Woman Finds Soda Crystals Outperform Popular Oven Cleaning Methods
Cleaning the oven is often the most dreaded household chore, especially when using the wrong products. While white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are staple ingredients recommended by cleaning influencers for tackling oven grime, one woman has discovered a natural alternative that “worked better” — and cleaning experts support her findings.
Posting on the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook page, Becca Dwyer shared a photograph of her mother’s oven glass door, which was covered in dark brown, nearly black, grease and grime. She revealed what she used to restore it to a “sparkling” finish.
“Hi. This is the glass from my mother’s oven door. I was cleaning her oven today as she can’t bend down,” Dwyer wrote. “I’ve tried Pink Stuff paste, Elbow Grease cream, dishwasher tablet, aerial pod, also baking soda and vinegar, but nothing shifted it.”
Why Vinegar and Baking Soda Fail on Oven Glass
Many online sources recommend a paste made from bicarbonate of soda and vinegar for oven cleaning. However, in practice, this combination proves largely ineffective against stubborn grease on oven glass. The experts at Dri-Pak confirmed that bicarbonate of soda and vinegar don’t live up to expectations.
“One thing that isn’t really the best solution, despite lots of internet tips, is to use bicarbonate of soda and then add white vinegar,” they said. “The effect will be reduced because the acid white vinegar is neutralising the alkalinity of the baking soda, and it’s that that dissolves the grease.”
Soda Crystals: A Powerful Natural Alternative
Dwyer decided to try soda crystals instead. “Someone then suggested soda crystals to me, and it worked so much better than anything I’ve tried. It’s now sparkling,” she said.
Dri-Pak experts recommend soda crystals as a powerful alternative. “Soda crystals are excellent for dissolving grease and working on stubborn, burnt-on food,” they explained.
Homeowners can prepare a concentrated soda crystals solution or liberally spray liquid soda crystals across the oven door and interior. Leave the solution to work for at least 20 minutes before wiping clean. For particularly stubborn areas, apply dry soda crystals directly as an abrasive and scrub vigorously with a cloth.
Where to Buy Soda Crystals
Soda crystals are readily available online. Big Green Smile sells them for £2.11, while Savers offers them for £2. Liquid soda crystals are slightly cheaper, available at Big Green Smile for £2.45 and Ethical Superstore for £2.99.
Another Natural Option: Lemons
Another natural cleaning solution for oven glass is lemons. One cleaning influencer has claimed she will never return to shop-bought oven cleaner after discovering the power of lemons.
