3 Easy Tricks To Clean Your Oven Racks? You Need to Know

The most constantly used kitchen appliance is the oven. Almost all meals have a step that requires you to make use of your oven. However, due to the constant use, a lot of sticky gunk develops on the racks. This is mostly due to the level of heat in the oven and some of the food that drop on racks.

If you have an oven in your home, you obviously take some time to clean it. It is possible, however, that you do not concentrate on the racks, as they are hard to clean, right? Well, that is a common misconception. Oven racks are easy to clean, with some of the easiest tricks. Food heated in clean oven racks remains safe to eat with no threats of exposure to diseases. This article provides some of the easiest tricks on how to clean oven racks with the simplest tools.

What You Need?

There are three basic tricks to clean your oven racks. Even though all of the three are effective, some have certain advantages over the others. We go into detail of each of these steps with explanations to help you decide which of the three you prefer. Below are all the tools you require for the cleaning process. It is also important to remember that two of these tricks require you to soak the racks for a night. Therefore, be sure to clean the racks on a night you do not require to use the oven.

Bathtub Cleaning

• Bathtub

• Towels

• Dishwasher detergent

• Vinegar or lemon

Cleaning Using Trash Bags

• Trash bag

• Ammonia

Using Commercial Cleaners

• Ventilation (Yes, I said ventilation. I will explain why)

• Newspaper

• Rubber gloves

• Rag or brush

Step by Step Instructions

This section will help you understand each step and its importance in giving you the cleanest oven racks at the end of the whole process.

1. Bathtub Cleaning

Using your bathtub is the easiest way to get your oven racks clean with the least effort.

Place A Towel On Your Bathtub

When using your bathtub, it is important to ensure that you remember how smooth your bathtub is. Scratching your bathtub would ruin it and all the baths you take in it would become uncomfortable. For that reason, you should first place a towel on the bathtub to ensure that the rack does not scratch it in the process of cleaning. This also ensures that no dirt from your oven racks drops on the bathtub, giving you extra work of cleaning it.

Fill The Tub With Hot Water

You can use water at any temperature. However, for the best and quickest results, hot water gets rid of the sticky dirt best. Therefore, make sure to fill the tub with the hottest water you can. You however do not need to fill the tub completely. As long as the hot water covers the oven racks, the results will be positive.

Add Detergent

In this process, there are options. You can use the same detergent used in cleaning other utensils. You can also use baking soda, as it is highly efficient in getting rid of sticky gunk. To ensure that the results come with a clean scent, you can add lemon or vinegar to the solution created in the bathtub. The only thing that you need to remember in this step is that the oven racks are for food preparation, and you should therefore avoid cleaning with anything that has toxins in it, as this will cause health issues for your food.

Let It Sit In The Solution

The duration is really up to you. You can let the racks soak in the solution for a minimum of up to four hours. However, most people recommend soaking the racks overnight. This ensures that the solution has the chance to soften every single grain of gunk stuck on the racks. This also gives you a simpler time when you scrub off the gunk.

Clean Off The Dirt

After the above step, the rest is simple. Once the gunk lets go of the racks, you can simply wipe it off. You can use either a sponge, or a clean brush. The results are a clean rack with the best smell. Combine this with the clean oven, and you will enjoy cooking for your family.

Rinse

To ensure that no spots are left, rinse off the racks and inspect. In case there are any spots left, scrub them off with additional detergent. These spots are easier to scrub off because of the hours of soaking.

2. Using Trash Bags

This alternative method is somehow messy and smelly due to the use of ammonia, but very effective, with little effort required.

Place The Racks In The Trash Bags And Add Some Ammonia

Place your racks in the trash bags and add some ammonia into the bag. Since this method makes use of the ammonia fumes to remove the gunk from the racks, you should seal the trash bag, making sure it is airtight. This ensures that no fumes escape the trash bag, which would make the whole process useless.

Lay It Down In A Ventilated Room

Once you add ammonia and get rid of any escapes for the fumes, place the bag down flat so that the ammonia fumes reach the entire rack easily. Even though the bag is airtight, you should make sure that no ammonia fumes fill your house. Therefore, either get some ventilation by opening some windows, or do the whole process outside.

Let It Stay For A Whole Night

The fumes have a better chance of removing the entire gunk if you give it more time. The best thing to do is let it sit for an entire night without letting the ammonia fumes out.

Open The Bag And Spray The Racks

You should be ready to deal with the ammonia fumes. Therefore, make sure to wear goggles and an air mask. It is also important to use clothes you do not use. Also, make sure to put on gloves for this process. Once you open the trash bag and remove the racks, spray them with a lot of water, preferably from a hose. This dissolves the sticky gunk and your racks remain cleaner than ever. You can then replace the racks in your oven and enjoy cooking using a clean oven.

3. Using Commercial Cleaners

This process takes the least amount of time. The results, however, are pleasant.

Get Prepared

Preparation when using commercial cleaners is completely necessary. You should remember that commercial cleaners could be dangerous and toxic to your skin. Therefore, first make sure to protect your hands using gloves and goggles to protect your eyes. Also, make sure to use a sheet of newspaper on the area you plan to work on. This removes all possibilities of the commercial cleaners messing up the workstation or your body.

Place The Racks On The Newspaper And Spray

After you prepare yourself, place the racks on the workstation. Spray the racks, making sure that you spray every inch of the racks. This will ensure that the entire gunk gets a touch of the commercial cleaner.

Ventilation

The commercial cleaners clean the racks by having a reaction with the sticky gunk on your racks. This reaction produces many fumes, which can be either smelly, or toxic. Therefore, if cleaning in your kitchen, ensure that there is enough ventilation to rid the room of the fumes produced. To be safe, perform the whole process outdoors, where there is a lot of air.

Let It Sit

When using commercial cleaners, you do not require letting the racks soak overnight. Once you spray the racks with the commercial cleaners, making sure to spray each side and every inch, let the racks sit for up to 10 minutes. This gives the commercial cleaner time to react with the gunk stuck on your rack.

Scrub and Rinse