Does your oven also have those characteristic black burnt-on stains and does your gas stove look like a grease explosion has occurred? You are not alone! As a mother who loves casseroles (but is a bit less fond of the cleaning afterwards), I have often looked at that caked-on oven door with a sigh. Fortunately, over time I have learned that degreasing the oven and stove can be quite easy and sustainable. With a few smart tips – and without filling your whole house with toxic fumes – you can get your kitchen back in shape. 🤗
Why clean sustainably? Well, besides being better for the environment (and for your lungs!), many natural remedies work surprisingly well. Moreover, it saves you expensive chemical oven cleaners. In this article, I share my 10 favorite green tips and tricks to thoroughly degrease your oven and stove. Put on your cleaning gloves (or actually, you don’t always have to) and let’s get started!
1. Preparation is half the work
Before you start with good intentions, make sure to prepare well. Remove oven racks and burner covers from your gas stove. Let these parts soak in hot soapy water with dish soap or an eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner. Soaking makes caked-on food residues and grease come off much easier, so you’ll have to scrub less later. That saves muscle power and cleaning products!
2. Make a powerful home remedy
Did you know you can make a top degreaser with simple kitchen ingredients? Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with some water into a creamy paste. Spread this paste on the caked-on stains in your oven and let it sit for half an hour. Baking soda is a natural abrasive powder that loosens grease and dirt without harmful fumes. You can safely apply this generously on oven walls and door. If you don’t have baking soda on hand, supermarket baking soda also works. This DIY paste is cheap, non-toxic, and saves you a lot of chemical oven cleaner.
3. Use a mild but effective cleaning paste
For really stubborn, baked-in grease layers, I swear by The Pink Stuff cleaning paste. This miracle paste is 99% natural and known for its powerful effect against dirt and grease. Apply a little The Pink Stuff on a damp sponge and rub it over the stains in your oven or on your stove. Let it sit briefly and then wipe it away. You will be amazed at how caked-on dirt dissolves, without harsh chemicals. Bonus: The Pink Stuff smells neutral and leaves no chemical residue in your oven – very nice when you bake food again later!
4. Scrub without scratching
Scrubbing is sometimes unavoidable when cleaning oven and stove, but choose the right tool. A scouring pad can scratch enamel or stainless steel. Prefer a smart sponge like the Scrub Daddy sponge. This cheerful yellow sponge becomes hard in cold water (handy for those caked-on parts) and soft in warm water (for light dirt). It is super effective yet gentle on your surface, so no scratches on the oven glass or your cooktop. Use the soft side or a microfiber cloth for delicate parts and the firm side for the pizza cheese baked into the oven. Bet scrubbing suddenly becomes much more fun with such a smiley in your hand?
5. Don’t forget the oven glass and the stove itself
That oven door, yes, it needs attention too. Fortunately, you can make the oven glass transparent again with a simple trick: a paste of baking soda and a splash of vinegar. Spread this on the glass plate, let it fizz briefly, and wipe clean – hello clear view! For the stove: remove the pan supports and clean the entire top with warm soapy water. Stubborn grease splatters on the stove? Spray some good kitchen cleaner, for example the Fabulosa Spotless Kitchen degreaser, let it sit briefly and then wipe away. This Fabulosa spray is effective against grease but contains no chlorine bleach, which is nice in a household with children or pets. Plus: your kitchen will smell wonderfully fresh with exotic fruits instead of ammonia. 🍏✨
6. Tackle burners and grates
While the oven itself is in its baking soda mask, you can clean the gas stove parts. You have already soaked the burner covers and pan supports. Take a soft brush or sponge and scrub them clean. Caked-on dirt now comes off easily. Rinse with warm water and dry well to prevent rust. If there are still stains, you can use a bit of The Pink Stuff paste or a drop of dish soap again. A Scrub Mommy sponge (with a soft and scouring side) is also ideal here: the soft side for light stains, the scouring side for crusts – without scratches. Rinse and dry everything and your stove parts will be like new again.
7. Rinse and dry
Have you removed all dirt residues? Great! Now remove all remaining cleaning product residues. Take a clean microfiber cloth (one you can reuse instead of disposable kitchen paper) and a bowl of warm water. Dip the cloth in the water and wring out. Wipe the oven and stove well so that no soda, vinegar, or cleaning paste remains. Don’t forget the corners and edges. Then dry everything with a dry cloth. Rinsing and drying prevents streaks and ensures no residues remain that could smoke or smell when heated. A few extra minutes of work, but really the difference between “clean” and “spotless”. ✨
8. Sustainable degreaser from your own kitchen
Back to the products: you have noticed that vinegar, baking soda, and The Pink Stuff do a great job. This way you avoid aggressive traditional oven cleaners full of lye and bleach. Good for the environment and for yourself – no one wants to scrub with teary eyes from biting fumes. And another tip: if your homemade baking soda paste is gone but there is still grease, a drop of organic dish soap or a splash of green soap in warm water often works wonders as a sustainable degreaser. Simple, cheap, and it saves another spray can of chemicals.
9. Make your own spray (just refill!)
Do you still have an empty spray bottle from an old kitchen cleaner? Don’t throw it away, but refill it! For example, with a mixture of half water, half natural vinegar, and a teaspoon of lemon juice or essential oil for a nice scent. Ideal as a daily degreasing spray for your stove after cooking. Prefer a ready-made solution but concentrated? Try The Pink Stuff Power Drops. These are concentrated cleaning drops: you mix a little concentrate with water in a spray bottle and voilà – a powerful, eco-friendly degreaser, without buying a new plastic bottle every time. This way you save money and plastic waste. Sustainable cleaning can be that simple.
10. Regularity pays off
Finally, perhaps the most important tip: keep a routine. Sounds boring, but really, regularly wiping your oven and stove prevents thick caked-on layers later. A quick wipe after each use (or if that’s not possible, once a week) saves you a big cleaning session. Also replace the aluminum foil or drip tray at the bottom of the oven in time if you use it. And if something boils over on the stove? Remove that stain immediately with a warm cloth and a drop of all-purpose cleaner. The less time grease has to bake in, the easier it is for you to clean it away again. Your future self will thank you – and so will your oven!
Conclusion: cleaning an oven and stove really doesn’t have to be a chore. With natural products like baking soda and vinegar, smart products such as The Pink Stuff and handy helpers like the Scrub Daddy, you make your kitchen shine without aggressive chemicals. And admit it, cooking is much more fun in a clean kitchen? 😊 So open those kitchen cabinets, mix your own remedies or grab your sustainable cleaning products, and turn that oven from “oops” to “wow”! Happy cleaning – and don’t forget to treat yourself afterwards to something delicious from that sparkling clean oven. 🍪