256/366: Pintember Grime

This one is embarrassing.  Only slightly. 

I'm not Merry Maids and if I don't see it, I don't clean it.  I mean, it's an oven right?

I saw this pin last month and thought I'd try:

Source: diyhshp.blogspot.com via Carrie on Pinterest

The pin uses a mix of Baking Soda and water.  Simple.  No chemicals.  If I clean with something I could eat, it's a good thing.

Here is my oven door...don't you judge me:

 Let me preface this by stating that this is a really old oven.  I am guessing that it is only a couple years younger than me!

It still turns on and heats up, so we are good.



 Back to our project.  The mix of Baking Soda and water should look like a thick paste.  I rubbed it all over the door and glass.  I have never been able to see through the glass.  I actually thought it was so stuck on and hopeless.  Since the oven glass wasn't transparent when we moved in, surely they had already tried it.  Or, perhaps it was a 'frosted' glass.

After I let it sit for 30 minutes, I scrubbed a little and wiped it off.  This is what I got:

Much of the grime was off, but the glass was so caked on that the baking soda didn't even touch it. 
I closed the oven and thought...it's like shaving your legs in the winter.  What's the point?  No one goes there.

Then, I turned on the oven.  Let it warm up and mixed up another batch of the baking soda...perhaps a warmer oven will release the grime better.

As you can see in the hot suds, some of the grime released right away.  But it just didn't get into the really bad stuff.

I ditched the whole baking soda stuff and thought about the can of Easy Off under my sink.  I reached for it and knocked over the SOS pads.  DUH!  I use SOS when I can't clean a baking dish.

Look at what happened:

Can you see my floor through the window?  The door is so much cleaner.  So much that I even ran my hand over the whole door.  There are still some marks I didn't get off and a couple chips in the coating of the door, but I'm good with that.

And look:

I was able to see my lunch without opening the oven door.  It was magical.

If you are a Merry Maid and have a somewhat clean oven, the Baking Soda may work for you.  It got the superficial brownish greasy layer, but didn't touch the spots that were caked on.

Grab your SOS pad and work on your arms.