Today, I tackled a daunting task: cleaning my two ovens, both of which were in desperate need of attention. The top oven, the worst of the two, hadn't been cleaned in over six or seven years.

While my mother-in-law did a commendable job years ago, the grime had accumulated to a level I hadn't seen on TikTok. My ultimate goal? To see through the oven glass clearly, rather than just my reflection.

First, I removed the oven racks and soaked them in my downstairs bathroom tub, using a mixture of Dawn dish soap and water. To avoid scratching the tub, I laid down a towel and used a generic Dawn to save my good stuff.

After soaking overnight, the grime was significantly loosened, though I had to move the racks upstairs due to drainage issues.

The next day, I used a mop to gently scrub the racks, which were now much cleaner. Despite this, I decided to add some Bar Keeper's Friend for a final shine. The racks were looking good, but I wanted them to gleam. I was particularly focused on the heavily soiled racks, which required extra elbow grease. The results were satisfying, but one rack still didn’t shine as brightly as the others, possibly due to oxidation.

For the oven's interior, I mixed half a cup of dish soap, a quarter cup of white vinegar, and a cup and a half of baking soda. The mixture turned out thicker than expected, but it still produced a satisfying fizz when applied. The ultimate goal was to make the inside as clean as the racks, with a focus on breaking down the built-up grime and making the oven glass clear.

Cleaning the oven proved to be both a challenging and satisfying endeavor.

Seeing the layers of gunk disappear was immensely rewarding. Though I faced some hiccups with the cleaning solutions and the racks' shine, the overall transformation was worth every effort.