Chemical Free Oven-Cleaning

Oven-Cleaning With Green Herbal Formula

It really goes without saying but, chemical oven cleaner has to be one of the most unpleasant tools for keeping the home clean. The smell alone would discourage the best housekeeper from maintaining a pristine oven interior. Then when you consider the caustic, burning and acidic dangers, one might take to Grilling all year 'round, rain, sleet, and snow be damned!

The Essential Green Formula for Oven-Cleaning you are about to discover has become one of my treasured weapons in my Green Clean Kitchen Arsenal. Even as no cleaning formula is perfect (including those easy-on-and-off caustic renditions) this is as close to perfect I have found in the world of Seriously Green Oven-Cleaning.

I once placed two very full pumpkin pie tins in the oven only to witness the filling flow right over the pie pan edges and onto my clean oven floor. I could do nothing but wait until the baking was completed and the then black sugary burnt filling lay stuck tightly to the racks and oven interior. It was a horrible mess! This green formula worked wonders on this kitchen disaster and will also work great on any of those really neglected ovens. If you have a few VERY bad areas, add more salt to the formula and employ the use of a fine steel wool.

What's in my Green Oven Cleaner?

• ½ cup of salt
• ½ cup of Borax or Washing Soda
• 16 oz. Baking Soda
• ¼ cup Water
• ¾ White Vinegar
• 12 Drops Thyme Essential Oil
• 12 Drops Lemon or Lemongrass Essential Oil

Instructions:

1. Combine the salt, washing soda, baking soda in a medium glass bowl, add just enough water to make it a paste-like consistency.
2. Take out all of the oven racks, and set the oven to 250°F for 20 minutes, and then turn the oven off, leaving the door open.
3. Carefully and evenly spread the paste (using a sponge or cloth) on all surfaces of the interior oven. Allow the paste to set for 30 - 45 minutes.
4. Combine the essential oils and vinegar in a clean spray bottle and shake the heck out of it to blend. Spray down the interior surfaces and wipe clean. Be sure to rinse well with a damp sponge.

While you are cleaning the oven interior surfaces, it's a good idea to get the racks and all of the oven—and stove— accessories soaking in a green cleaning solution. This is the perfect time to clean all of those chrome rings, gas burner grills, and knobs from the stove top as well! These items gather a ton of grease and grime over time and are easy to neglect while living a busy lifestyle.

Accessories Soaking Solution Ingredients:

• 1 cup baking soda
• ½ cup vinegar
• 5 to 8 drops of the essential oil of your choosing

Use an old toothbrush or fine steel wool for those nooks-and-crannies and tiny places where dirt tends to hide away. I find that a double-sided sponge offers dual usefulness and a far less abrasive approach to the "easy to scratch" surfaces.

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients in a large tub, bucket or sink. Mix together.
2. Place the oven racks and accessories into the solution.
3. Allow to soak the entire time you are cleaning the oven interior.
4. Use old toothbrush or fine steel wool to clean grime and grease. Rinse well and return items to oven and stove top accordingly.

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