Some people believe that baking soda is the best all-natural cleaner out there… others say baking soda can do so much more! From cleaning your refrigerator to keeping your arm pits dry and stink-free to warding off ants around the house, there are hundreds of purported uses for baking soda. Just check out this list from the Farmer’s Almanac.
Now, I don’t totally buy into everything on those lists. However, there are a few things I do use baking soda for, and have been pleased with the results. A paste of baking soda and water on the site of a bee or wasp sting calms down the ouchie. An open box of baking soda in the fridge and freezer removes odors. And, this week, I found that a paste of baking soda and water was, in fact, pretty good at getting the gunk off the inside of my at-least-15-year-old oven. Here’s what I did.
Ingredients
- Baking soda
- Water
- White Vinegar (optional)
Steps
- Mix together the baking soda and water to form a thick paste. The paste should be thick, not runny, with no dry baking soda left unmixed.
- Open your oven door as far as it will go, and spread the paste all over the inside window and edging. Mix up more baking soda and water if need be.
- Leave the paste on the door for at least half an hour, or overnight if you have the time. I left the paste on for about an hour. You can close the door while you’re waiting — the thick paste will stick to the door even in a vertical position.
- When you’re ready to scrub, open up the oven door and grab a paper towel or cleaning cloth. Start polishing the door with the baking soda mixture. I vacuumed up some of the baking soda mixture that had dried out, and scrubbed with the mixture that was still damp.
- When you’re done scrubbing, wipe away as much of the baking soda mixture as you can. Then, put some white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it all over the door. Wipe off any leftover baking soda wherever it foams up.
Results
A reduced odor in the oven, and a clear oven window that you can actually see through!
Notes
My oven door was pretty caked with grime, but it only took me about half an hour to scrub everything off. There was one tough spot that may need some additional cleaning later, but overall I was quite pleased with the results. While it definitely took some “elbow grease,” avoiding the high-heat, stinky self-clean cycle on the oven was worth the effort.
