A clean oven is the best oven is what we always should say. Dirty ovens can muck up the flavors of any dish you’re baking and, worse, even tougher to clean up after a huge mess on top of it. So here are some easy steps you can follow to properly clean your ovens - be it a pizza oven, an electric oven, a gas oven, or even microwave ovens.

First up the tools. You’ll need a really good oven cleaner. It can be store bought or a good mix of vinegar, water, and baking soda in a spray bottle, or just 2 heads of lemons and water. These 3 are the most common solutions to a grimy and greasy oven. The next things are rubber gloves and protective eyewear for your hands and eyes (specifically for store bought cleaners), newspaper to catch the drips, and your trusty scrubs like a rag or a soft pumice.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Before starting, spread out some old newspapers on the floor to catch the drips from the oven while being cleaned. This means less cleanup after the cleanup. Now, spray on the solution of your choice all around the inside of the oven. Make sure to put more on those tough sticky spots just to be sure. For store bought mixes, a good 20-30 minutes should do the trick before you give it a good damp scrub. For homemade mixes like soda and vinegar, leave it on for at least 12 hours or overnight. While allowing the solution to do its job, take out the racks and spray some more and allow them to sit as well.

When the time is up, begin scrubbing from inside-out, top to bottom. This way, you won’t have to reclean the spots you already cleaned. And if you’re dealing with heavy build-up, you may want to use a heavy-duty scrub for it. But be sure not to score the side and bottom of the oven as it can lead to damage. Also, don’t forget to wipe and scrub the racks as well.

Once everything is spick and span, do one last wipe on the inside to remove any left-over grease and grit. Then wipe away with a dry rag and put everything back together. And you’re ready to go!

Cleaning out an oven can be a daunting task. But following these easy and simple steps should do the trick. No mess is a match if you put some elbow grease into it.