Cleaning an oven can be a time-consuming task we often put off or even forget about until we smell the burning odors of spilled-over sauce or see smoke appear from an oven’s caked-on grease stains. While it may be tedious, there are many oven cleaning hacks that make the job easier and less tiresome. One such way is relying on an effective, trusted oven cleaner.
Of course, you can use your oven’s self-cleaning feature, but there’s always the possibility of the internal components wearing out or possibly starting a fire, an unfortunate event we’ve personally witnessed. So, we highly recommend taking the safe route and cleaning it yourself with one of our best cleaners.
Standout oven cleaners effectively remove tough grease and grime and require little to no scrubbing with no residue left behind. We spent 13 hours testing nine popular cleaning solutions by degreasing the ovens in our own homes, evaluating their effectiveness on encrusted spills and grease stains, ease of use, scent, and overall value. We also noted if the solution was made with a fume-free formula for a more pleasant odor.
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The best oven cleaners lift stubborn grease stains and caked-on grime. With a foam-based formula that clings to the surface, we found that the Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner removes years’ worth of baked-on grease with minimal effort.
While most stains are lifted using an effective cleaning spray and some elbow grease, this heavy-duty cleaner requires little to no wiping, practically melting stubborn oven grease stains away. The spray is easy to use, but it does spray a bit aggressively, so you may have to wipe off the excess on nearby walls and countertops. Still, with its quick-acting foam-based formula, the solution only had to sit for five minutes, which is the shortest wait time among all of the solutions we tested.
All in all, we think this powerful cleaner does an amazing job of getting rid of grease, which really lives up to the Goo Gone brand name. While the solution does spray a tad haphazardly, we love how you can physically see the cleaner lift away grease stains from oven components. We think it’s a satisfying cleaning experience, for sure!
Application Method: Spray | Wait Time: 5 minutes | Scent: Citrus | Quantity: 14 ounces | Fume-Free: Yes
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Like our best overall pick, the Zep Heavy-Duty Oven and Grill Cleaner is a foam-based spray that effectively clings to stains and melts away the grease and grime almost immediately after applying. Plus, this cleaner sprays wide and evenly, coating the entire oven surface.
After waiting 10 minutes for the solution to saturate, we removed most of the dirt with a washcloth. Some areas with hard, baked-on pieces required us to follow up with a nice scrub. For the stains that didn’t lift right away, all it took was a second spritz of spray and a few passes with a razor.
Like most Zep cleaning products, this oven cleaner has an intense chemical smell that may be too overwhelming for some. However, for those who don’t mind the scent, its effectiveness outweighs the strong odor. It’s great at removing grime and grease–including the grease from the oven glass door. We even used it on our air fryer, broiler, and toaster oven. And for less than $5, we think it’s an amazing bargain!
Application Method: Spray/foam | Wait Time: 10 minutes | Scent: Not listed | Quantity: 19 ounces | Fume-Free: No
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The Carbona Oven Cleaner Spray is the perfect cleaning solution for weekends when you have the extra time to deep clean and give your oven some TLC. With a wait time of four hours, we found that once stubborn grease stains turned into a brown liquid goo that was a breeze to wipe up with a wet cloth.
There were tougher spots that required a few scrubs, but even then, we didn’t have to apply a lot of force and elbow grease. The idea of simply wiping away the stains was mind-blowing. For hardened food build-up, we found this Carbona spray works smoothly and effortlessly.
Although listed as unscented, this spray does have a chlorine-like odor, but it’s not overwhelming or lingering. Once we started wiping the oven down, the scent was completely gone. And while this spray has a long wait time of four hours, you can let the solution sit for 20 minutes for a quick, daily spruce-up.
Application Method: Spray | Wait Time: 40 minutes for deep cleaning | Scent: Unscented | Quantity: 16.8 ounces | Fume-Free: Yes
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Eco-friendly formula
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Pleasant minty scent
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Effective on grime
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Messy application
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Hard to open jar
While most chemical smelling cleaners seem to be more effective, we found the Everneat Heavy Duty Oven Cleaning Kit to be the best plant-based oven cleaner we’ve ever tested. It does require you to use a bit more elbow grease compared to the other cleaners on this list, but it’s highly effective at removing grime. And we felt good using this less abrasive formula made with sodium bicarbonate and pumice stone.
This cleaning kit includes the Everneat oven cleaner paste and a metal sponge for easy applying and scrubbing. We did find the jar to be incredibly difficult to open. But once we successfully got it open, it was fairly simple to use.
We think this paste works wonders if you aim to lift grime and grease stains. After scrubbing the cleaner on the oven for roughly two minutes and wiping it with a damp microfiber cloth, the appliance looked spotless. A bit of residue was left after cleaning, but it came right off with a dry cloth.
Although a spray is more convenient, we love how precise you can be with the Everneat oven cleaner. You just apply and scrub where you want to clean.
Application Method: Paste | Wait Time: Not listed | Scent: Purify, lift, unscented | Quantity: 16 ounces | Fume-Free: Yes
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While it’s not a formula, the Scrub Daddy Sponge is a powerful cleaner that pairs amazingly well with our picks. Its flexible and durable body has enough texture to remove hard-to-lift stains and clean tough grime from the oven’s door.
The sponge is really stiff when you first use it, but the instant it becomes wet, it loosens and becomes pliable. We tested the Scrub Daddy’s cleaning effectiveness using a baking soda paste and a vinegar solution. There was enough friction between the sponge’s rough surface and the DIY cleaning solution to remove the baked-on stains from our oven’s glass door.
While it may seem like just another cleaning sponge, it’s not. With a textured surface that never loses its friction, the Scrub Daddy sponge removes messes much faster and more effectively than any other sponge we’ve used. Plus, the placement of its smiling face design is convenient, allowing you to get a firm grip on the sponge and really dig into a mess.
Application Method: Sponge | Scent: Unscented | Quantity: 3 sponges
Final Verdict
Our favorite Spruce-approved oven cleaner is the Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner. It’s a heavy-duty cleaner that lifts a year’s worth of baked-on grease and grime–all with little to no scrubbing. For something more precise, we recommend our plant-based pick, the Everneat Heavy Duty Oven Cleaning Kit. With an included scouring pad, you can apply the paste exactly on the greased racks and grimy glass door, leaving your oven shiny and looking brand new. Along with its ingredients, we also love its minty scent that leaves an oven and kitchen smelling fresh and clean.
Other Options We Tested
Easy-Off Fume Free Oven Cleaner Spray: This Easy-Off oven cleaner spray is the perfect option for those who may need a mid-week spruce-up. We love its fume-free formula and lovely lemon scent, which leaves your oven smelling citrusy and fresh. Despite its name, during testing, we found it extremely difficult to remove the gunk and grime from our oven, even after scrubbing and letting the spray sit for nearly two hours. This spray is better suited for those maintaining their already-clean oven rather than needing a deep clean.
Fantastik Max Oven Cleaner: Like our top oven cleaner picks, the Fantastik oven cleaning solution is easy to use with a convenient spraying mechanism. It requires minimal scrubbing and has no noticeable odor. However, like the Easy-Off Oven Cleaner Spray, the Fantastik Max solution is more effective for light to medium cleaning. During testing, the cleaner worked exceptionally well in removing grease. Still, there was quite a bit of burnt residue left from carbon deposits even after soaking and scrubbing for a second time.
The Spruce / Mia Ingui
How We Tested Oven Cleaners
We tested nine oven cleaners in our own homes, thoroughly cleaning caked-on grime, spilled-over sauces, carbon deposits, and more. We evaluated each cleaner based on its effectiveness, ease of use, scent, and formula.
Effectiveness: Following the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions, we applied the cleaners to half of our oven to really see the solution’s effectiveness before and after cleaning. We noted how well each product removed grease and grime, whether any residue was left behind, and whether the cleaner exceeded, met, or fell short of our expectations.
Ease of Use: We compared each cleaner’s application method to determine whether it was easy to use, a struggle, or messy. We also noted the preciseness of each product and our experience lifting stains and grease, paying attention to how much scrubbing was required.
Scent: We tested several fragranced and unscented cleaners, including citrusy, fresh and minty, and heavily chemical. Smelling each cleaner, we determined whether it was intense or subtle, and we tested whether any scent dissipated quickly or lingered after cleaning.
Value: After the testing period, we checked each cleaner’s retail price to see if it reflected its overall effectiveness, ease of use, scent, and unique attributes. From there, we determined each product’s overall value.
The Spruce / Mia Ingui
What to Look for in an Oven Cleaner
Plan for Cleaning Time
Scrubbing the inside of your oven for hours isn’t ideal. The best oven cleaners require minimal effort and a short cleaning time, like our overall best pick, the Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner, and our best value pick, the ZEP Heavy-Duty Oven and Grill Cleaner. These cleaners tackle baked-on grease and grime quickly and efficiently, with a short wait time of five to 10 minutes. With these two options, there’s no need to wait hours to get sparkling results.
Consider Effectiveness on Baked-on Grease
When narrowing down our list of the best oven cleaners, the solution’s cleaning effectiveness played a significant role. The product’s effectiveness to lift baked-on grease and grime also goes hand-in-hand with the overall cleaning time.
Our top picks, such as the Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner, ZEP Heavy-Duty Oven and Grill Cleaner, and the Carbona Oven Cleaner Spray, are great for heavy-duty cleanups. These spray-on solutions cling to stains and grease and practically melt them away. With the cleaning agents doing all of the work and breaking down caked-on grease stains, we only had to rinse and wipe.
Check for Residue Left Behind
The more effective the cleaner is, the less residue you’ll have left behind, making the entire cleanup process a breeze. No one wants to clean an oven for hours, so the more residue picked up the first time around, the better. Our best overall cleaner, the Goo Gone Oven and Grill Cleaner, and our deep-cleaning pick, the Carbona Oven Cleaner Spray, are one-and-done cleaners, requiring no second application layer. As we discovered, both sprays are easy to rinse and wipe up, with no residue left behind.
Opt for Scent or Fume-Free Formulas
Household cleaners can be filled with strong chemical fumes. If you’re someone with a sensitive nose or skin, you probably spend a decent amount of time reading product labels, and looking for a cleaner that’s unscented, like our best plant-based pick, the Everneat Heavy Duty Oven Cleaning Kit.
When shopping for the best oven cleaners, we recommend a solution with a fume-free formula. Like the majority of the cleaners in our guide, these cleaners have subtle and pleasant scents.
The Spruce / Jennifer Thomson
The Checkout Counter
- Cleanse Razor Blade Scraper: Having a scraper on hand, such as the Cleanse Razor Blade Scraper, will make all of the difference when removing burnt grease stains and carbon deposits. You can also use it for other cleaning tasks around the house, such as removing filthy grime from white grout.
- Mr. Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloths: During testing, we found a quality microfiber cloth to be extremely useful when cleaning and wiping our oven down. This pack of Mr. Siga cloths is one of our best microfiber cleaning cloths for household cleaning. We love how soft these towels are and their scratch-free texture.
- O-Cedar Playtex Living Reusable Rubber Cleaning Gloves: Cleaning out your oven can get quite messy. We recommend buying a pair of durable rubber gloves to keep your hands clean and protected. These O-Cedar Playtex rubber gloves are reusable and are constructed with textured palms and fingerprints for better grip while cleaning.
Why Trust The Spruce?
Kenedee Fowler is a shopping writer for The Spruce, specializing in cleaning tools and products. She has plenty of experience researching the best home products. Fowler grew up witnessing her parents put off the tedious job of cleaning the oven until right before the holidays. This resulted in hours of deep cleaning and scrubbing grease stains and dried up spills from the previous Christmas dinner.
Using her personal experience and our trusted testing insights, Fowler was able to develop our list of the best oven cleaners.
Our Experts:
Michelle Lau, editor at The Spruce