The Cheap Tool That Makes Cleaning Stubborn Oven Grease A Breeze

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Your oven could be making your kitchen smell bad because of the grease buildup you keep forgetting to clean. You can hide the stench by spraying scented oils or increasing the ventilation in the area by opening the windows, but if you want a more reasonable and long-term solution, then you'd better start cleaning. Stubborn oven grease is a bit difficult to handle, however, especially if you haven't cleaned your oven for so long. The fats and oils from food may have already polymerized after being subjected to high heat countless times, forming a hard-to-remove, plastic-like film on the surface of the appliance. Luckily, there's a cheap tool that comes in handy for this occasion: pumice stone. Yes, the porous volcanic rock you typically use to exfoliate your feet is also effective for removing oven grease.

Due to its exceptionally porous form and gritty texture, pumice stone has a natural abrasiveness that can easily break through tough grease deposits. Because of this, you can use it to scrub through solidified fats and oils. No need to use your oven's self-cleaning feature, which can damage the appliance's components with the extreme temperatures (up to 900 degrees Fahrenheit) required to incinerate food particles and hardened spills. The best part is that pumice stone is affordable. You can buy a 2-piece set for less than $5 on Amazon or a 14-piece pack for just $12.

First, wet the volcanic rock with warm water until its texture softens. This will help prevent the stone from scratching the oven's surface and provide just the right grit needed to break down and remove the hardened fat and oil deposits. Next, prepare your oven for cleanup by removing as much loose debris, grime, and dirt as you can using a brush or towel. For tough deposits, spray a mixture of water and dish soap or vinegar to help soften them. Take the pumice stone and start gently scrubbing in small, circular motions over the solidified grease. The grime and gunk will form a gray paste as it grinds away.

Using a damp cloth, wipe the area you are working on from time to time to check your progress and avoid over-scrubbing. Or, simply use your hand to check if the grease buildup is still palpable on the surface. For extremely tough buildup, repeat the process and apply more pressure to break through the layers. Just be sure to keep the pumice stone wet so you don't end up grinding the surface too aggressively. Pumice stone is safe to use on the oven floor, side walls, and even on the glass. Note: Cleaning glass oven doors is a breeze if you wipe them down after every use. Once you're done scrubbing, rinse away the residue and dry your oven with a cloth.