How to Clean a Gas Oven

Cleaning gas oven on the weekend is not something anybody likes to do, unless you are a cleanliness freak. However, even if one doesn't want to clean the oven, this is a task inevitable! The last week's bake and its previous week's bake (if you have not cleaned it) and all the prior weeks would have left a heavy buildup of oil, grease and food stains on the door, racks, stove top, etc. If you own a self clean gas oven, then half your job becomes easier, however, even then you need to release some elbow grease.

Step 1: Appropriate Cleaning Gear
Before beginning any cleaning assignment, one should first get the appropriate gear. Wear thick rubber gloves and a full-sleeved shirt and full-length pant. You can also top it with an old apron. If you have goggles, wear them as well. The chemicals used to clean the oven are often harmful to skin and eyes. So it's best to prevent any accidents.

Step 2: Disassemble the Parts
The gas oven consists of a gas stove top with burners, burner grates, burner caps, etc. Remove all the detachable parts and place in a tub with dish washing solution. If the knobs come off, do not dunk them in the tub, but use a soft cloth dipped in a little soap solution to clean them. However, before touching the burners, make sure the gas is off and the power supply has been disconnected. Remove the drip pans and place them in a tub with hot soapy water. After an hour, remove each piece and scrub clean with steel wool. Rinse with running water and pat them dry.

Step 3: Cleaning the Racks
Now open the oven door and pull out the racks. Take the racks from the oven and place them in a large tub with a towel blanketing the base of the bucket. Add enough hot water into the tub so that the racks get completely immersed. Now, pour in quarter a cup of dish washing liquid. Allow the racks to soak in this solution. After an hour, remove the racks and scrub them with steel wool. Rinse and pat dry.

Step 4: Scrubbing Gas Stove Top
With all the detachable parts soaking in their respective solutions, it's time to focus on cleaning the gas stove burners. In order to clean gas stove burners, make sure the burner head and grate has been removed. Take tepid soapy water and dunk a piece of steel wool into it. Scrub the base of the burner well till all the food stains and encrusted remains loosens up. Then use a sponge to absorb all the loose debris. Then use a wet cloth to rinse off the soap. The burner base and gas stove top is shiny clean. If you want you can use a straight metal pin to clean the burner ports, however, avoid toothpicks, because on snapping they may get stuck in the port.

Step 5: Cleaning the Oven
Cleaning the interior of the oven is easy in a self cleaning gas oven. After checking that the door of the oven is locked properly, switch to the self-cleaning mode. While this cycle is going on, make sure the windows are left open. Proper ventilation will prevent the smoke coming from the oven from sticking to the walls and ceiling of the kitchen. Run the cycle as long as it has been instructed in the oven manual. When the cycle is done, open the oven. You will find a gray pile of ash like substance which needs to be wiped with a sponge. Here ends the oven cleaning procedure.

Step 5: Cleaning the Oven Door
How can we leave out the oven door, which is the window to the oven. To get rid of the grease and oil films on the oven door, spray an oven cleaning spray onto a soft cloth. Gently rub the spray with the help of the cloth. Next, take soap water and dunk a sponge into it. Scrub the door well and use another sponge damp with clean water to rinse off the soap. Finally use a dry cloth to wipe the oven door clean.

Step 6: Reassembling
The next step is to reattach all the parts. Take all the detached parts and place them in their respective positions. Your oven is squeaky clean and shiny. This is a proud moment for any oven owner!

Even though you seem to be intimidated by the time-consuming process of cleaning the oven, it's not that difficult. Once you follow these steps to clean gas oven slowly and steadily, it will not prove to be a daunting task. Besides, there's nothing better than cooking in a clean oven.