How often do you clean your oven? If you’re one of those privileged people who have a self cleaning stove where you simply press a button, wait and scoop out some cinders…. brag away! (I’ll just sit here and scowl…)
I think I keep a pretty clean apartment. Sometimes I’ll wash all the mugs & glasses in my cupboard, all my silverware & utensils in my utensil canister just to be super-squeaky. My one mess up though is my stove. I keep the top part sparkling, but if you opened the oven door… my reputation would be sunk.
I knew it was time to clean it this past Sunday morning, when I put a pan of Pillsbury cinammon rolls in there for 15 minutes and the apartment smelled like chicken grease for the rest of the day. Okay it’s been doing that for a couple of years now.
I went on Amazon Monday morning to look at my ordering history, I wanted to see when I bought a couple of those silicone baking sheets to put in the bottom of my stove when it was clean. Then I’d know when I last cleaned it.
Ah—April 10, 2017. That wasn’t the last time I cleaned it—that was the day I moved into this apartment. I’ve been here close to 4 years and never cleaned that dang oven.
When I moved out of my old apt, I was told half of my security deposit would be kept to have the carpet and oven cleaned. Wha??
I sent them pics of the steam cleaner I rented and the inside of this 1972 General Electric stove I cleaned myself, and warned them I’d better get the full amount back. I got it!
So Wednesday night, I took out the oven racks and let them soak in the bathrub overnight, in a scalding Spic n’ Span bubble bath. I got up yesterday (Thursday) morning and pulled back the shower curtain—and saw a tub of the grimiest water I’ve ever seen. I guess I’d be spending the day scrubbing my stove –AND- bathtub!
But those racks were GLEAMING silver and gave me a real glimmer of hope. Maybe my oven would be a piece of cake too! I’d sprayed it with 1 1/2 cans of HEAVY DUTY EASY OFF OVEN CLEANER the night before and had the lye burns on both arms to prove it.
TWO HOURS and three sponges and a pair of torn Playtex rubber gloves and a bucket of demonic black gunk later, my stove (the one at the top) is a thing of beauty. After a good nights sleep, I keep going into my kitchen this morning just to open the oven door and take a look inside. If my arms weren’t so sore I’d pinch myself to see if I was dreaming. Sure would love to keep it this way!
So I wonder if my neighbors would let me rent theirs on occasion?
I like your clean stove and oven. It's a lot of work to keep things clean, but so worth it. I don't like living in a pig sty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gigi I've noticed you have a very clean home yourself!
DeleteI am NOT good at cleaning my oven. It is atrocious. I wonder if I could hire someone to do it. Good for you though! I know how you feel about never using it again. I feel that way when I get my car(rarely) washed. I don't want to drive it on dirty roads for a while.
ReplyDeleteMargaret I appreciate you sharing that, I feel a little less alone :^)
DeleteNeither is oven cleaning my favorite job. When my husband was alive, i covered whatever meat i was roasting or baking. These days i don't use the oven much - except to bake poundcake or cookies (store-bought stuff has INSANE amounts of sugar, salt, and heaven knows what unhealthy else;/ ).
ReplyDeleteWell Sue, I'm going to try & do just that--cover whatevr meat I'm cooking, I dont want to go thru this again. :) Thanks for that tip :)
DeleteThink if I ever clean my oven, I will get possessive of it also. One of the uglier of household chores. Don't smell anything unusual when I use it so I guess I am good for a while yet:)
ReplyDeleteYours is beautiful. Be proud.
Haha--Patti you're very kind! I know this was a boring blog, but the more I looked at the finished product, the more I wanted to show it off! Thank you & I hope you can go a long time to come :)
DeleteDug, your oven looks wonderful. Continuing on spring cleaning here, I scrubbed and cleaned bathrooms yesterday... (after which I took a long hot shower). This morning I woke up with a migraine. It's better this afternoon, but DH commented that every time I do any extensive cleaning, I end up with a migraine. Told him maybe I'm allergic to cleaning?? or cleaning products?? or am just getting old and can't take the energy needed to accomplish some tasks... who knows... but the bathrooms are sparkly clean!
ReplyDeleteRian that's wonderful about your bathrooms and heyyyyyy... I get headaches too (just yesterday) and I was wondering if it was the cleaning products too. Omigod it just hit me--I should've worn a mask while doing all this stuff. Anyway, thanks Rian & I hope you're feeling better :)
DeleteI'd say the cleaning products are definitely the problem, I have the same and it ramps up my asthma too, so I no longer use them. Try cleaning while wearing a mask, if that helps then you'll know for sure.
DeleteWow, I'm impressed! You did a great job on your oven and I know it is not easy. It's all the crazy positions you have to get in to clean your oven that gets to me. We have an oven that is "supposed" to be self cleaning but it does not do much good. It's not a fancy, pricy stove so maybe that's why. Mine really needs a good cleaning but unfortunately I'm the Queen of procrastination! Congratulations on the excellent job you did on yours!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Bonnie, and you just gave me a chuckle because you DO have to be a contortionist to do a proper job! So is your oven a heat missile cleaning or one that shoots steam? I heard the steam ones aren't as good... anyway, if you're the Queen I'm the King of procrastination, I get ya! Thanks again :)
DeleteMy oven sure doesn't shoot steam or anything else unless I catch something on fire (which I've done!) and then it's just lots of smoke! The cleaning cycle gets super hot for a long time but I can't tell that it actually cleans much. It's not a fancy oven in any way!
DeleteBonnie that's what my sisters stove does--gets super hot for a few hours. I'll have to ask how well hers works.
DeleteWow! That is truly impressive, Doug! Our oven is only about a year old so it hasn't had time to build up much grime.... yet. That was sure a lot of work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kay! Wow I didn't know yours was only a year old. Well, I know you & Art eat pretty healthy, so I'm sure you're good for a long time. You'd be surprised what a dozen meatloaves can do though :^|
DeleteWell, congratulations to you, Doug. You have done an amazing cleaning job on that oven. I do hope you will continue to use it and not just stare at it from now on. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you DJan! Hahaha--this cracked me up! I will get back to using it as soon as the novelty dies down some, it's just so CLEAN :^)
DeleteI guess I can’t tell you about my button.
ReplyDeleteHaha--Ed I knew one of you were bound to come along ;^) My sister has one of those self-cleaning wonders too, I've seen it in action. I envy you!
DeleteI haven't cleaned my oven in years either. It's down low and getting into the right positions to scrub at it it just too painful for my neck and shoulders. I have the bottom of it lined with a tray covered in aluminium foil so I can just change the foil when it becomes too stained form spillovers, and I take out the racks and scrub those in the sink, (I don't have a bathtub) but those spray on oven cleaners are too much for my asthma and for Lola my cat as well. So I use the oven as little as possible and use covered dishes to prevent splatter. If I ever move out, Housing will have people come in and clean and anything too stained or otherwise impossible to clean will get replaced before a new tenant moves in. My daughter has one of those self-cleaning ovens, says it's the best thing ever!
ReplyDeleteWell River, it sounds like you're doing a pretty good job with your oven already, so good for you. I should do more of what you're already doing. (And you are not kidding about the danger of fumes from oven cleaner spray, I wore a mask and I still had to stop every 2-3 seconds to get air!) I'm glad to read your daughter has a self-cleaning oven.
DeleteRandy Rainbow. I didn't know him, but I'm still laughing from that routine. And the oven. I didn't know that either. You can clean an oven?
ReplyDeleteTom you just gave ME a chuckle--what do you mean, you can clean an oven? Haha c'mon!
DeleteWHAAAT, you're supposed to Clean an Oven?! *Winks* Well, anything that gives me a reason not do cook, bake, etcetera works for me...
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Nothing quite like having a clean oven. Mine mot presently in need of cleaning as not being used very much since i had to buy this new one several years ago. My microwave does need some spit and polish as does the interior of my refrig. They’re on the todo list. Sounds young a good job, so if you have any spare time i could sure use some help.
ReplyDeleteHaha--Joared, what's funny here is--growing up, it was MY JOB to clean the fridge once a month! (We had 6 kids, so it got spills and too-long leftovers fast) Cleaning it properly took a good hour and if you lived closer, I'd tackle yours but I bet it's amateur stuff in comparison :^)
DeleteI came here from Arkansas Patti's "First Kiss Part II". I just had to pop over and express what a story you shared with your experience kissing a "25 year old 8th grader!!!". You had my 70+ year old heart racing.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can scowl at me 'cause I have a self cleaning oven. Sorry.
Haha!! Hootin' Anni, thanks so much! You know she wasn't 25--that was just my mom's name for her! Anyway, you're very kind, thank you--and you'll get no scowls from me, you deserve that self-cleaning stove! :)
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