DIY Guide To Cleaning Between The Glass On Your Oven Door

Knowing how to clean your oven’s glass door is a crucial part of the appliance’s maintenance routine. Remember, every splatter and spill that happens as you cook stays on the stovetop and glass until you clean it up. So, how do you clean between the glass on your oven door?

The easiest way to clean between the glass pieces on your oven door is by removing them from the door. Use a vacuum with a crevice attachment to reach the hidden crumbs and dirt. You can also remove the entire door and reach the hidden areas with a damp microfiber cloth attached to a yardstick. 

Since you can’t clean the inside of a hot oven, the messes are usually out of your mind by the time you have your meal and it cools down. As a result, the debris, grime, and grease quickly build up over time. Thankfully, you can still get rid of the mess with a little elbow grease. Let’s get into the details of how it’s done.

How to Clean Between the Glass on Your Oven Door

Cleaning between the glass on your oven door is simple if you have the right supplies and follow the correct steps.

What You’ll Need 

You’ll need the following to make the job as painless as possible:

• Distilled white vinegar (on Amazon)
  
• Baking soda
  
• Non-abrasive pad/sponge
  
• Microfiber cloths (on Amazon)
  
• Grease cutting dish soap
  
• Rubbing alcohol
  
• Rubber bands
  
• Yardstick
  
• Vacuum with crevice attachment
  

How to Get Between Glass Layers

The easiest way to get between the glass layers is by removing the glass from the oven door. Here’s how to do it:

1. Let the oven cool so it’s safe to handle.
   
2. Open the door and rest it gently between your legs as you unscrew it along the top carefully. This way, the glass won’t hit the floor if it falls off. 
   
3. Once you’ve taken out the glass, use a vacuum with crevice attachment to reach the hidden crumbs and dust between the layers.

Some model ovens are a bit tricky to clean, and you’ll often need to remove the entire door to clean between its two glass panes. Check your appliance manual before getting started because the steps may vary a bit. But generally, here’s how to detach the oven door:

1. Ask someone to hold the door, then carefully unlock its hinges.
   
2. Hold the door at around 75 degrees, then gently side it up and away from the oven.
   
3. Set the door on a countertop cushioned by an old towel or some other soft material.
   
4. Attach a microfiber cloth or sponge at the end of a yardstick and secure it with rubber bands.
   
5. Dampen the cloth or sponge with isopropyl alcohol or vinegar, then insert it between the glass layers.
   
6. Gently scrub away the stains and grease in repeated motions.
   
7. Replace the sponge with a dry lint-free cloth and repeat the process to clean between the glass layers.
   

Cleaning Process

Before cleaning the oven, let it cool off enough so that it’s safe to touch and won’t evaporate the cleaning product. You’ll also want to wear safety gloves while handling the chemicals and grime.

1. Create a thick paste with baking soda and distilled water.
   
2. Spread the paste on a sponge or microfiber cloth and apply it generously on the grimiest parts of the glass.
   
3. Let the paste sit for 20 to 25 minutes depending on how dirty the glass is. You can do this before you sleep and let it sit overnight. The mixture will darken once it absorbs the grease and dirt.

4. When ready, remove the paste with a warm, wet microfiber cloth.
   
5. If the glass appears cloudy or shows streaks, apply grease-cutting dish soap on a clean microfiber cloth and wipe down the door.
   
6. Rinse the cloth well and use it to dry the glass thoroughly.
   
7. For best results, mix one part vinegar with two parts water and spray it on the glass. Wipe it down with a lint-free cloth.

You can also clean a glass oven door using the self-cleaning mode. It’s great for removing grease, baked-on spills, and other messes from the glass and the entire oven. But before you switch to the self cleaning mode, you must ensure the oven is empty. Follow these steps:

1. Take out everything from the stovetop and remove the oven racks.
   
2. Open all the kitchen windows and those in nearby rooms to ventilate the house well. The oven may heat up to around 900℉ in self-cleaning mode, warming up the room and potentially emitting bad fumes.
   
3. Activate the self-cleaning mode and remain in the house to check the progress from time to time.
   

The self-cleaning cycle typically cleans the whole interior of the oven, including the glass door. The intense heat melts and burns all dirt and stuck-on food residue to ash, leaving no sticky messes. 

Depending on your oven model, the process may take up to six hours to complete. Therefore, you should plan your meals in advance or order takeout. Once the process is complete, let the oven cool down before cleaning the ash with a damp cloth or sponge.

Finishing Up & Putting the Door Back Together

Follow these tips to clean the exterior of the door and put it back together:

1. Apply a drop of grease-cutting dish soap or baking soda paste to a damp microfiber cloth.
   
2. Work the product onto the grimy spots until they’re gone.
   
3. Rinse with a damp towel and dry with a clean microfiber cloth in an S-pattern.
   
4. For a streak-free glass door, spritz a lint-free cloth with rubbing alcohol or vinegar and wipe the door from top to bottom.
   
5. Carefully reassemble the glass door, checking that all screws go into their correct slots.
   
6. Tighten the screws well and ensure the glass is secure before closing the door.
   

How to Cut Through Tough Grease

Cutting through tough grease doesn’t take more than a mixture of items you probably have in your pantry already: vinegar and baking soda. Here’s how to do it:

1. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the glass and nearby affected areas.
   
2. Mix one part water and one part white vinegar, then spray it on the baking soda. Don’t worry if you see the paste bubbling; it’s a natural reaction.

3. Use a non-abrasive pad to spread the paste evenly around the affected areas.
   
4. Let the paste sit for 30 minutes to absorb all the grease and grime.
   
5. Wipe down the paste with a damp microfiber cloth.
   
6. Finish cleaning the glass with commercial glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol on a sponge.
   
7. Dry the glass with lint free cloth to give it the final shine.