How to Clean Oven Glass – Everything You Need to Know

Let’s face it. The oven glass door can get pretty gross. You would be surprised by the amount of grim, grease, and debris that can build up. But, because you can’t very well clean a hot oven, by the time you’re through with your meal, cleaning it becomes nothing more than a distant thought by that point. Don’t give me that look… We’ve all been there. When you do finally get round to cleaning it, you only focus on the accessible surfaces both inside and outside the oven.

What most people aren’t aware of is – you can actually clean in between the oven glass door yourself. You don’t need to call a professional cleaning service to do it for you. With a little practice and A LOT of care, it’ll become second nature. Without further ado, here’s the ultimate guide on how to clean oven glass like a pro and get it looking brand new again.

How to Clean Oven Glass by Removing the Entire Door

Don’t freak out… Oven doors are removable. They are made that way. Plus, you want it to look brand new, don’t you?

Have you ever been to someone’s house, taken one look at the oven, and concluded that they’ve never used it a day in their life – as you chomp down some mouthwatering lasagna that just came fresh off the… surprise, surprise – oven?

Well, that’s because they know the oven cleaning hack most people aren’t privy to – removing the oven glass door to clean both the inner and outer surfaces. Here’s how you do it.

Step 1: Remove the Oven Door

• First, make sure the oven is completely cool. The last thing you need is to suffer heat burns because you were attempting to give your oven a thorough clean while it was still hot.
• Next, open the oven door all the way. Identify the screws attaching it to the main unit and get the appropriate screw head for the task at hand.
• Once you have your screwdriver, rest the oven door on your leg for support. If it’s much higher up, get someone to hold it open for you. This will protect the door and glass from falling off once you begin to unfasten the screws.
• Then, place the oven door on a flat surface like your kitchen countertop with the top part of it facing further out from you. You should be able to see two screws at the bottom, holding the inner glass in place.
• Proceed to carefully unscrew these and slide the glass off the main door. You’ll now have access to the inner layers and all the griminess they have to offer. If this is the first time you’re doing this in the entire lifetime of your oven, brace yourself – it’s not going to be pretty.
• Using a vacuum hose, pick up all the loose crumbs and debris on the surfaces and edges of both glass surfaces. Any standard bagless vacuum cleaner (link to Amazon) will do.

Step 2: Clean up the Grease Buildup

• To do this, you’ll need a grease removal solution. It’s always better to use a non-toxic all-natural cleaning solution as opposed to commercial chemical cleaners. Unless, of course, you don’t mind your baked food having a somewhat “detergenty”
• Start by sprinkling some baking soda on the inner surfaces of the glass. You could also use a baking soda cream cleaner (link to Amazon). It works just as well.
• Then, pour some vinegar into a spray bottle and proceed to spray the baking soda covered surface of the glass. The chemical reaction between the two agents will cause it to bubble.
• Leave it to sit for about 10 minutes or so. You can leave it for longer, depending on how dirty the glass is.
• Then, use a non-abrasive scour pad to spread the baking soda/vinegar paste making sure to work it into every section of the glass door. The pad you use should be gentle enough not to leave any scratches on the glass surface. There’s no way to fix that if you do.
• Next, get a warm wet rag and wipe surfaces clean. Make sure you get everything off. If you want that extra fresh-off-the-factory shine, use a glass cleaner (link to Amazon) as the last step.
• Repeat the process outlined in steps 1 and 2 for the outer surfaces of the glass.
• Finally, reassemble your glass door by replacing the inner glass and fastening the screws back to their original positions. Make sure that they are secure enough to hold the glass as they did before.
• Replace and re-screw the oven door back to the main unit, and voila! Your grimy oven door will now be transformed into a shiny new beauty.

How to Clean Oven Glass Without Removing the Entire Door

Needless to say, having to disassemble your oven door and then reassemble it once you’re done cleaning it isn’t a process you can rush. You need enough time to do it.

Besides, it’s not the sort of thing you do every single time you use the oven. A quick and easy way to clean oven glass without having to remove the door involves taking the following steps.

• Once the oven has completely cooled off, open the door flat, and sprinkle some baking soda on the surface of the glass. Then, proceed to spray vinegar on to the baking soda, and spread the paste to coat the entire surface. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
• Use a warm wet rag to wipe off the paste from the surface until it is completely clean. If baking soda doesn’t work to get all the dirt and grime off, you might need something a little stronger. Consider getting a fume-free oven cleaner (link to Amazon).
• Keep in mind that such cleaners are toxic, so a little goes a long way. Use clean water to wipe it down once you’re through, to remove all traces of the cleaning agent.
• Alternatively, if your oven has a self-cleaning feature, you can use it instead. It heats the oven to temperatures of up to 900 degrees and transforms all debris into ash, which you can then wipe away using a warm wet rag.

Remove the Grime and Add the Shine

There you have it – how to clean oven glass and restore it to look brand new. Depending on how much time you have on your hands, and to a larger extent – how confident you feel about removing the oven glass, it is possible to clean in between the glass surfaces. Or, simply focus on the areas you can access without having to disassemble the whole thing. It’s all up to you.