How to Clean an Oven Without Chemicals — The Baking Soda Method

Commercial oven cleaners like Easy-Off contain lye (sodium hydroxide), a highly caustic substance that requires ventilation and gloves. They're effective but many people prefer to avoid harsh chemicals in the kitchen. The baking soda and vinegar method is slower but equally effective for ovens with moderate to heavy baked-on residue, and uses only food-safe ingredients.

What You'll Need

• Baking soda
• White vinegar in a spray bottle
• Dish soap
• Water
• Rubber gloves
• A plastic or silicone scraper
• Microfibre cloths or old rags

Step 1: Prepare the Oven

Remove all oven racks. Wash the racks separately in hot soapy water or use the baking soda soak method described for range hood filters above — the same approach works for oven racks with heavy buildup.

Allow the oven to cool completely. This is both a safety requirement and practical: the paste won't stay on a warm surface.

Step 2: Apply the Baking Soda Paste

1. Mix 125ml (½ cup) baking soda with enough water to form a spreadable paste — roughly the consistency of peanut butter
2. Wearing gloves, spread the paste over all interior oven surfaces: bottom, sides, and door (avoid the heating elements)
3. Pay extra attention to areas with heavy buildup
4. Let it sit overnight — minimum 12 hours. The longer it sits, the more the baking soda dissolves and loosens baked-on grease and carbon. 12–24 hours is ideal.

Step 3: Wipe It Out

1. Using a damp cloth, wipe out as much of the dried paste and loosened residue as possible
2. Use a plastic scraper for stubborn, crusted areas — it won't scratch the oven interior the way metal would
3. Spray the remaining residue and any paste you couldn't reach with white vinegar — it will fizz and react with any remaining baking soda, helping to lift it
4. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Repeat as needed until the oven surface is clean.

Step 4: Clean the Oven Door Glass

The inner glass of the oven door often has baked-on splatter that's difficult to reach. Apply the same baking soda paste directly to the glass, let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then scrub with a non-scratch pad and wipe clean. For ovens where the glass is accessible from below (many models have a removable door), clean from both sides.

How This Compares to Commercial Cleaners

Commercial oven cleaners work faster — typically 30 minutes to a few hours versus 12+ hours for the baking soda method. For a heavily soiled oven that hasn't been cleaned in years, commercial cleaners may be more practical. For regular maintenance cleaning every 3–6 months, the baking soda method is effective and completely chemical-free.

Oven interior cleaning is included in Maidless's deep cleaning service in Toronto. Book a deep clean — HST included.