Or is a dirty oven really that unusual??

[SandysMam]

I am currently having my oven cleaned by a professional oven cleaner. That is his main job...to clean the ovens of those who cannot be bothered. I will admit my oven is disgusting, I mean really gross, but probably no worse than anyone else who cooks but doesn't have time to clean it. However, upon inspection the man appeared shocked and disgusted!! Not even an act to justify his existence, genuinely shocked. I mean seriously, if your oven is bad enough to call in a pro cleaner, what does he expect? Or do people pay £40 to get thier already clean ovens cleaned? Am IBU or is he??

I have a neff pyroclastic oven - it's amazing. I think it cost an extra £100 but it was worth every penny.

It looks like new apart from the seals around the door that have a bit of staining on them.

dementedma the glass needs scraping with a razor blade to shift the build up. I have Dave the Oven who clean my oven twice a year and keeps it all sparkly. I also use a liner on the base, so much easier to clean than the actual oven floor.

I have a gas hob , and just give it a wipe down whilst I'm doing the work surfaces , and the glass lid. I can understand the oven being left ,but thought the hob you'd want looking clean to match rest of kitchen ?

Fourtothedozen

I'm not sure whether I cook much compared to the "average" family. During the week we'd typically eat stir-fry's, curry's etc all prepared on the hob. Pizza's and things like lasagne go in the oven on baking trays so don't really create any mess even if they drip as it all goes onto the baking tray. We probably cook 2 roasts a month on average, which is the only thing that we cook that produces any grease.

I think oven cleaning is purely about aesthetics, there's no health risk of having a bit of grease on the inside door. The only thing I am a "clean freak" about in my house are the bathrooms/cloakroom and food prep surfaces. No salmonella here! Just a grimey oven.

This reminds me of when I had the plumbers in ...I had a boiler problem but wanted them to swap two radiators at the same time (take the double from the too hot kitchen and replace it with the single in my too cold office).
I'd never realised you had to clean inside radiators ...when they took the one in the kitchen off the bottom was clogged with thick dust bunnies -the look the guy gave me so I made some 'Gosh - look at that - I do clean honest' jokey comment ...when he took off the if anything worse one in the office he asked if I was sure I did any cleaning
(In retrospect I think he was joking too but I was so mortified I took it personally....)

but thought the hob you'd want looking clean to match rest of kitchen ?

I wipe kitchen top surfaces for hygiene reasons, not because I want it to "look clean".

This thread illustrates the cleaning divide. Those who clean because it needs cleaning and those who clean because they want to.

I'm of the former. And it really has to need it before I clean it :o

Can't believe I've just read 8 pages about non oven cleaning! But anyway - does no-one use their steam cleaner? On the occasions I've had it cleaned for me, that's what he does. And the really grotty bits get taken into the back of his van for some serious work.

This is one of the things I miss most about my late DH. He loved a good oven clean but the kitchen was out of bounds for the rest of the family for the 4+ hours he would take, what with making up his special home made potion etc. But he would take it apart in the same way he cleaned his bike. I recently realised I needed to clean it (he has been dead 4 years eek). It must have been bad because the, very nice, man looked at it and asked if I would let him take before and after photos. Took three hours but looks like new and only cost £75

What a knob!! I'd have told him to roll his sleeves up Nd crack on with it! Oven cleaning is a task and a half really! I cleaned ours out yesterday and it really was grim!!

YANBU

For £40 I would have taken it on the chin lol
Thank you ladies, I've just booked an oven cleaner in South Wales for the pricely sum of £43.00 ... bargain.
I'm disabled so I can deny being a slattern right?

I pretended we had just moved in when I booked our first clean and arranged it for a day DH would be in so I could go out and not face him

Dragons thats genius

I had a man clean my oven about a year ago and vowed I'd never let it get to that stage again........

My box of Oven Pride has been sitting on the worktop for a fair few weeks and now it's the holidays. Kids + oven cleaning.........

can you use a liner on a fan oven??

great thread i have just read from start to finish

You sure can! Mine hasn't melted yet.

I do clean my oven occasionally but it's old now, got 7years out of it, need a new one now

DragonsCanHop thanks

My dad cleans my oven, following instructions from my mam when it's suitably dirty. If he didn't would never get done.

I have my oven professionally cleaned twice a year. It never even occurs to me to clean it in between - after all, if I did that, I wouldn't bother hiring a professional cleaner, would I?

I hate oven cleaning so I get DP's exwife to do mine and I batch cook tray bakes for her work lunch breaks, fair trade no robbery etc etc

Used the Oven Pride last night and cleaned my oven this morning.

It is so sparkly and clean. Feeling very very worthy