How to keep your oven clean

How to clean the oven? How to prevent the oven from being damaged? And so on. These and many other questions come to our minds from time to time. Generally, there are quite a few reasons for causing spots to appear in the oven. While cooking something in the oven there is a big risk of spilling something on the bottom or rack of the oven or, what is less likely, the baking paper, which is covering your dish can crack and drops of delicious sauce are spilling out in all directions. When it happens not only fantastic smells are replaced with acrid burning stenches, moreover the spots appearing in the oven are also burnt and are very hard to remove. And while trying to remove them unprofessionally, for example rubbing the bottom of the oven with the steel wool, the oven can be easily damaged.

Obviously, much easier is to prevent the appearance of spots compared to struggling to remove them. As soon as you understand it it’s very likely that you will start looking for some options to protect the internal surface of your oven. And a very good solution for this is the oven liner. Basically, such a liner is a mat, which you can place on the bottom of your oven. This item will create a protective barrier, which will collect all crumbs and grease substances from the dishes you cook in the oven. In many cases using the liner is the optimal decision, but when it comes to choosing the one which fits your oven best the complications arrive.

The thing which may cause the complexity is the possibility to confuse the liner with some similar items, which nevertheless were not foreseen for use with such purposes. For example, it is easy to get a silicone baking mat. They look pretty similar but the quality of this one is lower. The mats are thinner and they are supposed to be placed on the bottom of the cake tin and they can not catch all drips in the oven. Moreover, the liner is heatproof and can successfully resist temperatures up to 260C. Meanwhile, such temperatures can cause the mat to release toxic fumes, which is obviously not good.

When you decide to start using the liner you should follow several simple rules. The first is to adjust the liner to the shape and the size of the space inside your oven. Leave some space between the edges of your liner and the sides of the oven. Make sure that the liner doesn’t interfere with the airflow. Generally, the liners are supposed to be set down at the bottom of the oven, but be careful and don’t place them over the heating element or air vents. It is extremely important to check that there are no heating elements at the bottom of the oven because if the liner melts it is almost impossible to properly remove stuck parts of it from the surface of the oven. Be careful while choosing the liner, don’t buy the light one, it may float out when you open the door.

Another option is a spill catcher. Generally, they are manufactured with nonstick qualities of the surface. A very interesting feature of them is a hollow circle in the middle, so you can put the pot where you cook food in the middle. The advantage of such an item is that it allows free air circulation and you should not be afraid to accidentally block the air vent.

In case you are not a big fan of buying different things for your home in store, we can recommend some DIY solutions as well. Probably the most simple and widespread solution is using aluminum foil. We would not recommend you to utilize it the same way as the liner. Because the foil is light and will float out from the oven when you open it. The way you can use it is by covering the pan with your dish from all sides. It will prevent all spills.

Also, you can use the cookie sheet. It performs better than average foil. To use it just cover the rack below the one on which your dish is baking or you can even leave the pan itself resting above the sheet. All crumbs and drips will stay on the sheet as long as it covers most of the rack surface.

In conclusion, it is worth mentioning that no matter which option you prefer for your oven, be careful with the material and the risk of releasing dangerous fumes while heating, place the item accurately to reduce the risk of unexpected melting or burning and everything will be fine. But in case the worst happens, Optima Cleaners is always with you to solve your problems with the dirty oven. But if you prefer DIY solutions you can find the guide for cleaning the oven on your own here. Stay with us and we will be back soon with a new portion of new home care ideas.

Author Profile

Mark Wisken

Mark is a managing director at Optima Cleaners, but copywriting has been one of his passions for many years. When he's not hunched over his keyboard, you'll find Mark exploring quaint bookstores for inspiration or sipping espresso at his favorite local café, always on the hunt for the next big idea to ignite a brand's success. With a pen in one hand and a coffee cup in the other, Mark continues to captivate audiences and breathe life into every brand he touches.

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