Oven trays get dirty faster than any other part of your oven. Overflowing gratins, runny cakes, or roasting chicken can leave baked-on grease and burnt residues that are tough to remove.
Skip toxic commercial cleaners like Décap'Four. As a home cleaning expert with years of hands-on experience, I've relied on these four natural, effective methods shared by fellow cooking enthusiasts.
Pro tip: Always clean trays while they're still warm from the oven—it makes the job much easier. Here's how:
Contents Remove the warm tray from the oven. In a small bowl, mix ¼ glass coarse salt, ¼ glass white vinegar, and water. Soak a sponge in the mixture, scrub the tray, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and wipe dry.
Pour pure black soap onto a damp sponge and scrub the warm tray. Rinse with hot water and dry. For heavily encrusted grease, let it sit for 15 minutes or overnight before rinsing.
Sprinkle baking soda on the warm tray and wipe with a damp sponge. For stubborn spots, mix 3 parts baking soda with 1 part lukewarm water into a paste, apply, and let sit overnight. Rinse with hot water the next day—your tray will gleam.
Sprinkle baking soda generously on hot grease stains. In a spray bottle, dissolve 1 tablespoon soda crystals in 1½ glasses hot water and spray. In another, mix 1 part vinegar with 2 parts water and spray. Wait 1-2 hours, scrub with a vegetable brush, and scrape stubborn bits with a plastic spatula.
Your oven trays are now spotless! These methods are quick, chemical-free, and just as effective for drip pans or electric stove tops. No more smoky odors on your next bake.
