How to Clean the Inside of Your Oven and Glass Door

Oven cleaning sits in that category of household work nobody wants to do until the inside looks actively scary. The buildup of spattered food, grease, and char happens gradually enough that you stop noticing it—until the day you realize you're cooking inside a cave of caked-on mess. The good news: you don't need commercial oven cleaner with warning labels that read like a chemistry exam. A paste of baking soda and water, some vinegar, and patience will restore your oven to clean metal and clear glass without filling your kitchen with harsh fumes or spending money on specialized products. The key is giving the baking soda time to work. It's not a scrub-and-done situation. You're softening the buildup overnight so the actual scraping becomes manageable. The glass door requires its own approach—a razor blade and vinegar work where sponges fail. This is a weekend project that takes real elapsed time but minimal active effort.

1. Remove the oven racks and soak them. Pull out all racks and lay them in a bathtub filled with hot water and a cup of baking soda. Let them soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight if you can. This softens the buildup on the racks while you work on the oven cavity itself.
2. Mix your baking soda paste and apply it. In a small bowl, mix half a cup of baking soda with three tablespoons of water to form a spreadable paste. Avoid the heating elements. Use a plastic spreader or old credit card to coat the entire interior—walls, ceiling, bottom—with a thick layer. The paste should be visibly thick and cover every surface where you see burnt-on food or grease.
3. Let the paste sit overnight. Close the oven door and leave it alone for 12–24 hours. The baking soda works by slowly softening the burnt carbon and grease. Resist the urge to check on it. This waiting period is what makes the scraping actually manageable.
4. Scrape out the dried paste and loosened buildup. Use a plastic scraper or wooden spoon to scrape away the dried baking soda paste and the softened grime underneath. Work from top to bottom so debris falls to the bottom of the oven. Don't rush this—let the scraper do the work. If the paste is still hard in spots, spray those areas lightly with water and wait 5 minutes before scraping again.
5. Wipe the interior clean with vinegar and water. Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray down all interior surfaces and wipe with damp cloths or paper towels. The vinegar reacts with any remaining baking soda residue, and you'll see a light fizz—that's the cleaning action. Wipe multiple times until your cloth comes away clean and there's no white residue.
6. Clean the glass door with a razor blade and vinegar. Spray the glass generously with the vinegar-water mixture and let it sit for 2 minutes. Hold a single-edge razor blade at a 30-degree angle and scrape the glass firmly but without gouging. Work in overlapping strokes from top to bottom. Wipe after each stroke. For stubborn spots, spray again and let vinegar sit for another minute before scraping.
7. Scrub and rinse the soaked racks. Drain the tub and use a scrub brush or steel wool pad to remove loosened buildup from the racks. For stubborn spots, apply fresh baking soda paste and let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing. Rinse thoroughly and dry with an old towel before replacing them in the oven.
8. Return the racks and final inspection. Slide the racks back into their slots. Wipe down the interior one last time with a dry cloth to catch any lingering vinegar smell or water spots. Close the door and step back—your oven should look like clean metal again, and the glass should be transparent.