How to keep your oven cleaner for longer
Ovens can bring us so much joy, the smell of a warm cake or a Sunday roast. But they can also cause a lot of anguish - especially when it comes to keeping them clean. Fat and grease will accumulate in your oven, like cheese that dripped off a pizza or roasted chicken juices that spill over when you take that roast out to serve. Of course, some people are more careful than others, and some of us use our ovens daily, whilst others use them rarely, this means there is no hard-and-fast rule on how often you should clean it, but there are guidelines you can follow to keep it looking and performing well:
Firstly, clean it as soon as you notice any stains or burnt food bits. What about 'self-cleaning' ovens? They still need to be cleaned and the racks are the same as any other oven.
If you use your oven rarely, 4 times a year, or once every 3 months should suffice. If you are more of a daily user, then a fortnightly wipe down and clean should become part of your cleaning routine. We often get the oven cleaned for Christmas or occasions when we know it'll be used more, but cleaning it after these events can be forgotten about. Make sure to schedule a January clean after the festivities are done, whether it's yourself or with a professional cleaner.
Remember, a dirty oven can be a health hazard and can fill up your kitchen with smoke, but it can also become a serious fire hazard if left uncleaned for a long time. Even if you aren't worried about the risks, dirty ovens are also inefficient and will take longer to cook food, and those nice smells can turn into smelly smoke in your home.
There are things you can do to keep your oven cleaner for longer:
Using liners or tinfoil can help catch any spills and they can be quickly replaced
If you are cooking something that might spill out of its baking tray, pop it on a second, larger baking tray to catch any spills.
Wipe your glass as you go - a quick wipe down can save having to use a lot of elbow grease and nasty chemical cleaners in the future!
