The Natural & Affordable Way To Remove Smells From Your Oven

We've all been there. When spilled cheese, an overflowing casserole, and other everyday cooking residue leaks out of the pan and onto the surface of your oven — only to leave behind an unpleasant burnt smell. These types of odors can linger in your kitchen longer than you would think and can be a real pain to remove once they've really latched on to the interior surfaces. Commercial oven cleaners can be effective, but they are not always the top choice for households that want to avoid harsh chemicals and strong fumes. Luckily, removing smells from your oven is easy to do by simply steam cleaning with citrus. Not only does it help remove the smells, it can also loosen grease and baked-on food residue so you can easily wipe it clean.

Citrus steam cleaning works well because of how effective both lemon and steam are at cleaning. There are plenty of unexpected ways you can use lemons for a spotlessly clean kitchen — they've been used for everything from DIY cleaning solutions to freshening up garbage cans. This is because of their natural antibacterial, antiseptic, and mild bleaching elements. We know it might feel like you need something a little stronger for an appliance as big and prone to burnt smells as an oven. But the citric acid found in lemons, combined with steam, helps remove grease and food build-up by softening stains and making them easier to wipe away. Of all the natural cleaning ingredients you'll want a healthy stock of in your home, lemons might be one of the most popular. So let's break down how to use the steam cleaning method to freshen up your oven.

This method takes a little time but can be incredibly effective — all you need is an oven-safe dish, a couple lemons, and some water. Before you begin, take the time to remove any loose crumbs or food bits at the bottom of your oven to ensure that they don't burn and create more of an odor during the cleaning process. Once your oven is wiped down, you can preheat it to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and slice your lemons as it heats up (not so thin, though). Then add them, along with two cups of water, to an oven-safe dish, before sliding it onto the center rack of your oven. Let the water and lemon bake for about 20 minutes, making sure to check on it periodically to ensure the water doesn't evaporate, causing the lemons to burn.

This process will allow the oils from the rind to escape and neutralize any unpleasant odors. After the time is up, turn off your oven, but keep the door closed with the solution still releasing steam. You'll want to let the oven cool completely before you open the door and wipe down the interior with a sponge or cloth. Once you're done, you should find that the food residue and grease are easy to wipe away, and any burnt smell is replaced with a lovely natural citrus scent. It's an easy process that can be repeated whenever you have a messy spill or unpleasant odor you need to get rid of. And it's one of the best ways to clean your oven if you don't want to use chemicals.