I have never found a good solution to removing the cooked-on grime on my oven glass. However last week after posting about Discoloration on the Oven a reader asked me the dreaded question: “How do I clean oven glass?”
So of course I had to find a solution! Because having oven glass that looks like this, is just not acceptable. I needed to find a solution for my reader but also for me! So today I’m giving you a quick tutorial for how to clean oven glass!
Here’s what you need:
- Baking soda
- Water
- Something to mix in
- Clean microfiber cloth (these are the ones I use)
Step 1: Pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a dish and slowly add water to it until it becomes a thin paste. You don’t want it to be too thick because you want the mixture to be easy to spread, it should be about the consistency of pancake batter.
You can see mine is a little runny but it was perfect.
Step 2: Spread the baking soda mixture all over the oven glass. I ran out of baking soda so I didn’t have enough to do the entire glass surface so I just spread it over the dirtiest areas.
Step 3: Set the timer for 15 minutes. If your oven is REALLY dirty you can set it for 20 minutes to give the baking soda a little extra time to work.
Step 4: When 15 minutes has expired use a clean, damp microfiber cloth and wipe up the baking soda mixture. You will be amazed at how easily the grime just wipes right off!
I have to admit I was very skeptical about this process but it was amazing how well it worked to remove the grime cooked onto the glass!
I think the pictures speak for themselves.
What do you think? I know you want to try it now, especially because it’s SO easy! If you have a super dirty oven door I’d love it if you’d email me your before and after pictures!
Did you know this is one of my most popular posts!? To see more of the posts people love click on the titles below:
- How to Clean Between the Oven Glass
- How to Clean Glass Shower Doors the EASY Way
- How to Wash Windows (especially window tracks)
- How to Organize Paper Clutter in 30 minutes or Less
- The BEST Moscow Mule
- DIY Homemade Laundry Detergent and WHY it works so well
- How to Organize DVDs (you will be shocked at how much space it saves!)
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Jayna Rae says
May 26, 2011 at 7:43 amAwesome. I have used water and steal wool before. Very gently, of course. This reminds me of a book my mom was just tell me she has; I think it is called the Baking Soda Book. Something like that. The gist is, it is EVERYTHING baking soda can do.
Marlene vance says
January 15, 2015 at 4:35 pmLove your oven cleaning ideas, so plan to do that soon. Will look for more easy cleaning ideas
k0000 says
November 13, 2016 at 12:59 pmSTEAL wool???
Anonymous says
May 26, 2011 at 2:54 pmThanks for answering my question Anna! I will be giving this a try this weekend. Also, I did a web search and, I found a way to clean in between the glass. If you pull out the bottom drawer and look up the bottom of the door (I am thinking you will need to be laying on the floor unless there is an easy way to get the door off) you will see a couple of hole slats. Take a coat hanger or long ruler and, with duct tape, attach a cloth or paper towel dampened with glass cleaner or other cleaner of choice and stick it up one of the slats. I found this tip here http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cleaning/msg092300439422.htmlI will also be giving this a try this weekend. Who knows! I may end up with a new looking stove after 8 years of heavy use!! Thanks for your awesome tips!Kath
Sallie says
May 26, 2011 at 10:49 pmMy husband owns an appliance repair business, and he never told me this. I'll have to ask him if he's heard of using baking soda. Baking soda is great for so many things!
Samantha says
May 30, 2011 at 11:22 amI'm so sceptical of this I've been downstairs and put the soda on now…..I'll let you know in 20 mins if it's worked…..my oven's very dirty….!
Samantha says
May 30, 2011 at 12:06 pm40 mins and there's a small improvement. It appears my oven door is dirtier than I realised! I'll keep checking it and let you know as soon as it's worked.
Samantha says
May 30, 2011 at 7:38 pmA couple of hours later and having brought out the big guns (white vinegar), I'm amazed……ok, totally non toxic! I might even have to blog about it!
Barbara says
November 28, 2016 at 12:59 pmSamantha,
Thank you for trying this and thank you for letting us know!!!
Anna says
May 30, 2011 at 7:50 pmSamantha–That's awesome. I'm glad it came clean. Did you try wiping it up after 20 min? Mine still looked dirty after 15 minutes but when I wiped it off the grime came right up. I'm just curious if you were eying it or if you actually wiped it up and it hadn't come clean yet.Anna
Rosario says
May 31, 2011 at 2:54 pmI am heading to the kitchen thanks for the info. I have tried all kinds of cleaner and they still leave behind some traces of grime. Lets see what happens.
~The Bargain Babe says
May 31, 2011 at 4:24 pmSaw you at Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays. Thanks for the tip, my glass always has stuff burned on it!
Kimberlee says
May 31, 2011 at 8:17 pmI love using baking soda. Great post! Visiting from Sugar Bee's Take a Look Tuesday.~Kimberlee {Accuquilt Giveaway}
Mrs. 2010sHousewife says
June 1, 2011 at 1:28 amThanks for doing the research for us! I need to clean my oven window and now I'm motivated!
Judy @ In His Grip says
June 1, 2011 at 1:28 pmThis is fantastic! I am going to do this ASAP, right after I clean the entire oven :o)
imsteelefullofscrap says
June 1, 2011 at 4:41 pmThank u Im going to try it I have dont everything to get mine clean and it still never did!
ginger says
June 1, 2011 at 10:56 pmI so needed this. Thanks! Saw you over on Sugar Bee Crafts link up. New follower. :)Just started my own link up party over at gingersnapcrafts.blogspot.com.Would love to have you link up. A giveaway is involved. :)Ginger gingersnapcrafts.blogspot.com
Chris says
June 3, 2011 at 6:47 pmGreat tip! Baking soda is one of my favorite go-tos for cleaning. I'd never thought of a paste like this. I will be trying this soon!
Sandy Jenney - Organize with Sandy says
June 7, 2011 at 12:40 amOk… you are my new hero! Love this.
Amy Bowman says
June 7, 2011 at 3:03 amYou are featured at New Nostalgia's Anti-Procrastination Tuesday! Thanks for linking up!! You BY FAR got the most clicks:) Again!
Shirley says
June 7, 2011 at 3:26 amMy stove is only a year old and already has splatters on the door glass. I'm going to try this and clean it before it ever gets really bad. (Even though it is self clean, I don't know if I'd ever use that!!!)
Anonymous says
June 13, 2011 at 11:39 amIt sounds like the question is not about spatters on the inside (oven) side of the door, but about spatters in the space between the inner and outer glass panels. Right?There are openings at the top of the oven door which permit boiled-over food, etc, to leak through, but no way to open the oven door structure for cleaning.
Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust says
August 15, 2011 at 12:52 amI've always wondered how to do this. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I'm going to give it a try! And thank you for linking it to Fab Friday–please come back again this Friday.Warmly, MIchelle
Faith, Trust, and a Little Pixie Dust says
August 15, 2011 at 2:57 amPS – I featured you in my favorites. Feel free to take an "I Was Featured" button if you wish.Warmly, Michelle
barb says
September 4, 2011 at 12:12 pmIf you have a fireplace, wet a paper towel and put some of the cold ash on it. Rub it on your glass and everything wipes right off. I have used this tip for years to clean my fireplace glass and it works on oven doors too. It has something to do with the lime (I think) in the burnt wood residue.
cathyohler@yahoo.com says
September 14, 2011 at 4:28 amOK, first time at your blog….and thought wow I need the oven door cleaned…well I am already going into 40 minutes and no cigar…yet…
Anonymous says
September 17, 2011 at 7:06 amAlmost anything that is alkaline will work fine. I personally would not use anything acidic. Baking soda, OxiClean are both alkaline. As long as you let it sit for at least 15 minutes and use some elbow grease everything cleans great for the oven window. Most people who probably said it did not work did not leave it on long enough.
Bree says
October 15, 2011 at 9:00 pmGreat post. I love using baking soda to clean. Hands down best cleaner for pretty much everything. I had gone some time without cleaning my oven since I was pregnant and the utter smell of grease made me sick. I did the same thing you posted above but since mine was worse, I added some hot vinegar and lemon juice after the water and baking soda mixed. It cut right through all the grease and the baking soda got rid of all the hard to scrub area.
Blackwell Family says
October 26, 2011 at 8:00 pmMan, I was hoping it would work for me, no luck!!! Still searching for a solution!
Becky says
November 8, 2011 at 3:19 amGood.To.Know!
Anonymous says
November 28, 2011 at 4:33 amThe baking soda paste is also great for cleaning up aluminum baking pans/glassware that seem beyond repair from burnt-on cooking spray and such! It's amazing how much one simple little product can do.
Burnell Carstens. says
November 28, 2011 at 7:42 pmHi; After washing the house windows. Use auto paste wax.It will keep the dirt from clinging to the glass.If when building homes The builder would tilt the bottom of the window in toward the inside of the home. the windows would stay cleaner longer also we could see out side better. S/Burnell Carstens U.S. Coast Guard Ret. Chief.Look at the bridge windows ships at sea.
Idle Wife says
December 6, 2011 at 10:05 pmMy oven is only a year old, so I thought I'd try this on my toaster oven (which was covered in two years of *really* disgusting grime I could never get off). It worked amazingly well, but not as put on/wipe off as you make it sound! At least not for 2 years worth of splatters! I did two applications and the second is when I discovered it really helps to use the cakes of baking soda (that build up when you're wiping it off) to really scrub those areas that are extra bad. Although, the scrubbing wasn't as bad as I've done in the past (with little to no results) so overall, this is super great and I'm so glad I've got a way to *maintain* the clean now that I know how to manage it. Thanks for the tip!
nicacat56 says
December 13, 2011 at 11:14 pmWill someone please tell me what temperature at which to set the oven? This sounds like a great way to clean!
Anonymous says
December 24, 2011 at 6:56 amHi, I will definitely be trying this!!I was wondering would this work also on the inside of the stove where there's droppings that are stuck on the bottom of the stove?Thanks!starshine101@live.ca
Julie says
January 2, 2012 at 6:09 pmWorked perfect! Had to leave on a little longer, but not much. I used an older dish brush to scrub without touching the baking soda. Thank you!
Rachel says
January 3, 2012 at 6:51 pmI saw this on Pinterest and had to try it. We bought a used oven and I have tried to clean it several times, with no luck. Someone said this worked and I figured the worse that would happen for me is that it wouldn't work. Well, it took 40 minutes and some elbow grease, but my oven glass is now clean! Some of the less dirty places did get clean in 2o minutes with minimal wiping effort, but the rest of the glass was REALLY dirty and took more effort. Thanks for sharing!
p laporte says
January 5, 2012 at 1:14 amwhen i spray the oven with oven cleaner i just spray the door too…always have…then 'shine' it after with windex and a soft cloth…
Vicky says
January 5, 2012 at 9:36 pmThe inside of my sisters oven needs cleaned, she self-cleaned it caught on fire, will the baking soda mixture work, is it to strong it won't harm the interior surface will it? Or do you have a better idea? Thanks!!!!
Anna says
January 6, 2012 at 4:18 am@Vicky–Please send me your email address so that I can help you out.Thank you!Anna
Virginia says
August 14, 2012 at 6:58 pmA littele elbow grease and a brillo pad will do the trick and doesn’t take but a few minutes.
Maybelle says
August 28, 2012 at 12:25 pmThis really works!. I had been looking for a long time to find something that would work for me and believe me this does! Thanks a lot.
Caitlin says
October 25, 2012 at 1:30 amSo this gets in between? I mean if you just do it on the inside how does it work on the middle?
Anna says
November 6, 2012 at 8:21 amMy tutorial won’t get in between the glass but this tutorial will help you out: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/cleaning/msg092300439422.html. 🙂
Dorthy says
November 20, 2012 at 2:09 pmThis worked so well for my oven door glass. It was not even clean when I bought this house, which was . . . . I won’t tell how long I’ve lived here. I did use a “heavy duty scour pad” (those green scouring pads) after leaving the baking soda & white vinegar paste on the window for 20 minutes.
THANKS!
Debbie Wightman says
December 30, 2013 at 7:49 pmHi Anna, I too read the suggestion of water and baking soda paste and I tried it too ways. the first 1/2 hour I made the paste and left it on. When I wipe it off it was better but still had stuff I could feel on the glass and see. Later I heated the oven to 200 and put another batch of the baking soda and and water and left it on for 30 minutes. A little better but the cooking grime is still on my 2 year old oven. I want to get it clean by New Years Day…… what next might I try? and I also tried dish soap and water….:(
thanks,
Debbie in Oregon
Anna says
December 31, 2013 at 9:59 amDang, I’m not sure! Have you tried using an Arm & Hammer toothpaste and a sponge? I know it sounds weird but that’s what I use to get tough spots off my stovetop. Put a little toothpaste on the burned spots and scrub it with a sponge or a hard toothbrush, it should break up the spot.
deanne cassidy says
February 15, 2014 at 3:28 pmthank-you for tips on cleaning stoves.
Dawn says
March 7, 2014 at 1:53 pmI cleaned my oven today following advice I saw on pinterest which said to mix baking soda, water and washing up liquid (I think you call it dish soap in USA). Although I must admit that my after pic is worse than your before pic! But compared to other chemicals I have tried it was brilliant. I used the oven afterwards with no need to wait for the smell to disappear as there wasn’t any. I think I will be tempted to clean my oven more often now I have found an easy, safe, non toxic method. I think after a few more tries with it I will soon have a sparkly oven like yours. Also my oven door opens out not down so the washing up liquid helps the solution to stick to the door. I left the mix on for an hour or 2.
Margaret Minor says
March 18, 2014 at 10:20 pmI will do this. My oven door is not too bad yet but want to catch it before it does get bad. Funny thing tho. My stove is EXACTLY the same as yours. Have had it since 2005 and have been very happy with it! How about you?
Stephen Kitzul says
May 9, 2014 at 7:43 amWell now, I tried it exactly as you said, and it did not work. I tried it again, and still, nothing came off of the glass. <>
Barb says
May 23, 2014 at 11:23 amWhat temp?
Alice @ Mums Make Lists says
November 13, 2014 at 3:46 amHave to confess my oven door was seriously gunky and so the baking soda on it’s own didn’t get most of the grime and splatters off but after a bit of experimentation I found a foamy paste of 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 of dish washing liquid and a teaspoon or so of citric acid, left on for a good hour did the trick. It still needed some elbow grease but only about 5 minutes or scrubbing with a microfibre cloth.
cindy says
February 27, 2015 at 8:53 amCan you also use that baking soda ingredients on the inside of a self-cleaning stove??? I don’t like how hot it gets to use it.
Anna says
February 27, 2015 at 10:20 amYes you can! I use it on the inside too. 🙂
Fabienne says
March 20, 2015 at 4:51 amThanks for the wonderful advice on all things. I had tried the baking soda, but my oven door was so covered in dried on grease that this didn’t work. I opened the oven door and poured coke on it,let it sit for 20 minutes, and was able to remove all the built-on grime using a blade. The grease came off in strips kind of like caramel, but most of it came off.
ruby cretsinger says
September 7, 2015 at 10:29 amI clean my oven door glass with one of those single edged razor blades. I use it to scrape off all the baked on stuff and then wipe it with vinegar.
Barbara says
November 28, 2016 at 1:02 pmI had read that the only way to clean my oven door was to take it apart and then clean it. Well, I was not about to do that. Now I see this, and I will try it. Thank you so much for posting this!!!
Anna says
November 28, 2016 at 1:03 pmYou’re welcome! This is a much easier way, and a must less risky way to clean the oven glass. 🙂
Michele says
October 9, 2017 at 8:29 amI tried this method on my old oven glass and it ruined it. Every time I cooked something in it, I would get white streaks down the glass because the baking soda mixture got under the seals around the glass. Then that was impossible to get off because it had baked it on in the process. I wish there was an easy way to clean it without using baking soda!
Floss says
December 15, 2017 at 8:57 amMy glass oven door was so dirty from grease and baked goods getting on it. I had the oven on yesterday and waited until the oven was still somewhat hot and used a brillo pad on it and guess what? It all came off. It needs to be warm to hot. Just be careful. It works. I am so happy.
Marion says
April 4, 2018 at 5:34 amWhat can I use to clean a microwave convection oven?
Anna says
April 10, 2018 at 10:54 amI have a post about how to clean microwaves with vinegar here – https://askannamoseley.com/2012/03/vinegar-tips-cleaning-kitchen-appliances/. If you don’t want to just smell the vinegar you can add the juice of 1/2 a lemon to it (that’s what I do). 🙂