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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Of all the jobs I hate this one the most!

32 replies

dudsville · 13/05/2017 05:10

So my house is reasonably clean and tidy but my oven is like that closet Monica (from Friends) had, but maybe worse. It's last clean was 3 years ago. I've had the box of oven pride and a new pack of gloves for 2 weeks. Can't make myself do this! I keep alternating between thinking I'll get it going one night before bed. Then night comes around and I think about how I really don't want to wake up to a kitchen that smells of oven cleaner. So then I decide I'll do it one Saturday, but then Saturday comes and I think about how I don't want to lose access to the oven for the whole day, and again the thought of the smell is off putting. This is the only area of the home where I let myself down. I know I'll feel so good once I get it done. I'm really intending to do it today. Am I alone in having a block like this?

OP posts:
AcrossthePond55 · 13/05/2017 05:21

No, you aren't alone. Self cleaning ovens are a gift from the gods. I won't have any other kind.

DevilsDumplings · 13/05/2017 05:27

Step away from social media and walk to kitchen and JUST DO IT Grin

Have a nice cuppa whilst it works its magic and then admire your newly cleaned oven Brew

minnymoobear · 13/05/2017 05:34

Group on often have oven cleans on for about £35 - leave it to the professionals 😀

mumsgirl1 · 13/05/2017 05:36

I agree with you, but I also HATE emptying plugholes in bath , it makes me heave.
I get an oven cleaner in , expensive I know but if i count the hours I will be doing it it is worth the expense to me. My treat to me (cheaper than shoes)

WishUponAStar88 · 13/05/2017 05:36

Agree with minny, get someone in! We booked someone from groupon and it literally looked like a new oven it was sparkling! Far cleaner than I could ever manage to get it. Well worth the money.

mycatloveslego · 13/05/2017 05:46

Cleaning the oven and the shower screens are the worst jobs IMO. Fortunately, there's a very reasonably priced oven cleaning man locally who does a fab job so I don't have to Grin

donajimena · 13/05/2017 05:53

Oven pride doesn't smell bad. Just do it. Wink

Original poster
dudsville · 13/05/2017 06:15

An oven cleaning person? How long do they take?

OP posts:
SilenceOfThePrams · 13/05/2017 06:55

A few hours but they do it immaculately, take all the glass out of the door and bathe it in something, it looks like new when it's done. Amazing.

bobbybaby2017 · 13/05/2017 07:00

Definitely get someone to do it. It's not like it needs cleaning that often so why not treat yourself. I'll admit that I've not cleaned my oven since we bought it about 4/5 years ago but we rarely use it. I think we've only used it 5 or 6 times since Christmas!

PontypandyPioneer · 13/05/2017 07:02

Definitely get an oven cleaning person! The one we got took about an hour and the oven was sparkling, it was very mucky and grimy beforehand because I hate that job too!

ErnesttheBavarian · 13/05/2017 07:30

cooking every single day, sometimes twice a day, for the family is way worse than a shit, but once in a while job. I hate cooking so much. When the dc leave home I'm never cooking again. Ever. Salads or crisps all the way. or pork pies.

Original poster
dudsville · 15/05/2017 21:27

so, I doused the oven in oven pride, left it, tidied it up and it's only 50% better. I'm definitely going to research oven cleaning people!

OP posts:
HappydaysArehere · 16/05/2017 08:54

My daughter has never cleaned her well used oven since she discovered an oven cleaning man. I have a pyrotechnic devise on my Neff but I would do the same if I hadn't got that. The bonus for both solutions is that no chemicals have been put in the same place as your food.

Original poster
dudsville · 16/05/2017 17:59

Happy days, I have a neff. It's probably old but can you tell me how yours works so I can see if mine has this function?

OP posts:
TheBitterBoy · 16/05/2017 18:04

You need to leave oven pride to work for a few hours. Overnight it definitely best. But if my oven weren't so old and knackered I'd be getting someone in.

TheStoatIsStoatallyDifferent · 16/05/2017 19:11

Yeah oven pride needs leaving overnight really

ShieldMaidenMamma · 16/05/2017 19:15

Ooooooh. How much (roughly) does an oven person cost?

Roystonv · 16/05/2017 19:20

Pay for a professional clean and then keep on top of it. My old oven was a disgrace, dh would give in and clean it before I did. We had to replace it and since then I use a covered oven tin for as much cooking as possible so it does not get fatty and wipe over after each use. A year later still spotless.

CrowRoad · 16/05/2017 19:24

I have a self-cleaning Neff too. I've tried it twice and both times it has stunk to high heaven and permeated the whole house. It took days to clear and all the fabrics held it for ages too. The results were patchy too.

Never again.

Now I get a professional in once a year. I've found a company that specialises in alsorts of routine household jobs (that I hate) so I'm going to get them in to do the oven, jet wash the wheelie bins and clean the hall carpet.

mustiwearabra · 16/05/2017 19:24

We have someone come in once every 3-4 months. He uses all non-toxic products, takes an hour and a half and does the full oven and hood for £65. Worth every penny I promise.

ZilphasHatpin · 16/05/2017 19:27

Ovens are the worst job ever! I scrubbed mine in November and then closed it for use. Grin I bought a halogen oven and use it instead. Far easier to clean. I store things in the proper oven.

HappydaysArehere · 16/05/2017 19:36

Dudsville, when you look at all the options on the front of the oven, you know grill,top of oven, etc it looks like lots of little dots. There are three periods of time to set it. I tend to use the middle one of an hour and a half. The temperature knob is turned to choose one, two or three. The programme starts up and the oven door cannot be opened until the programme is finished and the oven has cooled down. The programme shouldn't be turned off until this has happened. The rungs have to be removed before cleaning and the glass door wiped over. Just make sure that there aren't lumps of fat lying around. The universal tray is cleaned in the oven on the third level down. When the programme is over and you open up you will see traces of ash which are just wiped out. The oven gets hot so make sure young children are not likely to be touching it.
You could probably download a manual if you have mislaid your original one.

HappydaysArehere · 16/05/2017 19:43

CrowRoad I am sorry to hear about your experience. I have used mine many times and never had any trouble. The oven gets hot and I usually open a window but there is no smell. I know it is a silly question but did you remove the rungs before hand? What kind of a smell was it?

Bluntness100 · 16/05/2017 19:47

I agree, get someone in, ovenpride stuff cleans the racks but the oven itself is a pain, I did it about a week ago and burnt a bloody hole in the floor where I had a drip and thought I'd cleaned it up. Plus the door isn't that clean. Not doing it again and getting someone in next time.