Most people think of cleaning as a painful chore and often put away cleaning household appliances for later. However, little do they realize that the periodic maintenance of any appliance improves its efficiency and will potentially protect you from spending on repairs.
So take a few minutes out of your schedule and try these simple oven maintenance tips.
- 1.
Check the oven door seal Did you know that over twenty percent of any oven’s heat can escape if the doors are not sealed properly. This will reduce efficiency and result in poor heating. Open the door and feel the rubber gasket that you will find around the perimeter of the oven to check for any broken, deformed or torn parts. If you find more than one broken area, it is time to replace the gasket.
- 2.
Salt a Grease Spill Sprinkle table salt over spillovers before using your oven to roast more meat. Now, close the door and let the meat cook. You will be surprised to see the spill transform into a cleanable pile of ash by the time the meat is done.
- 3.
Broiler Pan Cleaning
Broiler pans can be a pain to clean. You will need to spend hours scrubbing off burned food. An easy way to clean broiler pans is to heat the pan and then sprinkle some detergent on the affected areas. Cover the laundry detergent with wet paper towels. After about 15 minutes, remove the towels, and scrub the gunk off. - 4.
Oil your Oven Rack If you want your oven racks to glide smoothly, do not ignore them. Also, clean the oven wall ridges that the racks slide in and out on. Use soap filled steel wool pads to clean these ridges. After the ridges have dried, wipe them with vegetable oil. Your oven racks will glide on the ridges effortlessly!
- 5.
Cleaning dirty oven racks For this oven maintenance tip, simply submerge the oven racks in a bath of soapy water to loosen the grime. The longer you let them bathe in the suds, the easier will it be to get the grime off.
- 6.
Cleaning dirty oven racks - A novel way If you do not want to deal with a bathtub full of grease after having used it to clean greasy racks, simply use a plastic trash bag! Put your greasy oven racks in a large heavy duty plastic bag and add vinegar and dishwashing liquid to it. Next, add hot water to the brim of the bag. Seal the bag and place it in a tub of warm water for an hour or so. Remove the racks from the trash bag and scrub, rinse, dry and use again!
- 7.
Cleaning the insides of your Oven Fill a microwave-safe bowl with water. Run the oven on high for 2 minutes. Do not open the oven right away. After two more minutes use a soft rag and wipe the muck off!
- 8.
Clean the oven Right Away Do not wait for the oven to cool off before cleaning the spills of your last cooked meal. The longer you wait the longer you'll spend your hands and knees scrubbing. As soon as the oven cools off a little bit, use a sponge with some soapy water to wipe its insides. Burnt on food is easier to remove while the walls are still warm.
- 9.
Stain removal You'll be surprised to learn that newspapers can work better than a sponge. Make a ball from a few sheets of newspaper, soak it in soapy water and rub your oven with it. The burnt on food will disappear before your eyes.
- 10.
Remove embedded food Removing food that has been caught between the oven racks can be a real pain. Not any more. All you need is your ordinary plastic nail file. Just wipe with a damp cloth, or newspaper ball, when ready.
With a little bit of effort and care, and by following these ten basic tips for oven maintenance, you can have your oven working well far beyond its expected lifespan.
