The Best Method To Clean Oven Glass Doors Without Leaving Scratches

When it comes to regular chores, cleaning the oven door often gets overlooked. We might clean up noticeable spills right away. But how many of us wipe down the glass oven door after cooking? That is the best method to prevent the black, caked-on mess. You might not see it right away, but food splatters happen every time you cook with your oven and builds up over time. If your glass oven door is so dirty you can't see inside to check your food, we may have a simple solution — baking soda, water, and vinegar. This cleaning method is so gentle it won't scratch your glass door.

You've probably read other articles or seen YouTube videos touting the magic cleaning powers of baking soda and vinegar or other various combinations. And you've probably thought to yourself, "Is it really that effective to clean an oven with baking soda and vinegar?" It actually is very effective. This method is similar to using baking soda and vinegar as a natural way to degrease baking sheets. 

It works by using a four-step process: mild abrasive scrubbing, degreasing, loosening, and polishing. Baking soda's abrasive qualities are strong enough to remove dried food and grease, but also gentle enough that it won't damage the surface of your oven door.

Many people resort to drastic measures when it comes to cleaning the inside of their glass oven door. If you're desperate, you may even consider using metal scrapers or razors to get the caked-on grime off. But this can be damaging to the glass — it can leave scratches that could cause the glass to fail during use, resulting in shattering. This is why you should avoid using any abrasive cleansers, sponges, or steel wool. If you want to use anything to scrape off dried food from the inside of your glass oven door, use a plastic scraper gently.

Start with the pre-oven cleaning step you won't want to skip — vacuuming to remove any large debris. Next, add ½ cup baking soda and 3 tablespoons of warm water to a bowl, and mix until it is a thick paste. Apply the paste to the grimy parts of your oven door, and allow it to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer if it's really burnt on. Depending on the size of the job, you may need to make multiple bowls of cleaning paste. 

After it sits, spray it with a one-to-one solution of vinegar and water to give it an extra cleaning kick. Once the bubbling reaction is finished, wipe down the surface with a warm, moist microfiber cloth. You may need to go over it a couple times to get all of the paste off. Use a dry microfiber cloth to go back over the area for a streak-free polish.