UK Oven Cleaners – Which is the Best?
Cleaning the oven is probably simultaneously one of the best and worst household chores.
A lot of us put off this job until it stops being ignorable.
That means that when it’s finally time to clean the oven, there’s a lot of cleaning to do.
And it’s not just like wiping down the shower and giving it a soapy scrub.
Cleaning an oven is one of the only household tasks that involve harsh chemicals and a variety of metal tools.
And the arduous process also means there’s a fantastic before and after.
Nothing beats the feeling of wiping away the dissolved burnt food and revealing a shiny metal oven that looks brand new.
So now we’re done fantasising about cleaning ovens, let’s get into the post.
In this article, we’ll review a range of products to find the ultimate best oven cleaner UK.
We’ve also included a mini buyers guide with some oven cleaner FAQs that give a bit of background for choosing the best product for your needs.
But if you want to skip the reading, here are our top 5 oven cleaners in the UK:
1. HG Oven, Grill & Barbecue Cleaner – Best Oven Cleaner For Baked On Grease
2. Oven Brite Complete Oven Cleaner – Best Industrial Oven Cleaner
3. Oven Pride Oven Cleaner – Best Minimal Scrubbing Oven Cleaner
4. Oven Mate Complete Deep Clean Oven Kit – Best Complete Oven Cleaning Kit
5. Elbow Grease All-Purpose Household Degreaser – Best Oven Cleaner Mrs Hinch
Oven Cleaning Buyers Guide
Why do I need an oven cleaner?
At Clean and Tidy Living we think that if a job can be done just as well with a natural product as with a chemical-based commercial product, then we should opt for the natural one.
If you’re a clean little and often oven cleaner, then natural products can do just fine.
With frequent oven-cleaning, natural product like vinegar and baking soda can be enough to keep an oven grease and burnt-bits free.
To find out more about cleaning an oven, check out our article How To Clean A Self Cleaning Oven Without Using The Self Cleaning Feature.
However, if you’re more of a ‘clean-infrequently but deeply’ kind of person, then natural products probably won’t have much effect.
In this case, we would suggest a chemical oven cleaner to dissolve and remove all of the caked-on and built up burnt food and grease that covers the oven racks, shelves and base over time.
What makes a good oven cleaner?
If you’re looking for an oven cleaner to use after use or semi-regularly to avoid ovens needing a deep-clean, then look for a degreaser oven cleaner spray and wipe down the inside with a microfibre cloth.
| We recommend the Elbow Grease All-Purpose Household Degreaser as the best oven cleaner to keep it clean. |
If you need an oven cleaner that will take a well-used oven and make it brand new, then look for a kit that comes with bags for cleaning the racks, and a strong foam or paste that can coat the inside and be left on overnight.
| One of our favourite complete oven cleaning kits is the Oven Brite Oven Cleaner – Bottle Bag & Gloves Included. |
Remember to wear gloves and protect bare skin and eyes from the chemicals in oven cleaners.
Will oven cleaner damage a self-cleaning oven?
If you have a self-cleaning oven, be sure to check what cleaning method it uses.
Although it varies for the different types, the general advice is to avoid applying chemicals to the special linings that can release toxic chemicals when heated to high temperatures.
Pyrolytic
These self-cleaning ovens have a high-heat cycle that disintegrates grime and food into ash which can then be wiped away.
Catalytic
Catalytic self-cleaning ovens have a specific lining that burns away any grease and crumbs that are caught in it. Applying chemicals to this lining can be harmful, but the lining isn’t always all the way around the oven.
When cleaning a catalytic oven, be very careful not to touch the lining.
Steam Cleaning Ovens
These ovens use steam and high heat to break down grime and burnt food. There’s no special lining in steam ovens, so these can be cleaned as usual.
Best Oven Cleaner Products UK (Buyer’s Guide)
1. HG Oven, Grill & Barbecue Cleaner – Best Oven Cleaner UK For Baked On Grease
You often see HG cleaning products used in professional environments like restaurants and bars.
This is because their formulas are well-designed and effective for a range of household and commercial cleaning tasks.
This particular HG product is a de-greaser formulated to clean caked-on food and grease in an oven, grill or baking tray.
HG says “Cleaning caked-on food and grease in an oven, grill or baking tray is usually a tough job, but our grease cleaner makes it easy.”
They also claim that this oven cleaner can clean grease after being left for just 3-5 minutes and wiped down with a wet sponge.
One reviewer explained their way of getting the best results from this product:
Wear gloves and preheat your oven so it’s hot and then spray and leave for 10 minutes so it disintegrates the dirt. Use wire wool for stubborn parts on the oven, and the metal grills. Repeat the process again if needed.
| Fast results and low effort: simply spray the product and leave for 5 minutes then rinse with hot water to clean ovens, barbeques and grills. |
Brand: HG
Weight: 0.5kg
Volume: 500ml
Quantity: 1
Pros
Cons
Overall we think this oven cleaner is the best choice for household oven cleaning because it requires minimal effort and can be used on a variety of appliances and grills with unbelievable results.
However, we don’t think this oven cleaner works as well for extremely dirty ovens as the product can turn to liquid and drip off before intensive cleaning has happened, and therefore won’t work well over a number of hours or overnight.
For more information on this product, including price and reviews, click the button below.
2. Oven Brite Complete Oven Cleaner – Best Industrial Oven Cleaner UK
The chemical make-up of this oven cleaner is so strong that people have reported the liquid burning through the given soaking bags.
There are some very impressive before and after shots in the reviews for this Oven Brite product.
It’s the best industrial oven cleaner because its formula is so strong that it can even dissolve the plastic bags used for soaking the oven racks.
We, therefore, recommend taking every safety precaution when using this product including gloves and covering all skin and eyes if possible.
If you have any outside space, it’s advisable to soak the oven racks outside overnight to avoid chemicals leaking through the bag and into the floors.
Alternatively, leaving the racks to soak in the bathtub in case of leaks also works well.
| A very strong oven cleaning formula that can get even the worst ovens looking like they’re brand new. |
Brand: Oven Brite
Weight: 0.69kg
Volume: 500ml
Quantity: 1
Pros
Cons
Overall we think this oven cleaner is the best choice for industrial oven cleaning because of its easy to use, very strong formula that cuts through even the toughest stains.
However, we don’t think this oven cleaner works as well for fast cleaning as it needs a substantial amount of time to work its magic.
Also if the oven being cleaned isn’t too dirty then this product won’t be helpful as it’s designed for a deep clean.
If you’re looking for a day-to-day oven cleaner than we recommend the HG spray or the less strong Elbow Grease degreaser.
We like that it comes with the rack cleaning bags and the gloves inside the kit.
For more information on this product, including price and reviews, click the button below.
3. Oven Pride Oven Cleaner – Best Minimal Scrubbing Oven Cleaner UK
This oven pride oven cleaning kit comes in a 500ml bottle and includes a bag for cleaning oven racks.
Like the Oven Brite cleaner above, the chemicals in this product are very strong and some reviewers found that the plastic corroded.
We suggest that this product is only left overnight outside or if that’s not an option then a bathtub could also work well.
The message on the packaging is that there’s ‘no scrubbing required’ but this is of course dependent on the state of the oven to start with.
Even after leaving overnight there may still be a few stubborn marks, which are easily removed with a scourer or scraper.
| The strong chemicals in this oven pride oven cleaner mean there is very minimal scrubbing required, if any. |
Brand: Oven Pride
Weight: 0.6kg
Volume: 500ml
Quantity: 1
Pros
Cons
Overall we think this oven cleaner is the best choice for a household who requires an oven cleaner that takes minimal effort to do its job, because the chemicals are very powerful.
However, we don’t think this oven cleaner works as well for every day use as you might have to use a lot of the bottle to get the oven racks clean.
It’s a great oven cleaner for a deep clean once a year when food and burnt bits have built up.
For more information on this product, including price and reviews, click the button below.
4. Oven Mate Complete Deep Clean Oven Kit – Best Complete Oven Cleaning Kit
This complete oven cleaning kit comes with everything you mgiht need to get a really dirty oven looking brand new.
In this kit you’ll find:
- 500ml Oven Mate Oven Cleaning Gel, plus applicator brush
- 500ml Just for Racks Cleaning Gel, plus 2 rack bags
- 2 Grill Gremlin scourers, 50 Microwave Steam Clean Wipes in a resealable pack
- 2 pairs of impermeable gloves and arm protectors
Like with most oven cleaners, the chemicals here are strong so do follow the safety instructions and follow the manufacturers guidance.
We really like that this set comes with different scrubbing tools and products for the different parts of the oven.
The complete kit is great for somebody who’s moved out for the first time or is starting their cleaning collection from scratch.
| This oven cleaning kit is great for somebody who doesn’t currently have any oven cleaning products and wants to invest in the full kit. |
Brand: Oven Mate
Volume: Various
Quantity: 1 kit
Pros
Cons
Overall we think this oven cleaner is the best choice for somebody who doesn’t currently have any oven cleaning tools or products as it comes with a lot of different helpful bits and pieces.
However, we don’t think this oven cleaner works as well for somebody who already has a few oven cleaning products as you probably won’t get a lot of use out of the full kit and it might go to waste.
For more information on this product, including price and reviews, click the button below.
5. Elbow Grease All-Purpose Household Degreaser – Best Oven Cleaner Mrs Hinch
Mrs. Hinch loves this oven cleaner for its grease-busting ability.
We think it’s great for daily or weekly maintenance of an oven but it won’t do much when it’s put against a really dirty oven.
This is a great multi-purpose product that can be used to keep your oven looking brand new in between deep cleans.
At Clean & Tidy Living we are all about cutting costs by buying multi-purpose products that can be used all around the house, and we find that Elbow Grease also works fabulously on soap scum in the bathroom.
| A great multi-purpose degreaser to keep ovens clean and shiny in between deep cleans. |
Brand: Elbow Grease
Weight: 0.5kg
Volume: 500ml
Quantity: 2
Pros
Cons
Overall we think this oven cleaner is the best choice for people who like to clean their ovens little and often, and who like to have a product that can do multiple household tasks.
However, we don’t think this oven cleaner works as well for deep-cleaning an oven that has months or even years of built-up grime and burnt bits.
For more information on this product, including price and reviews, click the button below.
What Is the Best Oven Cleaner UK – Final Thoughts
We hope you’ve enjoyed our Clean & Tidy Living guide to the best oven cleaner UK 2021.
We like to include a range of products at different price points, as all households have different requirements.
So whether you’re wanting a daily oven cleaner or have moved into a flat where the oven has never seen a scourer in its life, we hope this post has helped you find a product that works for you.
If you’ve enjoyed this product review article, take a look at our similar ‘best-buy’ posts and cleaning articles below.
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- How To Clean A Self Cleaning Oven Without Using The Self Cleaning Feature
- What To Deep Clean A Fridge With │ Best Products And Techniques