How to Remove the Smell of an Oven Cleaner

Potent chemicals in oven cleaners work wonders removing grease, baked-on food residue and spills that happen in the oven. But they also leave a strong, unpleasant smell that can linger long after you’re done with the cleaning.

This odour can get into your food when you heat the oven and ruin its delicious taste. And nobody wants that.

You can easily deal with the bad smell following these simple techniques.

Can oven cleaner fumes poison food?

It depends on the detergent that you’re going to use. Eco-friendly detergents won’t be poisonous to your food and are preferred for mild stains.

If you have to use off the shelf detergents, make sure you read the label on the bottle. Different brands have different instructions. We advise leaving the oven to air out for a night after cleaning before cooking in the appliance again. This will allow for all fumes from the detergent to disappear.

The day after, give it a quick wipe with a damp cloth to remove any potential leftover detergent that can cause poisonous fumes and you’re ready to go.

Remove oven cleaner smell by baking fresh orange peels

Citrus fruits have a naturally strong and fresh smell. Baking orange peels is a simple, but effective technique for removing the strong smell without any harmful chemicals. Simply take an orange, peel the crust by hand or with a knife and remove the flesh. Set the fruit aside for eating or juicing.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. Place the crust on parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes to an hour. After the hour has passed, turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly to let the smell spread in the whole kitchen. The oranges will continue to release a nice smell even after the oven is turned off, so don’t rush to throw the crust away.

Use vanilla extract to make your oven smell like your grandma’s home

Wipe the oven with vanilla to make your kitchen smell like freshly baked cookies. The strong vanilla smell can mask the bad odours in the oven.

Fill a bowl with warm water and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract or 10 drops of vanilla essential oils. Stir the mixture and dip a microfibre cloth in it. Use the damp cloth to wipe down the interior of the oven, including racks, trays, door, bottom and roof. Dip the cloth often in the mixture to spread the vanilla smell evenly in the oven. You can wipe the oven more than once until you have the mixture left.

The other method you can use is baking the vanilla in the oven. Pour a small amount of water (around 200ml) into a small baking dish and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Preheat the oven to 120°C and bake for around 30 minutes. You need to monitor the oven constantly, as the water will evaporate. Add more water if necessary.

Real lemon juice will eliminate any oven cleaner leftover smell

Lemons have natural cleaning qualities because of the acids they contain. Their strong smell can mask the harsh oven cleaner smell. Because of their cleaning qualities, you can also use them to remove leftover grease and food residue from the oven.

Cut two or three lemons in half and squeeze the juice from them into a small baking dish. Add around 100 ml of water and place the lemon parts in the mixture as well. Preheat the oven to 120°C and bake for around 30 minutes. When you’re done, remove the bowl and leave the door open to allow the oven to cool down. While the oven is still warm, use a microfiber cloth and wipe out the interior including racks, walls, roof and bottom.

Let’s not forget the power of baking soda

As you know, you can use baking soda to clean almost everything, and the oven is no exception. You can also use powder to absorb bad smells. The method is pretty easy. Simply, open a box of baking soda and place it on the oven racks. Leave the package there overnight or longer if necessary. The baking soda will absorb the bad smell. This method may not be as fast as some of the others but it sure is very efficient.

Good ol’ boiling water and vinegar will do the trick

This may come as a surprise to you, but boiling water can also do the trick of absorbing bad odours from the oven. Pour a litre of water into a baking dish and add 1 cup of vinegar to the mixture.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and place the dish on the lowest rack. Leave the water to boil in the oven for around an hour. Water will evaporate and absorb the smells in the process. Vinegar will also help with absorbing the potent smells and will leave the oven odour-free.

Avoid the smell of oven-cleaning products by making your own!

The easiest way to eliminate bad smells from harsh chemicals is simply not using them for cleaning. There are a lot of benefits to making your own homemade cleaning solutions. The food you cook in the oven will taste better and avoiding potent chemicals will have a positive effect on your health and on the environment.

Wondering where to get some easy recipes? No worries, you can check and pick out the ones you like from our list of The Best Natural Oven Cleaners to try!

What is your favourite way of handling cleaner’s odours? Share in the comments below.