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Original poster

Why didn’t I know about this cleaning trick with dishwasher tablets?

148 replies

MintyMabel · 02/01/2021 16:22

Cleaning the oven last night, discussing whether we should just put the glass door in the bag with the metal bits even though the instructions says not to. OH suggested I googled to see what t’internet said.

Up came a MN post from 2016, suggesting you use a hard powder, unwrapped dishwasher tablet dipped in water. We tried it and it was amazing. The stuff just came off. Also takes the gunk off the kitchen cupboards and tiles next to the hob. I’ve been wondering round the kitchen with a tab wondering what else it will clean.

I’m a fair age, well versed in various cleaning tips and tricks, how did I not know about this? Neither did my mum. Is this actually really well known? And why hasn’t some bright manufacturing spark come up with an actual cleaning product like this?

OP posts:
yankeedoodledandee · 02/01/2021 18:15

I always wonder on threads like this why people don't just wipe the glass after each use so there is no built up gunk burnt on to the it in the first place. That's what I have always done and I have never had to use any of these 'methods'

VenusTiger · 02/01/2021 18:18

I just use an 'oven cleaner man' £45 once (sometimes twice) a year and he uses 'natural' spray (Koh or similar) - takes an hour - it's the dismantling of the fan, the rack joints, the grill parts and the door that most ppl don't actually bother with - so I'll stick with him thanks.

TableFlowerss · 02/01/2021 18:38

So what I get from this is to clean the cooker, you take off the oven door and put that and the other metal bits in a bag

You then “get a dishwasher tablet (an unopened one with the wrapper still on - then clean the bits of the oven)**

I mean - I’ve clearly missed something.... please tell me how to clean my cooker!

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/01/2021 18:47

I always wonder on threads like this why people don't just wipe the glass after each use so there is no built up gunk burnt on to the it in the first place. That's what I have always done and I have never had to use any of these 'methods'

I suspect most of us are either too lazy, busy, or drunk to wipe their oven after each use, particullarly when it's still hot and spattered from roast potato fat or something. I bet very few actually do come back to it once it's cool enough to touch, after eating their evening meal and wanting to sit down and relax. As long as I've loaded the dishwasher, wiped down the surfaces and cleaned the hob I'm happy.

Unfortunately we have got behind on the oven cleaning front, and it wasn't helped by DH dropping a hot dish of cheesey enchiladas on the oven door either, with melted cheese dripping into the nooks and crannies. Those are the situations where you have to make a decision to eat your lovely dinner first and just clean up in a basic fashion & come back to it later when it's cooled down a bit to touch it to do it properly. But we've kept just forgetting. Now it's too embarrassing to have an oven man round (not that they could probably work anyway at the moment)

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/01/2021 18:49

Oh, for those fastidious weirdos Grin who DO wipe each time they use the oven, what do you actually wipe it with? I have tried to keep on top of it in the past but when you do a roast dinner you need more than soap and water on the roasted on fat splatters.

Gurufloof · 02/01/2021 18:49

Going to try dishwasher tablets in the clothes washer and toilet too after reading this thread
Going back many years ago now, but i was given industrial quantities of dishwasher tabs , hard ones with no red ball type. I was skint so wanted to use them in the washing machine. (They are similar chemical wise with an added brightener for glassware) those hard types dont dissolve in time for the washing machine, so I used to pre dissolve them in a small jug of hot water and add to the machine as a liquid.
Have to say they do work and your clothes come out brighter.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/01/2021 18:50

@VenusTiger What oven cleaning company do you use? I'd love to try one, once our oven has been cleaned by me first. Grin

CurlyhairedAssassin · 02/01/2021 18:54

I like Oven Mate actually. It's a paint on gel thing. NOt used it for ages though so it will need a few goes when I get round to getting some.

MiriamShepherd · 02/01/2021 19:01

This is life changing I have an oven door with about a years worth of build up (I know I know) do
I dissolve the tablet in warm water and then wash the door with it? I tried the pink stuff and mr muscle and it hasn’t touched it sadly.

blueberryporridge · 02/01/2021 19:07

Dishwasher tablets are great for cleaning oven doors etc. Can I also highlight the wonders of using a small amount of laundry (washing) powder on a damp cloth for cleaning sinks and baths?

Joinedjustforthispost · 02/01/2021 19:10

Cheap biological washing powder also works fantastic! I tried it out on my dh grubby oven that had never been cleaned in years , the powder seemed to melt through the grease.

Original poster
MintyMabel · 02/01/2021 19:18

As I say, I use Brillo pads. They are also abrasive. Cant say as I notice the scratches inside the oven, it’s pretty robust in there

The problem isn’t cosmetic. If there are scratches in the oven, the grease gets in to them, burns on then are harder to clean the next time and so it goes on.

I like Oven Mate actually. It's a paint on gel thing.

That’s the one I use. Comes with a bag.

This is life changing I have an oven door with about a years worth of build up (I know I know) do I dissolve the tablet in warm water and then wash the door with it? I tried the pink stuff and mr muscle and it hasn’t touched it sadly.

Take the tablet (must be one of the hard ones that’s compressed and that you unwrap - not a gel covered tablet) dip it in water and rub it on. It doesn’t dissolve.

OP posts:
Original poster
MintyMabel · 02/01/2021 19:21

I always wonder on threads like this why people don't just wipe the glass after each use so there is no built up gunk burnt on to the it in the first place

Because I have a life and other things that need done. And because it isn’t just me who lives here. Even if I were so anal I had to do that, I’m sure OH wouldn’t bother and he does the after dinner cleaning more than I do. I’m not about to dictate how he cleans our kitchen.

OP posts:
tinselvestsparklepants · 02/01/2021 19:24

I was going to reluctantly buy oven cleaner tomorrow having tried bicarb unsuccessfully. It worked! Amazing! Thanks, OP!

yankeedoodledandee · 02/01/2021 19:27

@MintyMabel

I always wonder on threads like this why people don't just wipe the glass after each use so there is no built up gunk burnt on to the it in the first place

Because I have a life and other things that need done. And because it isn’t just me who lives here. Even if I were so anal I had to do that, I’m sure OH wouldn’t bother and he does the after dinner cleaning more than I do. I’m not about to dictate how he cleans our kitchen.

It's not anal or indicative of having no life to wipe your oven glass after use. As for not being the only person who lives there, surely it's just whoever uses the oven wipes the glass after use?

Calling people anal for wiping their over Hmm

billy1966 · 02/01/2021 19:33

OP,

You are too hard on yourself.

Old woman here and its only a couple of years ago I learned the fab tip when I burn the arse out of a pot or a large lasagne dish.
Dishwasher tablet, kettle of hot water. Steep for an hour.
Sorted.
Game changer🥳🙄

Immrswhistledown · 02/01/2021 19:36

@QuestionableMouse

I think you dampen the tablet and rub the wet bit on the glass, repeating as needed.
Mind you don’t scratch the glass though, like I did. Now I just pay a man called Bernard to clean the oven and hob.
Original poster
MintyMabel · 02/01/2021 19:43

As for not being the only person who lives there, surely it's just whoever uses the oven wipes the glass after use?

As I said, I’m not going to dictate how the people who live in this house decide they want to clean things. Life’s too short for that shit.

OP posts:
TramaDollface · 02/01/2021 19:45

I lob some fairy liquid onto the oven floor and shit the door and stick it on for half an
Hour

It all just flies off! Quick scrub with a jcloth and boiling water and job done!’

Chanandlerbong01 · 02/01/2021 19:47

@TramaDollface please don’t shit on the door. It’s your life to live how you want but that’s just too far.

billy1966 · 02/01/2021 19:49

[quote Chanandlerbong01]@TramaDollface please don’t shit on the door. It’s your life to live how you want but that’s just too far.[/quote]
I agree, it won't solve anything 🤣

EggNogPegg · 02/01/2021 19:54

MN never fails to teach me something. Thanks to this thread, I have just discovered that the internal glass panel on my oven door comes off easily!

Now wondering if I can just shove it in the dishwasher.

dementedma · 02/01/2021 19:55

Dishwasher tab didn't do a thing on ours, but it was absolutely minging. When we bought a new oven( because the old one was crap, not just because the door was dirty!), we were amazed that you could actually see things cooking inside!

RolandSchitt · 02/01/2021 20:06

Thanks for this! I used Oven Pride a few weeks ago, but would much prefer to keep on top of it with less caustic things!

CassandraBarrett · 02/01/2021 20:11

So can I clean my oven shelves this way too ?
What's the trick for them with a dishwasher tablet, tinfoil and the bath?
And will I wreck the bath?

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