How to clean an oven with bicarbonate of soda
2 min read · 8 steps · Updated 3 October 2026
Mix equal parts of bicarbonate of soda and water into a paste, spread it over the greasy and burnt areas of the cold oven, and leave it overnight. Next day, scrape and wipe it off with a damp cloth. Soak the racks separately in hot soapy water, and clean the glass door with warm soapy water, never with a scourer.
Burnt-on fat is what makes an oven smoke and smell every time it heats up. You do not need a caustic spray to shift it. A paste of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) loosens most of it while you sleep, without fumes, and is the method the UK consumer organisation Which? describes for people who want to avoid harsh chemicals.
Step by step
Empty the cold oven
Make sure the oven is switched off and cold. Take out the racks, trays and the thermometer. Brush or vacuum out loose crumbs and ash.
Mix the paste
Stir equal parts of bicarbonate of soda and water into a spreadable paste. Half a cup of each is enough for most ovens.
Spread it on
Wearing rubber gloves, rub the paste over the floor, sides and back of the oven, thickest on the burnt patches. Keep it off the heating elements, the fan and the gas burners.
Leave it overnight
Give it at least 12 hours. The paste turns brown as it takes up the grease.
Soak the racks
Meanwhile, soak the racks in hot water with washing-up liquid, in the bath on an old towel, in a large tub or in a strong bin bag. After a few hours, scrub them with a brush, rinse and dry.
Wipe the paste off
Next day, scrape the paste off with a plastic spatula and wipe with a damp cloth, rinsing it often. A spray of white vinegar on leftover paste makes it foam and lift more easily. Wipe once more with clean water.
Clean the glass door
Wash the glass with warm soapy water and a soft cloth, then polish it with a vinegar-based glass cleaner. For brown baked-on marks, leave the paste on the glass for half an hour and wipe it off. Never use a scourer or a blade, which scratch the glass and weaken it.
Dry and refit
Put the dry racks back and heat the oven at a low temperature for 15 minutes to dry it out.
Good to know
On many ovens the inner glass of the door can be taken out to clean between the panes. The manual shows how. Do not force it.
Shop-bought oven cleaners work faster but contain caustic chemicals. Follow the pack exactly, wear gloves and eye protection, air the room, and keep them away from the glass, the fan and the door seal.
Check the manual before you clean: a pyrolytic oven burns residue to ash in a high-temperature programme, and catalytic liners must not be scrubbed or treated with cleaner.
To keep it clean, wipe the oven about once a month and deal with spills as soon as it has cooled. A tray on the bottom shelf catches drips.
Related: how to clean a dishwasher and how to descale a kettle.
In short: Paste of equal parts bicarbonate of soda and water on the cold oven, leave overnight, scrape and wipe off, vinegar spray on the rest. Racks soaked in hot soapy water. Glass with a soft cloth only.
- Which?: How to clean your oven
Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.