A popular household item outperforms the vinegar and baking soda method for tackling stubborn grease on oven glass.
15:12, 03 Jul 2026Updated 15:12, 03 Jul 2026
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
This common cleaning products make cleaning the oven much easier(Image: Anchiy via Getty Images)
Tackling the oven ranks amongst the most loathed domestic tasks, especially when you’re using unsuitable products. While white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are the two staple ingredients that cleaning enthusiasts typically champion for combating oven grime, one woman has claimed to have discovered a natural substitute that “worked better” – and cleaning professionals are endorsing her findings.
Writing on the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook group, Becca Dwyer posted a photograph of her mother’s oven glass door, which was covered in dark brown, nearly black, grease and dirt, demonstrating precisely what she employed to restore it to a “sparkling” state. She explained: “Hi. This is the glass from my mother’s oven door I was cleaning her oven today as she can’t bend down.
“I’ve tried Pink Stuff paste, Elbow Grease cream, dishwasher tablet, aerial pod also baking soda and vinegar but nothing shifted it.”
If you search the internet for oven-cleaning solutions, numerous websites will direct you towards a mixture created from bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. However, in practice, this pairing proves mostly useless for removing persistent grease from oven glass.
Ditch vinegar and baking soda to remove oven glass grease for 1 item that ‘works better'(Image: Jevtic via Getty Images)
Therefore, Becca opted to attempt something completely different. She stated: “Someone then suggested soda crystals to me and it worked so much better than anything I’ve tried. It’s now sparkling.”
Even experts at Dri-Pak acknowledged that bicarbonate of soda and vinegar don’t quite deliver the desired results.
They explained: “One thing that isn’t really the best solution, despite lots of internet tips, is to use bicarbonate of soda and then add white vinegar.
“The effect will be reduced because the acid white vinegar is neutralising the alkalinity of the baking soda and it’s that that dissolves the grease.”
Soda crystals have also been put forward as a powerful substitute. They noted: “Soda crystals are excellent for dissolving grease and working on stubborn, burnt-on food.”
Soda crystals work well to clean ovens(Image: Getty)
Households can prepare a strong soda crystals mixture or liberally apply liquid soda crystals onto their oven door and across the interior of the appliance.
Leave the soda crystals to do their job for at least 20 minutes before wiping down the oven.
This method can be repeated on especially resistant areas, or dry soda crystals can be applied straight onto the surface as a scrubbing agent, working it in thoroughly with a cloth.
Soda crystals are readily obtainable online – from Big Green Smile at £2.11, or for £2 at Savers. Liquid soda crystals are marginally less expensive.
These are available at Big Green Smile for £2.45, and on Ethical Superstore for £2.99.
Lemons offer another natural cleaning solution for tackling oven door glass. One cleaning influencer insisted she’ll never return to shop-bought oven cleaner after uncovering the effectiveness of lemons.