What Cleaning – Cleaning tip
Cleaning your oven Ready For Christmas
Christmas is nearly upon us and with friends and family coming to visit, it’s time to start getting ready for the festive season. Christmas can be a daunting task, its time to shine and show off what a beautiful home you have. Nobody wants to open their oven door on Christmas day and realise its dirty and needs a good scrub. By preparing early with What Cleanings effective cleaning tips, you’ll have a sparkling home with more time to relax and enjoy the festivities.
What you will need:
- Oven cleaner
- Scrubbing brush/metal scraper
- Resealable plastic bags
- Sponges/micro fibre clothes
- Rubber gloves
- Old toothbrush
- Newspaper or old towels
Start by ensuring the oven is turned off and cool, it is advisable to wear old clothes as cleaning ovens can be a messy job. Open windows, good ventilation is vital when working with chemicals. Next place newspaper or old towels underneath the oven door to prevent any unwanted spillages or puddles.
- Remove shelves from the oven and soak in warm soapy water for at least 30 minutes before scrubbing them clean. Alternatively spray shelves with oven cleaner and use resealable plastic bags, seal up and leave the cleaner to work its magic. Ensure that you read the instructions on your oven-cleaning product and take all recommended safety precautions.
- Remove any stuck on or loose food residue inside the oven using a scrubbing brush or metal scraper if necessary.
- Apply oven cleaner following the directions, taking care not to get in on the door seal, heating elements or fan if you have one. Remove the oven cleaner with microfibre cloths and warm clean water. Use an old toothbrush to get into the corners to remove any stubborn burnt on food. Repeat this process until sparkling clean.
- Clean the oven door by wiping off any grime with a damp microfibre cloth, then spray on the cleaning product following the instructions. With warm clean water remove with a clean microfibre cloth, using the scrubbing brush or metal scraper to remove baked on food. Take care not to scratch or damage the glass.
- Spray glass cleaner on the outside of your oven door, using downward strokes wipe away any grime. Use a dry microfibre cloth to buff out any streaks.
Never use oven cleaning products directly on the heating elements or fan (if your oven has one). This can cause damage and may prevent your oven working normally.
How to clean gas hob rings:
- Remember to always turn off all the burners on your gas hob and leave to cool before cleaning.
- Take off the rings, allow to soak in warm water with dishwashing liquid. Use a toothbrush to remove the grim that won’t come off with a microfibre cloth.
- Spray the hob with cleaner, leave it on for a few minutes. This is all the time needed to breakdown grease and loosen stains. Make sure not to leave on for too long or it could begin to dry making extra work for you.
- Use a damp clean cloth to wipe away dirty stains and old food residue. Keep wiping until your hob looks good as new.
How to clean ceramic or glass hob:
- Remove loose pieces of food so you can see what needs to be cleaned.
- Apply a small amount of cleaner designed for ceramic and glass hobs, allow to soak in but not to completely dry.
- Use a clean damp microfibre cloth to clean the hob. If there are areas that need a bit more elbow grease, try using scrunched up newspaper. Always try on a small area first and stop if you see any scratches.
- Finish by using a dry clean microfibre cloth to polish and buff of any smudges.
- Apply a small amount of cleaning fluid specially designed for ceramic hobs or glass hobs, like Cif Kitchen Spray. This fluid will be completely smooth in texture, with nothing that could scrape and mark the hob. Always read the directions on the label first before using any cleaning product.
- Allow the cleaning fluid to soak in, but not dry completely. You want it to soften the hard, dried food, but not become difficult to remove.
- Use a microfibre cloth to clean the majority of the ceramic hob. If there are areas that need a bit more elbow grease, try using some scrunched up newspaper. It’s a rougher texture, yet should still be soft enough to not cause damage. Always try on a small area first and stop if you notice any scratches.