oven stuff (we live in Ireland) and plenty of elbow grease, and had started on the oven rack and sides of our NEFF oven (the slots that hold the racks in place and which can, I discovered, be unscrewed). About 5 minutes into the first of 5 racks (including side ones) I thought there MUST be an easier way to do a tough job well, quicker, and so I might actually want to do it again sooner! Found your site by luck, love the concept, shoved an old towel in the bath at 2pm, ran hit hot with 2 washing clothes detergent caps full of whatever we use, lay the racks down, went out with the family to a village fair, came back, pulled out the racks and with maybe 10-15 minutes spent on all 5 racks in total, hey presto good as gosh darned new, shining like silver – ours were pretty bad, so for those with better over management it’ll probably take you even less! Thanks & good luck, great to have wasted my time to little effect.

Comment by David M:

should read ‘ran hot water’ and ‘great NOT to have wasted my time to little effect’!

Comment by Carol Evans:

Thanks for the wonderful tip. Does it matter if it is liquid laundry detergent or granulated detergent? Too bad detergent doesn’t remove grease stains from clothing as well as it does on oven racks…go figure. :)

Comment by Shirley:

Carol, I have used both, and both seem to work well.

Comment by Mary:

Wow! 11 years of barely a wipe down, followed your instructions (in my laundry tub) and presto! Shining like new. I will be passing your tip onto all my friends here in Australia. You are fabulous!

Comment by Sally:

I’m cleaning my oven racks right at this moment using your tip of placing them in the bath tub. I’ve put in two lids of Sards Wonder Power and it looks like it it doing the job. Thank you for making a job i’ve been putting off for so long a little more bearable. Looking forward to my clean oven on the Gold Coast Australia

Comment by Shirley:

Glad I could help! :o)

Comment by Helene:

WOW!!! unbelievable! this DOES work. I pulled them out of the tub in the morning, wiped the few pieces still touching(not stuck on)the rack. That was it. These racks now look like new – shiny and not a speck on them. Thank you, Shirley.

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