We all love using the oven. You just pop the food in, set the timer on and go about your business, while dinner is getting ready. But when you put greasy foods and hot surfaces together, something else happen: burnt on food sticks to the inside of your oven and becomes almost impossible to remove.

Cleaning the oven is one of the most unpleasant household activities, and that because the hardened grease on the oven glass or the melted sugar on its bottom – to give just a couple of examples – become almost impossible to remove, especially if you’re one who likes to delay the inevitable. Yes, we said “almost impossible” and that because there is a way to get out of this sticky situation and even without using any harsh chemicals. You only need some patience, a couple of ingredients you most likely already have in your home and a good old fashion strategy, of which we’ll talk about in a sec.

First off, though, if you do not want to clean your oven after each use, and we never do, here is a tip that allows you to use it for a little while longer. Remove any big pieces of food that have dripped on the bottom of the oven, then put some salt on the remaining affected areas. What this does is prevent the sticky residues from getting burnt the next time you use your oven. Because we all hate a smoking, smelly oven. You will, of course, won’t be able to do this indefinitely, but it’s a good temporary solution, until you decide to go on and use our 4 steps plan to make your oven look clean and shiny again.

One more thing, before we go on with the plan. You won’t be surprised that essential oils are part of it, so it’s important that we recap once more which are the best essential oils to use for the task. Lemon, Orange, Tea tree, Lavender, Basil, Peppermint and Eucalyptus essential oil are all great choices. Or you can use our WOW Purify essential oil blend. It contains 7 essential oils acknowledged in aromatherapy for their antiseptic, antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal benefits – Juniper Berry Essential Oil, Mandarin Essential Oil, Tea Tree Essential Oil, Rosemary Essential Oil, Lemon Essential Oil and Thyme Essential Oil. All of these potent essential oils act synergistically to disinfect by eliminating disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi. The blend has a herbaceous-medicinal fragrance with pleasant citrusy notes, perfect for that clean-like smell you’re always looking for.

Basically, the essential oils that are effective in removing gunk from your dishes are also effective in cleaning your oven. Essential oils are also antifungal and they absorb bad odors in your kitchen, so that’s a plus. For more inspiration, also read:

Best essential oils to keep in your kitchen

Clean your home faster and more efficiently – the best 10 tips and tricks

How to clean the microwave fast and efficiently with just a lemon and purifying essential oils

Clean and disinfect your kitchen sponge with essential oils

Get a clean and shiny oven in 4 simple steps!

Remove all the bits and pieces that are stuck to the inside walls and the oven glass. Use a spatula or a spoon to help you remove the burnt on food and those stubborn sticky bits. Don’t overdo it, though, as you may end up scratching the surfaces. Make a solution of water, baking soda (two tablespoons of baking soda for 1 cup of water) and 20-30 drops of essential oil. Spray the interior of your oven with it and leave it on. Repeat this process for about 5-6 times, along 2-3 days. Because you’re not using any harmful chemicals, the good news is that you can even use the oven in the meanwhile. However, if you plan on doing that, only add the essential oils at the end, because otherwise the smell might become too powerful when you turn on the heat and all those essential oils start diffusing. After you’re done with the previous stage of the plan, heat your oven just a bit – it has to be warm, not burning hot! – and scrub the inside of your oven with a sponge. If you’ve used salt to cover the burnt areas, as we’ve suggested above, you’ll see that at this stage the salt will prove once again useful. If not, add some more baking soda to obtain an abrasive paste. You will see that there won’t be a lot of scrubbing and your oven will clean nicely and easily. All you have to do next is rinse the inside of the oven thoroughly with plenty of lukewarm water, to make sure you’ve removed all dirt.

That’s it! By now your oven should look all clean and shiny again!