There are a handful of cleaning tasks in the kitchen that I tend to put off as long as possible, and cleaning the oven is definitely one of them. Even though this particular task isn’t as loathsome as it used to be since I discovered this no-scrub overnight method, I still find myself procrastinating the job as long as possible.
To lessen my guilt about these delay tactics, I try to at least keep the oven door looking nice between deep cleanings. If you’re like me, the oven door tends to become covered with a layer of grime and grease that quickly becomes quite unsightly.
Over the years it seems like I have tried every product and method out there to clean my oven door, (including those caustic and awful-smelling chemical oven cleaners) without much success. So imagine my surprise when I discovered there is indeed an easy way to do it, and all it takes is a dishwasher detergent tablet, a cup of warm water, and a minimal amount of elbow grease!
How To Clean Your Oven Door With A Dishwasher Tablet
You’ll need:
- Dishwasher detergent tablet*
- Warm water
- Cleaning gloves
- Cleaning cloth
*Note: Make sure you use a detergent tablet for this, not a pod. Detergent pods typically contain some amount of liquid detergent, while tablets (like the Finish Powerball tablet I used here) are made with powdered detergent.
Directions:
Pull on your cleaning gloves and unwrap the detergent tablet. Dip the tablet into a small bowl or cup of warm water, then use it to scrub your oven door.
Pay particular attention to baked-on grime and greasy spots, dipping the tablet in water again as needed, and watch the grime come right off!
As the tablet begins to crumble, you can use the crumbly bits to scrub the corners and other hard-to-reach areas.
Keep scrubbing until you’re satisfied, then use a wet dishcloth to clean up the detergent residue.
Why It Works
After trying this method on my own oven, I was genuinely stumped as to why I hadn’t thought to try this sooner! For years I’ve used detergent tablets (or powder) to clean especially dirty dishes and pans by filling them with hot water, adding a bit of detergent, and then soaking them overnight. It always works like a charm!
And after all, dishwasher detergent is formulated to remove tough food residues, cut through grease, and leave glass sparkling clean. So it makes perfect sense it would work wonders on an oven door as well!
This trick worked wonderfully on the oven doors at both my own house and the OGT Studio. So if your oven door could use some love too, give it a try for yourself! And while you’re thinking about it, check out these other ways to use dishwasher tablets for cleaning things besides dishes!
Need to go a step further? Check out my post on how to clean between the glass on your oven door! (And you won’t even have to take the door apart!)
More Ideas You'll Love
Which household chore are you most likely to procrastinate?
I remember when I tried this . It didn’t take everything off , but the door looked a lot better. Thanks for the Dawn power wash tip. I’ll have to try this.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.OMG! I just did this and I am stunned! My oven door has not been cleaned in a while (my self cleaning function isn’t working, and I never wanted to tackle the door myself). My burnt on mess came clean with very little effort. I was a little worried about scratches in the glass, but nope, there are none. Thank you so much for all your amazing hints.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just what my house needed! have the reg. oven, small conventional and air fryer the other 2 really need a good scrub bad. So when mom and dad get home from vacation or if they still have some when they get their supplies out for when they go (there’s a dishwasher where they go) So I told them to save a few for me so I can clean their ovens
Please log in or create a free account to comment.After reading about more Dawn being on the market, I am thinking that I still prefer my single edge razor blade. No chemicals! Too much detergent is bad for my septic system; I avoid as it much as possible. Dawn works great but it is just another layer of pollutant if overused (except for oily birds of course). Using dish detergent tablets is unwise to me. Just saying.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always hate doing the oven door, but how do you get the “inside the door” grime?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.She has a post about that. Most oven doors have a slot at the bottom. She shows different ideas to clean between the glass
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes! Click here for that post :-)
You are awesome, Jillee! I picked up some of those tabs at the grocery store this morning and just the one tab made my oven door transform from a disaster to a beautiful window! Thank you
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I too use a single edge blade to clean the oven door and sometimes other smooth finishes. The tool to get is at the hardware store or even walmart – its just a tiny plastic sleeve that you slide the blade into. It holds it safely so you can use it for lots of icky baked glop without getting cut. Originally purchased to clean paint off windows. Awesome tool for about a dollar!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You mentioned a dish cloth to rinse the oven door after scrubbing. Do people really have dish cloths any more? I would use a microfiber cloth. I use them for many things, keeping separate the ones used for nasty thing and throwing them in the wash after each use.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yep, some still use dish clothes. I never buy the microfiber ones, don’t care for them. I have old dish clothes I use for the nasty cleaning jobs, then throw into the laundry. I had some microfiber clothes several years ago, they wouldn’t soak up water. You can buy dish clothes all day at WalMart, Dol Gen and I’m sure many other stores.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I do! I use one every single day–nothing wrong with that. why would you make us feel bad for using one?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use dish cloths. Change them every day. My sister knits some new ones for me from time to time from cotton yarn. Pretty much everyone in my family uses dishcloths. I hate microfiber, it seems to actively resist picking up water or dirt and just smears it around.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I read this, this morning after spending a good portion of my time yesterday cleaning the oven and the oven door!
I used Baking Soda paste and a lot of elbow grease.
Would this also work on the interior walls and floor of the oven? I would guess, yes.
I do soak the oven racks overnight in the tub using Dish Machine powder.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll try it next time!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Would just regular dishwasher powder, scrubbed on with a cloth, work about as well? I don’t want to go buy tablets just for this project, or start quizzing my friends to find one who uses tablets so I can beg one off them. ^_^
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Was wondering the same thing!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I discovered Dawn Platinum Powerwash Spray. Did the same thing, no waiting. I also used it to instantly clean tea kettles that were baked-on black. I won’t always have it around so would then use the detergent pod.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Jillee posted a week or so ago how to make homemade Dawn Powerwash! I’ve done it and it works great! Don’t throw away your Powerwash bottle when it’s empty. Search OGT and find the recipe and refill that bottle!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for that great tip!
I searched using “Dawn Powerwash” and didn’t know which one it was. None mentions Dawn Powerwash, so I don’t know how to recognize the right recipe. Help, please?
Okay, I finally found it. For some reason, Jillee’s search engine didn’t find it, but Google did. It’s here: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/diy-dawn-powerwash-dish-spray/
i have not seen this yet, but I am excited to try it
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I never heard of Dawn Platinum Powerwash Spray, so I did some googling. Apparently it’s pretty much just dish detergent in a spray bottle. I already decant my dish detergent (of various brands, whatever’s on sale) into a spray bottle, along with some water for easier spraying, so maybe I’ll try it on the oven door. But I’ll go take a look @ Jillee’s formula too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Is it easily available in the market? If it is available i will definitely but it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I clean the door with the tablet what a great job . Thank you so much.
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