Spring is approaching – and we all know what that means:
Spring cleaning.
This is the time to do some routine maintenance on the cleanliness of our house, which, unfortunately, includes cleaning the oven. While cleaning the oven is definitely not one of my favorite tasks, we have a trick that will make the process much easier.
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 that 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 totally safe, right?
Um, no.
Those labels are for real. I would know considering I made the mistake of letting the cleaner touch my forearm and I still have a burn mark.
Aside from being completely full of hazardous chemicals, oven cleaners also still require you to scrub for at least an hour to wipe away all the gunk that’s been accumulating in your oven since its last cleaning. 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 is 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 b
ottle 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 chisel, and NOT bust out the brillo pad to force away those tough spots.
Simply WIPE.
No excessive scrubbing is 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.
