How do I clean an oven with food left in it for 5 months?

Looks terrible but I don't want to charge damages from previous renter who became very ill and had to move, a pizza had been left in oven for over 5 months. Looks like it went thru a lot of stages before becoming a dry out chunk of something unrecognizable. The old standards have not worked and the racks were rusted to needing replacement. I am wondering how the 'Clean' section would do or blow up the fire alarms....lol Help - need industrial type cleaning answers please. Steamer shark and my grill brush is really hard. What you got?

  9 answers
  • Kelli L. Milligan Kelli L. Milligan on Nov 24, 2018

    You're brave, I'd buy a new oven.

  • Try EZ Off oven cleaner. How old is the stove? If more than 10 years it might be easier to spend $400 to $500 and just replace it for the next tenant. Very sweet of you not to put the previous tenant on the hook for damages. If you spiff the place up a bit, you can likely raise the rent a few dollars and recoup your investment with a good long term tenant.

    • See 1 previous
    • Yup, I get it. My rental properties are rented out for less than half of market rate. I would rather have happy long term tenants than continually having to repair from short term rentals. Good for you, I am sure your or tenants appreciate your vision. 🌞 Fix it and move on, life is short!

  • Jewellmartin Jewellmartin on Nov 25, 2018

    You have restricted our answers so much, but I’m going to toss a couple back at you. Mix a cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar together to make a paste. Use a sponge to coat the entire oven and wire racks with the paste. Close the door, using masking tape to seal the door. Leave it for one hour, unseal the door, and start scrubbing the oven with a scrubber brush. If you bring out the wire brush, the yuck ought to come off easily. Best wishes to you! ☺️

  • Kim Kim on Nov 25, 2018

    My Parents are landlords. Ovens can be a nasty surprise sometimes! My Dad swears by using Easy Off, (Not on the racks though) Spray the oven interior well- close the door-wait a day. Then he uses what looks like a Brillo type pad only it’s made with shiny sliver wire. He gets them at Walmart. His ovens always look brand new when he’s done.

    I hope that helps

    😊

  • LG LG on Nov 25, 2018

    Just experienced this situation. No oven cleaner was successful. Krud Kutter did the trick. Use no scratch pads on the racks.

    • Florida Beachpotato Florida Beachpotato on Nov 25, 2018

      What color is the label? Blue, red, or green? That company has a lot of terrific sounding, products but I am overwhelmed by all the marketing hype as to which is best for the interior of the oven. Which one?

  • LG LG on Nov 25, 2018

    Original Krud Kutter Cleaner/Degreaser. White bottle, red label, Krud Kutter in yellow. Tenants had oil leaks all over garage floor. Sprayed them, waited 5 minutes and remarkably GONE. Got it at Lowe's but I'm pretty sure you can get it elsewhere. The gunk in the oven was about 1/4 inch built up. Had to go through the layers, took about 3 attempts but it looks brand new.

  • Kc Kc on Nov 25, 2018

    Why don't you want to use the oven's cleaning cycle?

    Place a soaking wet towel over what's left of the food. After it has reconstituted, scrape up the softened muck and remove it from the oven.

    Turn the hood vent to "high" and open some windows. Are the smoke detectors hard wired or can you remove the batteries for an hour or two? Or buy those little shower cap type covers that keep the detectors from absorbing particulates.

    The ovens I've had with a high heat cleaning cycle have a special coating on the interior surface that is damaged by oven cleaners. Check your manual before using anything stronger than dish soap.

    As far as the racks are concerned, I would normally remove them before using the clean cycle but if they're already rusted the heat isn't going to cause more damage.

  • Jennifer Jennifer on Nov 25, 2018

    Grease Lightening.You could buy a nice used stove online.Call your electric company,some like AEP will haul away& pay you $50 to buy a more energy efficient stove.

  • Pam Simmons Pam Simmons on Apr 11, 2019

    DO NOT USE SPRAY ON OVEN CLEANER ON A SELF CLEANING OVEN!!! yes I know I yelled. A helpful friend did this to MY boyfriend’s oven and it set off fire alarms with every use until we replaced it 20 years later!