There’s something about the holidays that makes even the messiest of us want to deep clean the heck out of our homes. Nooks and crannies you never gave two thoughts to in October suddenly appear unbearably dirty, and your kitchen, which you only use to boil noodles and make toast, is suddenly this unsanitary room that must be sterilized ASAP.
After all, Santa – er, we mean Mom and Dad – would NOT approve of gunk in the microwave, grease stains on the cabinet or, Santa-forbid, food stains on the stove. While most of the problem areas are easy enough to deal with if you have some 409 and a rag, the oven is an entirely different story…
Agh, the oven. If you’ve ever cleaned an oven before, then you know that the cleaners they sell at your local grocery store are full of chemicals and make your eyes water and your throat burn. Many have warnings on the labels to not let the cleaner come into contact with skin and to not breathe in the “fumes.” Sounds safe, right? Um, no. Those labels are for real, and I would know, because I made the mistake of letting the cleaner touch my forearm, and I still have a burn mark.
Aside from being completely chock full of hazardous chemicals, oven cleaners still require you to scrub for at least an hour to wipe away all the gunk that’s been accumulating in your oven since last Thanksgiving. And even then there’s no guarantee that your oven will be spot free by the time you’re done.
But, you may wonder, what’s the alternative? Live with a dirty oven? Thanks to one Facebook user, you may be able to achieve a clean oven AND stay chemical free, and here’s how.
The Hack
You gotta love the internet these days, as there’s always a hack for something. And, to the internet’s credit, many of them work! Case in point, this homemade oven cleaner.
One Facebook user either came up with this hack and shared it, or read about it, tried it and shared the results…Either way, the results were so astounding that the user’s pictures garnered 54,000 reactions and 364,000 shares. So, what’s the secret to her success? Check it out.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of dish soap
- 1/2 cup of lemon juice
- 1 cup of vinegar
- 1 1/4 cup of water
I know, I know, the ingredients are a bit over the top and kind of on the pricey side…Jk. They’re not. Like, not even a little. You can get a bottle of dish soap for $1 at the Dollar store, a quart of lemon juice for less than $2, a gallon of vinegar for less than $3 and water for free. In total, you’d spend $6, and that’s for enough ingredients to make several bottles of this homemade solution. For 14.5 oz of Easy-Off Oven Cleaner, you’re looking at anywhere between $5.55 and $7.59, depending on where you live. And that bottle will only last you for one cleaning, not to mention, it’s full of chemicals.
The Process
You’re probably thinking, “Okay, I ditch the chemicals, but that just means I have to lend extra arm strength…” Right? Wrong. Once you combine all the ingredients, mix them in a spray bottle and spray the concoction into your oven, and let it sit for 30 minutes, just as you would Easy-Off or any other commercial cleaner. Then, wipe your oven clean. Read that again…WIPE your oven clean. No, not scrub, not chip away at the remaining residue with a chiesel and not bust out the brillo pad to force away those tough spots. Simply WIPE.
No excessive scrubbing needed. No having to reapply the potion. No having to tire out your muscles, only to give up and have to go at your oven again the next day. Your oven will be clean, and, more miraculously, your eyes tear free and your throat perfectly fine for lack of chemicals.
If you’re not about the chemical life, the cleaning life, or either life, give this homemade oven cleaner a try. You won’t regret it.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
