How To Clean Oven Door Glass & Remove Stubborn Stains

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A dirty oven door not only affects the quality and health of your food but also puts your home at a greater risk for household fires. And while you can easily clean most of your oven with simple kitchen utensils and cleaning products, your oven’s glass door is a completely different story. The good news is that cleaning an oven door is a relatively simple, and you probably already own all the tools you need for the job.

You can clean oven door glass by coating it with a mixture of baking soda and water, and then scrubbing the paste off with a damp microfiber cloth. Then, use a razor or balled-up aluminum foil to get rid of the more stubborn stains before buffing the glass with a dry microfiber cloth. 

Regularly cleaning your oven’s glass door will not only improve its appearance but it will also enhance the longevity and performance of the appliance. Let’s look at how you can clean glass oven doors and which cleaning products are the most effective for the job, so that you can quickly remove all those stubborn stains dirtying your oven door. 

How to Clean Glass Oven Doors

Cleaning open door of oven

While it’s certainly not impossible to clean a dirty glass oven door, it does require a plan, some effort, and a bit of elbow grease to make it look like new again. 

There are several different ways to clean a glass oven door, depending on the model of your oven, how dirty the glass door is, and the cleaning product you prefer to use.

Let’s look at some of the most popular cleaning methods, so that you can opt for the one you find most convenient:

Use Distilled White Vinegar

Before you start cleaning the inside of your glass oven door, it’s important to clean the outside. Using distilled white vinegar is the best way to do so. 

Ingredients and Tools Needed

Steps

  1. Spray some vinegar on the outside of your glass oven door.
  2. Use a microfiber cloth to wipe away all the stains and grime, preferably in downward strokes.
  3. Rinse and repeat if needed.
  4. Use another microfiber cloth to buff out the glass and get rid of any remaining streaks.

Use a Baking Soda Paste

Cleaning the inside of a glass oven door can be a bit challenging. Luckily, a baking soda paste will allow you to tackle all the grease that has accumulated on your oven door over the years. 

Ingredients and Tools Needed

Steps

  1. Open your oven doors and use a damp microfiber cloth to wipe away any loose bits of grime.
  2. Pour the baking soda into the bowl.
  3. Add water to the bowl slowly to make a baking soda paste. Its consistency should be similar to that of shaving cream.
  4. Spread this paste on the inside of your oven glass door.
  5. Let the paste sit for about 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Dampen a clean microfiber cloth and use it to wipe off the paste.
  7. If you still see any stuck-on gunk or grime, gently scrape it off with the razor blade. Make sure you only use the flat edge of the razor and not its corner, so that you don’t scratch or damage the glass.
  8. Repeat all the above steps if needed. 
  9. Use a dry, clean microfiber cloth to buff out the glass. 

Use Your Oven’s Self-Cleaning Mode

Your oven’s self-cleaning cycle (if it has one) is an excellent way to get rid of the grease, baked-on spills, and messes dirtying your oven and its glass door. 

Tools Needed

  • A damp cloth or sponge 

Steps

  1. Before turning on the self-cleaning mode, make sure your oven is completely empty. Remove all the oven racks and move everything off the stovetop.
  2. Open up all the windows in your house. Some self-cleaning modes heat an oven up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the model. So, along with warming up your home, the self-cleaning cycle may potentially emit fumes as well, making it essential to have proper ventilation.
  3. For safety, it’s best to keep pets and children out of the kitchen (or house) while your oven is in self-cleaning mode. However, an adult should keep an eye on the oven during the process in case of a fire.
  4. The oven will heat all the debris into ash, after which you’ll just need to wipe it away with a damp sponge or cloth. However, wait for your oven to cool down before doing so.  

The self-cleaning mode will completely clean the inside of your oven, including its glass door, as the high temperature will burn up all the stuck-on grease and food residue.

That said, the entire process can take around one to six hours, depending on your model and the mode selected, so it’s better to plan your meals ahead — or just use it as an excuse to order in!

What’s the Best Thing to Clean a Glass Oven Door With? 

The best cleaner for your glass oven door is a combination of ingredients that you probably already have in your house: vinegar and baking soda. 

While the mixture is an excellent non-toxic alternative to abrasive and harsh chemical cleaners, there are a few cases where the natural cleaning paste won’t just pack enough cleaning power.

If your oven’s glass door hasn’t been cleaned in years, then you might have to use a more potent, chemical-based cleaner, such as this one from Rejuvenate (on Amazon), or this one from Easy Off (on Amazon).

If you decide to use store-bought oven cleaners, then make sure you closely follow all the instructions written on the product label. However, most of the time, the timeless homemade baking soda paste will be more than enough to restore your oven’s glass door.  

How Do You Remove Heavy Stains From Oven Glass? 

Women`s hands in gloves with a microfiber cleaning cloth clean the oven door

A combination of baking soda, vinegar, and aluminum foil is one of the best ways to remove heavy stains from an oven glass door. Since baking soda is a gentle abrasive, it can easily break down dirt, grease, burn marks, and other stains from your kitchen appliances without scratching them.

Ingredients and Tools Needed

Steps

  1. Pour hot water or vinegar on the inside of your oven glass door.
  2. Coat the glass with baking soda and then let it sit for at least 40 seconds.
  3. Use an aluminum foil ball to scrub the glass. The foil will scrape off even the most stubborn of stains without scratching or damaging the glass.
  4. Once you’ve successfully scrubbed off all the stains, wipe off the glass with a microfiber cloth or paper towel.
  5. Clean your oven’s glass door again with water to prevent baking soda streaks, before using a clean paper towel or rag to thoroughly dry the surface. 

Does Foil Scratch Oven Glass?

A balled-up sheet of aluminum foil will not scratch oven glass. While you can use a soft sponge to get rid of some stains, aluminum foil will be much more effective in removing the really stubborn stains from your oven without damaging the glass.    

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