Cleaning Oven Racks in Bath With Foil: The Easy Method

Julien K., Hometalk Team
by Julien K., Hometalk Team
6 Materials
$5
30 Minutes
Easy

One of the things I really dislike doing is cleaning my oven! All of those hard-to-remove burnt food pieces and grease splatters really get me down. So, making the job a little easier is a major plus for me!


This simple way to clean your oven racks in the bath with tinfoil is a winning solution.


Now, my oven racks are sparkling and I didn't break a sweat cleaning them.

How to clean oven racks easily

Tools and Materials:


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Guide to cleaning oven racks

1. Remove Racks

Begin by removing the oven racks from your oven.

Dirty oven rack

Close-up of my dirty oven rack - yuck!

Filling up a bathtub with water

2. Fill the Bath

Next, you are going to fill your tub (about a quarter full) with warm water.

Dish soap being poured into a measuring cup

3. Add Detergent

Add 1/4 cup dish soap to the bath water.

Cleaning oven racks in a bath

4. Place Racks in the Tub

Place your dirty oven racks in the bathtub.


Let them sit in the water overnight or for about 8 hours.

Crumple tin foil into a ball

5. Scrub with Tinfoil

Grab a piece of tin foil and scrunch it up into a ball.

Wrap the tin foil around an old toothbrush

To get inside of those awkward corners and crevices, wrap an old toothbrush with a piece of tin foil.


You'll have better control of getting into those tight spaces.

Clean oven racks with a toothbrush and foil

Clean the edges, corners, and crevices with your tin foil wrapped toothbrush.


Give the racks a good rinse and let them dry.

Sparkling clean oven

Cleaning Oven Racks in Bath Tutorial

Now, slide your shiny oven racks back into your oven and admire them before you cook your next meal.


I love this cleaning hack, it really takes the sweat work out of cleaning your racks.


What do you guys think? Share your oven cleaning tips in the comments.


More Oven Cleaning Tips

Learn more about the basics of oven upkeep in our How to Clean an Oven guide.

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Frequently asked questions
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  • Rose Zuniga Rose Zuniga on Dec 18, 2019

    How to clean oven it really burned on grime n grease yuck

  • R Lorraine Moore R Lorraine Moore on Dec 11, 2020

    This is a great hack. I've used aluminum foil in this way for many cleaning projects.

  • RichandTammy Whiteside RichandTammy Whiteside on Dec 11, 2020

    Have you tried just soaking them in cascade? That virtually eliminates the need for scrubbing!

Comments
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  • Teri Teri on Dec 11, 2020

    Or to add to Mary T's tip....dont even take the racks out of the oven. Just put a bowl of amonia into the oven overnight (or as long as possible). Make sure you have good ventilation though!! Remove bowl of amonia and proceed with wipe down. Grab a bunch of old newsprint or what have you and wipe out the gunk and throw away. You can remove the racks now if you like...and just rinse them off in the shower (plug drain with hair catcher to get debry). If you want to really ensure cleaned out when done use a disposable cloth or sponge and wipe inside of oven with warm/hot water. Voila. Done. All without effort or scrubbing. Trust me...if this can work in a stove with a dead and burnt rat in it then it can handle a regularly used oven easily!

  • Joyce Joyce on Dec 11, 2020

    Yes - We did ours with a large leaf bag, outside - using gloves to save your hands, we sprayed oven cleaner in the bag on the racks, close up the bag, for a few hours, and take the garden hose and clean it off. Wow, just like new. roll up bag, we put in another bag and toss it in the garbage. We have electric so the oven was being cleaned by itself. Years ago, living in an apartment, we did clean the racks in the tub. Also at times, the venetian blinds we cleaned in the tub, came out like new. But they where metal in those days!! Tide did he works, and your tub was easy to wash up.


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