Gas range cooktop knobs and open oven door

How often do you need to clean your oven?

Our ovens help us serve countless meals to our family, friends and guests. However, spills and splatters are unavoidable and can be challenging to clean or impact your appliance’s performance if left for too long.

Your oven’s cleaning schedule may vary based on several factors, regardless of whether it’s a wall oven or a range. 

This guide will help you understand how often you should clean your oven and you’ll also get some helpful tips that you can use for your next clean. 

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Whirlpool® single wall oven installed in a modern kitchen

What factors affect how often you need to clean your oven?

The frequency with which you use your oven determines how often you should clean it. If you’re a home cook who uses your oven multiple times a day or many days a week, you may need to clean it more regularly than you would if you only use your appliance on weekends, for instance.

Your cooking habits may also factor into how regularly you need to clean your oven. If you often cook casseroles that tend to bubble or baste meats as they roast in your oven, splatters and stains are likely to occur and build up over time on the racks and base of your oven. To minimize the need for more regular deep cleanings, wipe away easy-to-reach spills while your oven is still a bit warm, but not hot.

Signs that it’s time to clean your oven

Any visible messes in your oven cavity need to be cleaned. While this is an obvious sign, there are some others to look for, including:

  • Film on the oven door glass

  • Strange smells

  • Smoke leaving the oven while it’s in use

If you spot one or more of these signs, then your oven needs to be cleaned immediately.

Baked pasta and roasted vegetables inside a Whirlpool® oven Baked pasta and roasted vegetables inside a Whirlpool® oven

How often should you clean your oven for regular use

If you use your oven a regular amount of time, roughly a few days a week, it’s recommended to deep clean it every three months. Always spot-treat spills and splatters between deep cleans to reduce or eliminate any messes to avoid them hardening or building up.

How often should you clean your oven for heavy use

If you're using your oven to prepare multi-course meals several times a week or close to every day, you should deep-clean it more often than once every three months. Heavy-duty use can lead to grease and grime accumulation in your oven cavity, so the recommended frequency for deep cleans in this case is every three weeks.

Person removing an oven rack from a Whirlpool® oven Person removing an oven rack from a Whirlpool® oven

Methods for cleaning an oven

There are several methods you can use to keep your oven clean and ready for when you need it next

Person selecting a bake setting on a Whirlpool® oven

Self-cleaning ovens

Self-cleaning ovens can cut down on the time and effort needed to clean your oven. This cycle uses high temperatures up to 800ºF to burn food build-up inside your oven. Once the cycle is complete, the last step is to wipe away the ash with a wet cloth.

 

Select Whirlpool® Wall Ovens and Ranges have a Steam Clean Option that uses a combination of heat and water to loosen food residue, allowing it to be easily wiped clean. This function helps prevent smoke and odours that often happen as a result of a high-heat cleaning cycle.

Person cleaning an oven with a white cloth

Manual cleaning methods

Only select ovens have a self-cleaning or steam clean cycle. If yours doesn’t, you will need to manually and thoroughly clean your appliance. Use either a chemical oven cleaner or a baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice solution to wipe down the inside and outside of your oven.

Tips to maintain a clean oven

Follow these tips to maintain a clean oven that performs as intended and is always ready to use. 

  • Regular maintenance: Maintain a clean oven by following the directions in your user care guide. This will help prevent stuck-on messes, distinctly bad smells and smoke while your oven is in use.

  • Clean spills right away: Let the inside of your oven cool until it's safe to touch and then clean splatters and spills to help avoid the formation of burnt-on mess.

  • Never use tinfoil as an oven liner: Though lining your oven with tinfoil may seem like an easy and clever way to prevent spills from reaching your oven’s floor, it can affect the heat distribution, potentially resulting in hot or cold spots in whatever you’re cooking.

  • Take care of stainless steel: Some wall ovens and ranges have a stainless steel facade, which comes with special maintenance instructions. It’s recommended to polish your oven’s stainless exterior to preserve its appearance. Whirlpool brand recommends using affresh® stainless steel brightener1 to achieve a spotless exterior.

  • Make cleaning a family activity: If you’re showing your kids how to cook and bake, try to also include them in the cleaning process. It can be a fun activity that teaches them part of the responsibility of cooking and leads to quality time together.

Shop affresh® Cleaning Products

Keep your kitchen looking immaculate with affresh® Cleaning Products. Browse cooktop cleaners, garbage disposal and dishwasher cleaning tablets, stainless steel brightener, ice machine cleaner and more to find the cleaning products that will help you properly care for your kitchen.

Learn more about oven maintenance with Whirlpool brand

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1. affresh® brand products and the recommending brands’ products are all owned and distributed by Whirlpool Corporation.