Ovens tend to be among the toughest things to clean in a home because grease from food spills out and then becomes baked into the surface when the appliance is next turned on. What most people do not realise is that grease stains change chemically when exposed to heat, becoming a burned, thick, and very sticky substance.

Grease becomes almost varnish-like, which means it cannot be cleaned with water-based products, so you end up scrubbing an oven for hours with strong chemical cleaners that can make your eyes water. However, there is actually a natural yet very effective way to get rid of grease stains without having to spend a lot of money or waste hours scouring your oven. Jules Gordon, a professional cleaner and founder of Eco Cleaning Fairies, has revealed you can deep clean an oven "with a little bit of washing up liquid and a little shake of soda crystals."

Washing-up liquid is designed to remove tough food stains from dishes and contains surfactants that help lift grease from surfaces by making them less sticky.

Soda crystals are highly alkaline, so they can break down the fats and oils in grease, which helps soften stains quickly, so they become much easier to clean.

What is fantastic about these cleaning products is that they will break down any food stains in an oven so you can wipe them down without having to spend ages cleaning.

Using soda crystals and washing up liquid means you will never put off cleaning your oven again as you will be able to remove any tough stains within about 30 minutes of effort.

You can usually buy soda crystals in the cleaning or laundry aisle of any supermarket, but sometimes it might be called washing soda or sodium carbonate instead.

You will need:

• Soda crystals


• Washing-up liquid


• Stainless steel scourers


• Cloths


• Rubbish bags

Method:

To begin, fill a basin up with hot water, then add a squirt of washing up liquid and some soda crystals. Remove any trays or grills from the oven. Place any small trays or grills in the basin to soak for 15 to 20 minutes.

For bigger trays and grills, pour soda crystals on them, dip a scourer in soapy water and give them a light clean. Then, place them in a clean rubbish bag and let them soak for around 20 minutes.

It might sound strange, but rubbish bags will trap the moisture, so the soda crystal solution does not dry out and helps break down any grime on them.

Meanwhile, fill a bucket with washing up liquid, soda crystals and hot water. Dip a cloth in the solution and use it to wipe down an oven.

Work at the top of the oven and work your way down. Then, use a scourer to go over the grease stains, and they should lift off without much effort. Rinse the oven with clean water, and make sure it is completely dry before you turn it on again.

Buff the oven door with a dry cloth, but some people also use crumpled-up newspaper, as it is an old-fashioned cleaning method to polish glass.

Remove the trays and grills from either the basin or rubbish bags. Give them a scrub with a scourer, and it will be much easier to get rid of any stains.

Your oven will now be sparkling and completely stain-free, so you will never have to put off cleaning it again. Now you know the proper products to use.