How to clean the inside of an oven and keep it that way??

Ssreek

Ssreek

Herald
Inspired from @blr_p 's post, I've put up this thread so that some of you experts can share how to clean inside of oven, be it convection or otg or any other oven, so that it doesn't rust, degrade or look stained forever.

I bought an LG convection oven, it has steel cavity. After using for almost 6 months and due to neglected (infrequent) cleaning, it now looks as dried out oil stains inside. We cook non-veg very regularly.

I tried steam cleaning method with water and lemon multiple times but it didn't do much. There are some cleaner sprays available online but I'm worried if those chemicals will come into contact with food later. Moreover cavity has holes through which air circulates, so these chemicals going inside it might harm the machine.

And then there are those charcoal lighting bulbs, I don't know if they can come into contact with water during cleaning. Service persons didn't give much info during demo.

Please share your tips, methods on how to clean it well. Any maintenance tips are very welcome.
 
A scotch brite cleaning square (the yellow/pink kind) and some Cif spray/liquid works wonders to keep your microwave looking new. Once cleaned, I steam the microwave heavily by keeping a huge bowl of water and heating it for 5 to 10 mins. I've been using this method for about 10 years and it has worked out well for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: sporkydork, ?dOuBtFiRe?, anmolbhard004 and 2 others
When you create a thread like this, you are assumed to be the expert who has taken the trouble to try various products and can make recommendations on which to and not use.

Steam clean is pointless.
Lemon is also not the right product. They use it only for perfume.

What you need is something that is a strong base or alkaline to shift grease.

Any cleaner with ammonia will work to degrease ovens. You can find some as imports in amazon. That's pretty much what is used in the west.

The trick is making that in India with chemicals available that can be used in safe manner. I'm sure a very effective cleaner can be made at an affordable price.

The only problem is care & knowledge has to be taken when using such chemicals.
 
kewlboy9 said:
A scotch brite cleaning square (the yellow/pink kind) and some Cif spray/liquid works wonders to keep your microwave looking new. Once cleaned, I steam the microwave heavily by keeping a huge bowl of water and heating it for 5 to 10 mins. I've been using this method for about 10 years and it has worked out well for me.
Click to expand...
Which cif spray may I know?

blr_p said:
The only problem is care & knowledge has to be taken when using such chemicals.
Click to expand...
That's the problem. If we apply them now, I worry if some part of the product stays inside and later gets into food. Another thing is if such chemicals damage the cavity. A good reputed brand won't make such products. Meanwhile steam cleaning is like a default mode of dedicated mode in ovens for some reason.
 
Ssreek said:
That's the problem. If we apply them now, I worry if some part of the product stays inside and later gets into food.
Click to expand...
No, that's not the problem. The problem is these chemicals can be hazardous to use without proper knowledge & care.

The chemicals are available but there is exactly zero info on caution or care provided by the supplier. You're on your own.
Ssreek said:
Another thing is if such chemicals damage the cavity. A good reputed brand won't make such products. Meanwhile steam cleaning is like a default mode of dedicated mode in ovens for some reason.
Click to expand...
Cavity is stainless steel isn't it? Its a waveguide for microwaves.

Ammonia is good for cleaning that
 
I use steam with lemon for routine cleaning , and then I follow up with CIF cream. It's not as effective on tough stains like caustic soda.
But I don't want to use those on food surfaces. I'm considering trying some of the oven cleaner spray next.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: blr_p
Ssreek said:
Inspired from @blr_p 's post, I've put up this thread so that some of you experts can share how to clean inside of oven, be it convection or otg or any other oven, so that it doesn't rust, degrade or look stained forever.
Click to expand...

Oven user for 40+ years now, here's my take:

For ovens with a proper internal coating, there will be no issues in using warm water and soap. Lower quality products need to be only cleaned with water, and the excess wiped off. The lemon is a bad idea, you do not want acid. Baking soda and water is a good substitute for soap in case you feel intimidated by soap. scrub pads may be used with very light pressure, but only on already soft deposits.

Most baked-on deposits do not affect anything internally either in operation or eventually, taste. However it will be smoky and unpleasant when burning off. A lot depends on how you cook. If you're doing open grills on a tray, there will be lots of splatter. If baking (brads/buns/pastry), there will be almost none. If you're covering dishes in foil till they're mostly cooked and take off the foil only for broiling, you should have minimal splatter.

Almost every coating, no matter how good, has a fixed lifetime. We regularly cook at 220 and 230C and one of our ovens is spotless, the other looks like I pulled it from trash. I have an even older one that I use to solder SMD PCBs, that looks almost new inside. But all its knobs are broken. So it does vary a bit.

Spray-on oven cleaner works well for old baked in stains, but we've never used it because of possible contamination.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6pack and Ssreek
Please check if your oven interior is steel or stainless steel (most likely the latter). You’re in luck if it’s stainless steel because then you can use caustic soda to clean caked-on oil stains. Regular steel cleans up fine too, but it’ll rust no matter how you clean it. You could coat it with a layer of oil afterwards but then you’re back to square one.

Caustic soda precautions: Wear PPE - this stuff is corrosive. Keep a bottle of household vinegar (usually 5% strength) handy. Apply vinegar if your skin comes in contact with caustic soda. If you have unsealed natural stone in your kitchen like marble or granite then watch out - both caustic soda and vinegar will etch them. Vitrified tiles are safe though.

Making the solution: Take some hot water in a glass, ceramic or stainless steel mug and carefully stir in a tablespoon of caustic soda with a stainless steel spoon. Apply this solution on the stains with a soft paintbrush. It helps if the oven is also hot. Let it sit; it’ll do the heavy lifting on its own. The oil stains should turn into ‘soap’ (yes, oil + caustic soda = soap). Wipe down the interior with vinegar. If you notice fizz then it indicates the presence of unspent caustic soda. Hit it with more vinegar to neutralize it. Regarding the issue of caustic soda seeping into the cavities, it depends on you how carefully you carry out this job. Once you get the hang of it, you can confidently use this method to clean other stainless steel items in your house - like chimney filters.

Cif is abrasive. Use it on brushed matt finishes; clean with it in the direction of grain/texture. Caustic soda is different. It needs less elbow grease as it dissolves the oil layer by layer.

From what I’ve seen, aluminum is the only material that you can’t clean without wrecking it.

If you think caustic soda is too intense for casual home use, then please be aware that you might already be using it in the form of "spray foam cleaners" meant for AC coils, baffle filters and car radiators.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ssreek
In microwave if you cover everything that you put in with a lid, it doesn't get dirty at all. Maybe little bit over long period, which can be cleaned just by wiping with wet cloth.
 
chyawanprash said:
Please check if your oven interior is steel or stainless steel (most likely the latter). You’re in luck if it’s stainless steel because then you can use caustic soda to clean caked-on oil stains. Regular steel cleans up fine too, but it’ll rust no matter how you clean it. You could coat it with a layer of oil afterwards but then you’re back to square one.

Caustic soda precautions: Wear PPE - this stuff is corrosive. Keep a bottle of household vinegar (usually 5% strength) handy. Apply vinegar if your skin comes in contact with caustic soda. If you have unsealed natural stone in your kitchen like marble or granite then watch out - both caustic soda and vinegar will etch them. Vitrified tiles are safe though.

Making the solution: Take some hot water in a glass, ceramic or stainless steel mug and carefully stir in a tablespoon of caustic soda with a stainless steel spoon. Apply this solution on the stains with a soft paintbrush. It helps if the oven is also hot. Let it sit; it’ll do the heavy lifting on its own. The oil stains should turn into ‘soap’ (yes, oil + caustic soda = soap). Wipe down the interior with vinegar. If you notice fizz then it indicates the presence of unspent caustic soda. Hit it with more vinegar to neutralize it. Regarding the issue of caustic soda seeping into the cavities, it depends on you how carefully you carry out this job. Once you get the hang of it, you can confidently use this method to clean other stainless steel items in your house - like chimney filters.

Cif is abrasive. Use it on brushed matt finishes; clean with it in the direction of grain/texture. Caustic soda is different. It needs less elbow grease as it dissolves the oil layer by layer.

From what I’ve seen, aluminum is the only material that you can’t clean without wrecking it.

If you think caustic soda is too intense for casual home use, then please be aware that you might already be using it in the form of "spray foam cleaners" meant for AC coils, baffle filters and car radiators.
Click to expand...
Mine is LG charcoal oven...I am guessing it is stainless steel, will have to check the manual and see what they say.
My only worry is it the solution goes in to those tiny holes through which fan air comes.

Heisen said:
In microwave if you cover everything that you put in with a lid, it doesn't get dirty at all. Maybe little bit over long period, which can be cleaned just by wiping with wet cloth.
Click to expand...
That works for microwaving, I use a lid nowadays. But for grilling or baking, that lid is not useable as it is plastic microwave safe only material.
Besides, if we cover the food with lid, grilling also wont be efficient.
 
Top Bottom