How to clean the oven with lemon? 3 natural ways to make your oven spotless with lemons!

When life gives you lemons, use them to clean your oven. A staple in most kitchens, lemons are good for so much more than just adding flavour to your favourite dishes, and just like vinegar, they’re a great cleaning agent—especially when it comes to cleaning your oven. In the article, we explain how to clean an oven with lemon and whether it really works as well as promised. Find out now!

Can you clean an oven without chemicals?

Dirt, grease and burnt-on stains are usually so stubborn that they cannot be removed from the oven without the right cleaning agents. At this point, many people reach for the first chemical cleaner they find in the supermarket or drug store. However, some ingredients in the chemical cleaners are harmful to health and should rather be avoided. However, some home remedies, such as lemons, also help against the dirt.

Cleaning the oven with lemon and steam

Cleaning the oven is one of those tasks that can quickly end up at the bottom of the to-do list—again and again. This inevitably leads to dirt accumulating, which definitely makes cleaning more tedious. Even the oven’s self-cleaning mode isn’t really helpful, as it requires a lot of energy, heat, and muscle power. Luckily, there are some ways to make cleaning your oven a little easier.

If you want to rid the inside of your oven of stubborn grease and dirt, try steam cleaning with lemons.

What you need:

• 1–2 lemons, squeezed
• 150 ml water
• heatproof bowl
• microfibre cloth

Method:

• Fill an ovenproof bowl or the oven baking tray with water.
• Take one or two lemons, cut them in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (alternatively, you can use citric acid).
• Place the bowl in the oven and turn on the oven to 100-120 °C/ 212-248 °F
• Keep an eye on the water. As soon as it starts to boil, turn off the oven and let it cool with the door closed while the steam circulates.
• Then use the microfibre cloth to wipe off the loosened dirt and grease.

DIY remedy to clean oven with lemon juice

Another natural cleaner for cleaning the oven or other dirty areas in the house is a natural oven cleaner made with 200 millilitres of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of regular dishwashing soap.

• Stir together the lemon juice and cornstarch and heat the mixture until it starts to thicken.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, stir in the washing up liquid.
• To clean your oven with this lemon mixture, use it as you would any other cleaning agent. Apply it to the most stubborn stains and leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes before wiping it off again.

Using natural, homemade alternatives as opposed to chemicals is environmentally friendly and doesn’t have to be hard work.

Bonus tip: Remove grease with lemons

Did you know that lemons are a natural remedy for degreasing? If your hob has greasy residue, you can use half a lemon to loosen it and get your hob clean. Simply cut a lemon in half and rub the cut side over the hob. For even better results, you can first sprinkle the dirty spots with baking soda. Then wipe with a warm, damp cloth. This method also works well if you need to clean and degrease the oven door.

Also read: How to clean between oven glass? 6 easy steps to get rid of dirt between your oven door!

In summary: Are lemons good for cleaning the oven?

Yes, using lemons is one of the best ways to clean an oven. The citrus fruit has compelling natural cleaning abilities—mainly because of its degreasing and odour-neutralising properties. And the benefits are not limited to your oven. If you want to know how to clean a microwave naturally, you can use lemon juice in combination with 100 ml of water.

Just put the lemon water in a microwave-safe bowl and turn the microwave on high for 2 minutes. After the microwave has filled with steam, wipe the inside of the appliance thoroughly with a damp cloth.