How to Clean Oven Racks (In the Bathtub)!

2 Materials
$5

My oven was DIRTY and I needed a solution for cleaning the large oven racks. I searched online for ways to do this and decided dryer sheets and dish soap were worth a try since I already had them on hand. Lo and behold, it WORKED!

You simply need dryer sheets, dish soap, and a bathtub large enough to fit your oven racks.

I lined the bathtub with old towels so the racks didn't scratch the surface. I then placed the racks one on top of the other right in the tub.

I filled the tub with hot water (enough to cover the racks), added 1/2 cup dish soap and 6 dryer sheets. I let this sit for about 8 hours. The racks will still appear dirty after this time, but the gunk has been softened.


More Oven Cleaning tips

For more brilliant ideas on cleaning your oven read this comprehensive guide on Easy Ways to Make Sure Your Oven is Spotless.

I grabbed the dryer sheets that had been soaking and wiped the racks clean. The gunk literally comes right off with barely any effort. You can see the difference between the right and left sides. What a simple and inexpensive solution!


Try it out and let me know how it worked!

Resources for this project:
Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Hometalk may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.More info
Andrea @ Life Love Larson
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 64 questions
  • Cindy Gunville Cindy Gunville on Aug 04, 2023

    Isn't sos scrubbing pads as useful?

  • Lainey Lainey on Aug 04, 2023

    Thank you for sharing! Does this leave the tub gunky and greasy?

  • Royce Royce on Aug 11, 2023

    Will this work on the stove top grids as well?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 457 comments
  • Tbo92313076 Tbo92313076 on Nov 01, 2023

    I thought this was a Crazy idea, but the wife insist I try it. After all, who puts dryer sheets in water?

    Wow, was I blown away how well it works, it took off years of baked on mess almost effortlessly!

    Kudos to this person!

  • Dee Dee on Feb 24, 2024

    Be very careful doing this. I let my racks sit overnight in the bathtub. The joints that connect the thongs rusted out. They did get clean tho.

Next