Can You Clean Your Oven with Lemons? What to Know About This Non-Toxic Method

If you're tired of spending hours scrubbing a dirty oven, this viral cleaning trend provides a nearly-effortless way to restore your appliance's sparkle. All you need is a casserole dish, a few lemons, and water—no harsh chemicals or heavy-duty scrubbing necessary.

Sticky burnt-on messes that smoke every time you turn the oven on or an oven window you can barely see through are signs that it's time to give the appliance a thorough deep clean. If you're looking for a non-toxic, inexpensive, and easy way to clean your oven, try this viral cleaning method.

How to Clean Your Oven with Lemons

To give this viral cleaning hack a try, start with two to three lemons. Chop them into quarters or thick slices using a sharp knife, then place them inside a shallow casserole dish cut-side up in a single layer. Pour enough water in the dish to cover the lemons, making sure they are spread out evenly. Preheat your oven to 390 degrees and pop the dish in for 30 minutes.

Once the half hour is up, turn the oven off. You can either leave the door closed, or open it a bit until the lemons, water, and the appliance itself cool down. The steam from the lemon water will have loosened any splatter and burnt-on messes, so once the oven is cool, wipe down the oven walls, racks, and door, giving stubborn spots an extra scrub.

Do Lemons Clean as Well as Chemicals?

One of the most frequent questions when it comes to a non-chemical cleaning method is whether it actually works. We asked Sarah McAllister, founder and CEO of GoCleanCo, whether this method is effective or not. "This might work if your oven is barely dirty and you always keep up with spills," she says. But when it comes to a seriously dirty appliance, she shares her hesitations about the method's effectiveness. "In our experience, ovens get serious, burnt-on build-up and will need some heavy hitters, and this just won’t cut it," she says.

So if you're looking for an easy oven-cleaning method to incorporate into your regular cleaning routine when the appliance doesn't necessarily need a heavy-duty scrub down, this is a great option. McAllister shares a cleaning hack for another kitchen appliance that works on the same principle: "It’s similar to our microwave hack where we microwave vinegar and water to loosen up the stuck-on foods in your microwave before wiping them up," she says.

While lemons do naturally have cleaning and deodorizing properties, they don't sanitize a surface the same way that bleach or heavy-duty cleaners do, and therefore don't kill bacteria. If you are looking for a natural alternative to bleach and other chemical cleaners, vinegar is a non-toxic cleanser that contains acetic acid which, while not as strong as bleach, does disinfect.

Other Natural Ways to Clean an Oven

There are several other natural ways to clean an oven that avoid the use of harsh and possibly toxic chemicals. Baking soda is one of the best ways to restore your appliance's sparkle, and you can use it in a number of different ways. Baking soda naturally breaks down dirt and grime, and removes unpleasant odors at the same time.

The first method consists of a baking soda paste you can make by adding water. Similar to the lemon cleaning hack, it's designed for ovens that aren't super grimy and get a regular clean. Use a small bowl to mix baking soda and water, adding enough of the liquid to make a spreadable paste. Then, take a spoon or spatula and spread the paste over dirty spots on the oven floor, walls, and door. Make sure the oven is cool if you recently used it. Let the paste sit for up to 30 minutes, then wipe it down with a damp cloth.

The second cleaning method also uses a baking soda paste, but also involves vinegar, which makes the solution more powerful and able to target stubborn spots. Just like the previous method, make a thick but spreadable paste by mixing baking soda and water. Stir well, then coat the oven interior with the paste using rubber gloves. Make sure you've removed any crumbs or loose pieces from the oven before starting, to ensure they don't mix in with the paste. Once the interior is covered with the paste, let it sit for up to 30 minutes, but you can leave it overnight if necessary. Once you're ready to wipe away the paste, mix three parts water with one part white vinegar and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the vinegar solution onto the dried paste, then let sit for another 30 minutes. You should be seeing a chemical reaction at this point, as the vinegar reacts with the baking soda. Once the 30 minutes is up, grab a damp towel and wipe all the paste off.