We’re steadily trying to replace the toxic chemicals in our home with natural alternatives. It’s a long process, but we feel like it’s worth all the effort in the long run. This recipe is not some new product or idea. I think of it more like a proven recipe that many people just don’t realize actually works. We combine one time-honored natural cleaner with three amazing essential oils for a delightful, natural oven cleaner recipe.
When we’re swapping out natural ingredients in our cleaning supplies it can take some trial and error to find something that really gets the job done without all the harsh chemicals. Well, this oven cleaner recipe was a big exception. It worked the first time we tried it, and I’m so excited to share it with you!
How this Natural Oven Cleaner Works
1. I make a paste with baking soda, water, and three of my favorite essential oils for cleaning: Orange, Pine, and Tea Tree Essential Oils.
2. I smear the thick paste all over the dirty oven and then let it sit for about 5 minutes. As you can see from the pictures, my oven was in great need of attention and 5 minutes of the paste sitting was plenty of time to loosen up the gross, crustiness.
3. Next, I swipe a damp sponge over the surface. I apply gentle pressure, but not a lot of elbow grease. The tiny pieces of the baking soda will do the hard work so if you have a trouble spot it’s better to add more baking soda paste than to add more muscle. Trust me. I started out thinking that I needed to press down really hard to get rid of all the baked on grease. But when I started moving more baking soda over the area, it really did break down the gunk better than I could with more pressure.
4. Finish, by wiping off all the baking soda and cleaning off any residue with another damp sponge. You don’t want to leave any baking soda behind because it will stink when it bakes.
New to essential oils? Learn more about how we use them and why you should use them as well.
Natural Oven Cleaner
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 15 drops Orange Essential Oil
- 15 drops Pine Essential Oil
- 10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
- 3 – 5 tablespoons water
Directions
- Make sure that your oven is completely cool before beginning.
- In a small bowl, add baking soda and essential oils.
- Stir in 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until well mixed and a thick paste is formed. If there is any baking soda still dry and clumpy, you can add a few more teaspoons of water at a time while stirring.
- Use a damp sponge or cloth to apply the paste over the oven area. Let this sit for 5 minutes.
- Using the same sponge, gently scrub the paste in a circular motion. You’ll probably want to rinse your cloth often to get rid of any residue or baked on grease as it comes off.
- When all the baked on dirt is out, use a clean, damp cloth to do a final wipe removing any paste from corners and edges where it might have gotten trapped.
This amount in the recipe was enough to clean my entire oven. You can always make another batch if you need a little more.
If you’re trying to get rid of the yucky, harsh chemicals in your household cleaners, we hope you’ll give this natural oven cleaner a try.
Our natural oven cleaner recipe goes perfectly with our latest Make & Take Party Printable Pack featuring 8 different Kitchen & Laundry Cleaning recipes! Using only PSK essential oils (premium starter kit from Young Living), it’s an easy way to throw a party for friends and family and introduce them to oils and how easy they are to use every day. See all the details here!
Does this work okay in a self cleaning oven for in between clean ups?
I use this in my self-cleaning oven (not on the self-cleaning setting). 🙂
I don’t have Tea Tree or Pine yet. What substitutions would you recommend? I basically have the starter kit oils plus orange, lime and blue cypress right now. Tea Tree is definitely on my list of wants though! Love this blog – so helpful!!
From those options, I would try Thieves and Orange. Sounds amazing. Glad to have you on this journey with us!
Does this work well on the racks if you clean the outside of the oven?
Do you mean, “does it work on the racks when they are removed from the oven?” If so, then yes, it would be a great way to clean the racks. My sink isn’t near large enough so I’d probably take them outside to do.
I love my dishwasher, so I will most certainly try the recipe for dish detergent tabs. I can’t wait to try the oven cleaner also!
I found I needed more water than this recipe called for in order to be able to spread it around…
Thanks for the tip, Kathleen!
I have tea tree and orange but not pine. Can I use thieves in its place?
Yes!! Thieves is great in this recipe, or even a capful of Thieves Household Cleaner.