How to clean oven glass

There are a few ways you can clean your oven glass, with various cleaning products. The method you choose will depend on:

• Whether you’re cleaning the inside or outside of the glass
• How much grease or baked-on dirt there is
• How you feel about using harsh chemicals

You can choose from dozens of oven sprays, gels and cream cleaners. Some are more toxic than others, so it’s worth looking at the safety information on each one. A few popular brands include Astonish, Cif, Mr Muscle, Oven Mate, Wpro and Jeyes.

Bear in mind that while baking soda is less toxic, it is abrasive – so may not be ideal for glass.

Apart from your chosen cleaning products, you’ll also need:

• Cleaning gloves
• Microfibre cloths
• Paper towels
• A non-scratch sponge
• A bowl of warm water with some washing up liquid
• A pumice stick, if the above don’t finish the job

For cleaning between the glass, you might need a flexible stick or wire and some rubber bands as well.

The inside of the oven door tends to have the most burnt-on food and grease. So you’ll likely need a stronger cleaner than just washing up liquid here. Remember to wear gloves for this, as these chemicals can be corrosive.

Before you get scrubbing, here’s a technique to make things easier. Fill a heat-proof dish with water and a few teaspoons of white vinegar. Then put that in the oven on low heat for half an hour. This will loosen any baked-on bits, saving you some elbow grease.

1. Apply your chosen cleaning product over the whole of the glass inside
2. Scrub the cleaner over the glass with a non-scratch sponge
3. Leave the cleaner for as long as stated on the packaging
4. Wipe the cleaner off with a dry microfibre cloth
5. For stains that still won’t come off, wet the glass and use a pumice stick to gently scrape them away
6. Heat the oven to its top temperature for half an hour to remove any chemical smell

After this, your oven should be all spick and span. If you heat the oven after cleaning, it shouldn’t produce smoke when you go to cook with it. But if it does, see our guide to what to do if your oven is smoking.

Cleaning between the glass is not as easy as cleaning the inside or outside. Thankfully, you should only need to do this if food or liquid has gotten into the air vents.

Before trying this, check your oven’s manual for instructions. You may be able to remove the glass, which could make it easier. But make sure this won’t invalidate your warranty or guarantee, if your oven has one.

1. Depending on your oven’s design, take the door off its hinges or remove the bottom drawer of the oven
2. Straighten out a wire coat hanger, or get another long and flexible stick, like a fly swatter
3. Soak a microfibre cloth in a general cleaning product that includes degreaser
4. Wrap that cloth around the flexible stick and secure it with rubber bands
5. Push the cloth on the stick into the gap between the glass panes and start scrubbing
6. When the cloth gets dirty, replace it with a clean one and repeat as many times as needed
7. Refit the door or replace the bottom drawer of the oven

As well as making it look good, cleaning your oven regularly is one way to keep it working for longer. If grease and debris build up over time they can lead to faults or breakdowns.

Some of the more common oven problems include:

• Temperature too high or low
• Failing to ignite or draw power
• Door jamming or not latching
• Light not turning on when needed
• Food not cooking evenly

Only a qualified engineer should fix these types of faults. If you need help, book an oven repair today.