How to clean oven trays - 3 tried and tested methods to banish grease that experts swear by

Learning how to clean oven trays is a skill, as cleaning grease, and burnt bits is never easy. However, we've enlisted the held of the experts to let us in on their tried and tested cleaning for oven trays.

You may already know how to clean an oven, but there are a few tricks to getting your oven trays sparkling clean. Not only is keeping your oven clean important to look good, but it helps boost your oven’s efficiency, reduces fire risk and makes your food taste better - which is why keeping on top of your oven’s cleaning routine is so important.

Regardless of how often you clean your oven, your oven trays should ideally be cleaned after every use. However, if you have missed a few cleans one of these methods should do the trick.

1. Lemon juice

You can clean an oven with lemon and that applies to cleaning your oven trays, too.

‘When it comes to deep cleaning the insides of your oven and oven trays, mix a solution of lemon juice and warm, soapy water in a spray bottle, apply a generous coat to the inside of the oven, and leave to soak for as long as possible, preferably overnight if you can,’ recommends Sarah Whitfield, Product Manager at leading cooking appliance brand Belling.

Marye Audet, founder of Restless Chipotle also recommends mixing the lemon juice with bicarbonate of soda for tough stains.

‘For those times when the grime is practically baked into the tray’s soul, I like a paste that’s made of baking soda and lemon juice. I spread that mixture over the tray and let it sit for at least an hour, longer if I’m dealing with serious stains. Then, with a soft scrubbing brush or non-abrasive sponge, the gunk comes off much more easily,’ she says.

2. Dishwasher soap

It may sound obvious but a squirt of dishsoap is an effective way to clean oven trays - it may just require a little bit of elbow grease.

‘Dishwashing liquid also deserves its moment in the spotlight. A soak in hot, soapy water, with a few drops of dish soap, is a classic method that’s reliable for lighter messes,’ says Marye.

‘I toss in a dryer sheet as well (sounds odd, I know, but it works like a charm). After a soak, it’s amazing how much residue you can wipe away with minimal scrubbing.’

Polya Petrova, kitchen cleaning professional at Fantastic Services, recommends soaking your trays for at least an hour.

‘Prepare a little bath for the tray in your kitchen sink, by filling it with hot water and dishwashing liquid,’ she says.

‘Dunk the tray into the soapy water and leave it there for a good hour. If the water doesn’t cover the whole thing, make sure to turn it over from time to time.

‘Get a sponge and start scrubbing. Depending on the type of tray you are working on, you’ll use a different sponge - a soft one for non-stick materials and a little more abrasive type for other surfaces.

‘Give your tray a final wash with cold water and inspect the results. If you can still see grease spots, repeat the last step or place it in your dishwasher.’

3. Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarb is a cleaning staple and even good at cleaning your hob as well as your oven trays.

For stubborn spots of ‘cooked on’ food residue, liberally spray a non-corrosive solution of bicarbonate of soda and soapy water directly onto the stain and leave to soak for as long as possible, wiping away any residue with warm, soapy water,' says Sarah.

‘For more persistent grease spots on the oven racks, soak them in the same solution and then opt for a wire wool scouring pad with some elbow grease to manually work through the stubborn spots, leaving your oven trays with a like-new appearance.’

FAQs

How do you clean a burnt oven tray?

Bicarb - or baking soda - is also an effective tool for removing burn marks from your pan.

‘Burn spots can make any kitchen tool look, well, dirty,’ says Polya.

‘To remove them from your oven tray if you’ve recently used it, first, get a paper towel and wipe as much of the grease off as possible. After that, boil some water, pour it into your kitchen sink and add one cup of baking soda.

‘Soak the dirty tray for an hour or until the burnt spots have softened up. Drain the dirty water and with an old cloth, try to wipe away the crusties.

‘If the burnt bits refuse to come off, repeat the whole cleaning process. Once you’ve removed them, rinse the tray with clean water and you are done.’