Spring Oven Cleaning!

Heavy Duty Oven Scrub

¾ cup Baking Soda

¼ cup Salt
¼ cup Water
15 drops Essential Lemon Oil (helps cut grease and naturally disinfects)

Mix in a small bowl to make a thick paste.  Moisten oven walls with a damp sponge or cloth then apply the paste.  I use my gloved hand to scoop out paste and cover the oven walls using a soft circular motion.  Let paste sit for at least two hours, but overnight for best results.  Remove paste using a spatula and wipe clean with a moist sponge or cloth.  Rub any “tough spots” gently with steel wool.  Using clean water and a clean sponge or cloth, rinse and wipe the oven down a few more times to avoid a white film on your oven walls after it dries.  I use a spray bottle filled just with water for this purpose.

Background:

For many, Spring means it is time to CLEAN!  Not sure why, but kitchen ovens tend to be one of those things that I just don’t clean that often, so I thought that “Spring Cleaning” time would be a good time to share how I’ve happily replaced “Easy Off” spray oven cleaner!

“Easy Off” is a cleaner that not even my husband can stand.  In fact, the last time he walked into his mother’s house on a day she was using it; we all had to walk right back out!  The stuff is… strong, and not in a good way.  Honestly, the chemicals in “Easy Off” really don’t make cleaning the oven an easy or fast chore so I was optimistic that I could find a good replacement that would make cleaning the oven easier on my nose, if nothing else.  The recipe above is enough for one good Spring oven cleaning.  It doesn’t make the job any faster or easier than “Easy Off” does, but it honestly doesn’t make it any harder either.  Plus, the light lemony smell is pleasant, and after cleaning the oven with it, I find myself feeling a happy sense of accomplishment, not a dizzy sense of ICK!

Additional Notes:

For in between major oven cleanings and to generally clean all kitchen surfaces, I use my 50/50 vinegar and water spray with tea tree oil.  It works very well, and my Grandmother swears it takes care of grease like no other spray cleaner she has ever used.  My Grandmother cleaned office buildings in Manhattan for a living when she first came to this country, so I don’t care what science says about vinegar not cutting grease, if my Grandma says it does, it does!  Also, I figure it could be the tea tree essential oil I add?

Why 15 drops of essential lemon oil?  Good question!  I’ve got the answer to why I put an exact number of essential oil drops in my cleaning recipes, and I’ll explain it soon in a post, I promise.  Hint: it has to do with fighting germs.

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