DIY Non Toxic Oven Cleaner That Works!

Commercial oven cleaners are some of the most toxic products on the market, and if you’ve ever used one, you can understand why I now only use non-toxic oven cleaners. The chemicals in the commercial stuff sting your eyes make it hard to breathe, and can even burn your skin if you happen to get some of it on you.

Since I do tons of cooking, I have to eventually clean the old oven!  I used to put it off because I hated using those nasty chemicals, especially with them being so close to the wholesome, healthy food I cook. It seemed counterproductive. I could almost feel the toxins baking into my family’s food after I gave the oven a good cleaning (and none too soon) with a commercial oven cleaner. You know what I mean, right? You can smell those chemicals for days after cleaning the oven!

I have oven-cleaning PTSD from college. When we moved out of our townhome at the end of the year, we had to clean our oven or we would get charged a cleaning fee. My roommates picked out the toughest oven cleaner they could find. Our townhome was filled with fumes that were so toxic that we all left for several days! Stayed with the college boyfriends, so we were okay. 😉

Hellooooo DIY Non-Toxic Oven Cleaner, wish we had some back then!

Why you Want to Use Non-Toxic Oven Cleaner

There are many different chemicals in commercial oven cleaners, and most all of them are toxic. Plus, you also have to consider how these chemicals react when they are blended together–some of the most dangerous toxins are produced when multiple chemicals are mixed together. Here’s a list of the toxic chemicals commonly found in commercial oven cleaners:

• Morpholine--damages skin and vision; irritates skin and respiratory system; can flair up allergies and asthma.
• Sweetened, Liquified Petroleum Gases–possible carcinogenic.
• Ethanolamine–can cause eye damage and severe burns to exposed skin; harmful if swallowed or inhaled; can flair up allergies and asthma.
  Sodium Hydroxide–irritates respiratory system, skin and allergies; can damage vision.
• Butoxydiglycol–irritates respiratory system; possible carcinogenic; possibly interferes with reproductive system; irritates skin; can damage nervous system, digestive system and vision.

When I finally found a DIY non-toxic oven cleaner that really worked, I was thrilled! And because I want you to be healthy too, I thought I’d share this easy, inexpensive recipe that uses thieves essential oil. You probably already have all of these ingredients in your pantry (so there’s no putting off getting your oven nice and shiny) 🙂

DIY Non-Toxic Oven Cleaner

As with any oven cleaner, you will need a little elbow grease to get it really clean, but honestly, I was simply amazed at how easily the gunk came off!

First, here are some BEFORE pics of my nasty oven. It had literally been years since I had cleaned it because kids happen and time moves into warp speed!

Supplies

• 1 sponge with scrubbers on one side — like this
• 1 small paint brush
• 2 bowls (one small, one large)
• 1 spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp liquid washing soap — like this (we love to use the Thieves essential oil dish soap!)
• 1 ½ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 20 drops of Thieves Essential Oil — where to find
• Enough water to make the cleaner into a paste

Directions:

• Remove the oven racks and put them in the sink to soak in soapy water
• Stir all ingredients together in one of the bowls, adding a little water at a time until the cleaner is a paste you can brush on

• “Paint” your entire oven with the paste

• Let the paste sit for 6-8 hours. I usually do this overnight for convenience sake
• When ready, fill the large bowl with clean water and dip the sponge into the water. Now, clean the oven surfaces

• You will need to refill the bowl with clean water several times, it gets really dirty!

• You may want to go over all of it a second time, just to remove any leftover paste you might have missed the first time
• Make sure you rally the kids, they need to help too! It’s non-toxic, so it’s just fine to let them help! #momwin

• I use a razor to scrape the caked-on stuff off of the glass

• I spray it down with my Thieves essential oil cleaner when done and wipe it dry, gives it a nice clean shine!

Check out the hair photo bomb 🙂 

• And that’s it. It is really just as easy as using the toxic commercial cleaner, and it will look just as good. Plus, you can feel good knowing that you aren’t poisoning your family with those toxic fumes!

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