If you happen to have one or more ovens around the workplace, you will probably be painfully aware of the fact that they can quickly become an unsightly mess. Not just unsightly, but perhaps even an outright health hazard.
Ovens that are used communally between multiple people or on a regular/constant basis throughout the day have a habit of accumulating the kind of grease, grime and general dirt that almost doesn’t bear thinking about. What’s worse, these are also the kinds of ovens that tend to be overlooked and ignored by many of their users, who instinctively assume that it is someone else’s job to keep them clean and sanitary.
As such, it often comes down to one or more individuals charged with getting the job done to carry out the frequent cleaning required to prevent things getting out of control. Of course, the very best approach to keeping ovens clean is to implement a system whereby those using them are contractually obliged to clean up after themselves, or face penalties/consequences. Nevertheless, it may still be necessary to carry out occasional deep cleaning, which has a tendency to be both time consuming and unpleasant.
So with this in mind, we thought we’d share with you just a few simple yet effective tips and tricks on how to clean ovens around the workplace.
First of all, the best advice is to ensure that when and where possible, fresh stains are removed from the oven as quickly as possible after they manifest. You will always find it considerably easier to remove stains from the walls of the oven when they are still hot, the same also going for stains that have not yet have the chance to harden and set in place. For obvious reasons, you’ll need to be extra careful when looking to clean a hot oven.
If the oven is already cold, it can be beneficial to switch it on at a high temperature and allow it to heat up for around 20 minutes, before giving it sufficient time to cool before attacking it with your chosen cleaning products. This way, many of the stains that have begun setting in will become significantly looser and easy to get rid of.
When looking to clean the base of the oven, a little boiling water can make things considerably easier. Simply pour a small amount into the base of the oven, give it a few minutes to get to work on the dirt and then clean it away with a sponge and soapy water.
If you come across any particularly stubborn stains, you could try making a paste using baking soda and water. Apply this to the stains directly, leave it in place until the following day and then wash it away using a sponge and water. Likewise, greasy stains also respond particularly well to salt, when applied directly to the stain and left in place for a few minutes.
Be extremely careful when using powerful chemical oven cleaners as they can be harmful to your skin and also give off the kinds of toxic fumes you really do not want to be breathing in. If all else fails and your ovens are in a particularly unpleasant condition, it could be time to call in the professionals and have the job covered by the experts.
For more information on any of our professional cleaning services, get in touch with the Absolutely Gleaming team today.