The short version
The secret is to soak rather than scrub: a baking-soda paste overnight, or steam at 100 degrees. Only then does the crust come off almost by itself. For extreme cases an oven cleaner helps.
Baked-on grease turns hard because it polymerises under heat. No amount of force helps, only time and moisture do. With a few cheap home remedies you can break down most crusts, without aggressive fumes.
Step by step
Mix a baking-soda paste
Mix baking soda with a little water into a paste and apply it to the crusted spots, leaving out the heating elements.
Let it act
Leave the paste for several hours, ideally overnight, so the deposit softens.
The steam trick
Alternatively, evaporate an oven-proof bowl of water with a little dish soap at 100 degrees for 20 minutes, that loosens fresh crusts.
Wipe off
Remove the loosened paste with a damp cloth, lift stubborn residue with a glass scraper.
Do not forget the glass
Treat the inner pane with baking soda or a little oven cleaner, then the view is clear again.
When the special cleaner has to step in
For very old, thick crusts an oven cleaner is faster. Then wear gloves, ventilate well and keep it off heating elements and self-cleaning enamel.
What helps
What to look for:
- Baking soda as a cheap home remedy for the paste
- An oven & grill cleaner for stubborn crusts
- A glass scraper for residue on the pane
Frequently asked
What dissolves baked-on grease best?
Is baking powder the same as baking soda?
May I use the glass scraper on the pane?
Appliances that are fresh again
From the oven to the coffee machine: clean, descaled, long-lasting.
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