Best oven cleaners for a spotless finish 2024

Lakeland’s Oven Mate is the go-to cleaning product for many Mumsnetters who can’t stand cooking in a grubby oven.

Oven Mate’s powerful gel formula makes light work of stubborn grease and burnt-on food, with no scrubbing required. Just paint it on, let it work its magic, then simply wipe it off to reveal an oven that looks like it’s just been newly installed. What could be simpler?

The great thing about this kit is that, unlike some of the other products on this list such as Mr Muscle, it doesn’t have a pungent smell. There’s also a brush and gloves included in the packet to help make applying it safer and easier, so there’s no excuse not to tackle the grime straightaway.

Just beware, this product can’t be used for cleaning inside a gas oven, or on light and coloured metals, painted surfaces (including painted enamel), or self-cleaning ovens. It’s also not suitable for all stainless steel surfaces.

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What self-respecting list of the best oven cleaners would be complete without a tub of The Pink Stuff? This little pot of paste, which you can pick up for just £1.50, is so versatile you can get to work cleaning everything from your cooker tops to your trusty freezer and even garden furniture.

If you find that your oven door is not looking as transparent as it should do, an application of The Pink Stuff will soon shift the muck. A mild abrasive, it works well on racks and the rest of the oven too, but you may need to give it a bit of welly for particularly ground-on dirt.

Even better - The Pink Stuff is made from 99% natural ingredients and is non-toxic, environmentally friendly and isn’t tested on animals, so you can clean with a conscience!

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Oven Pride is one of the most popular and effective oven cleaners on the market and it’s not hard to see why. Quick and easy to use, this cleaner produces amazing results over and over again. We especially like that this handy kit includes a bag to clean racks, so it will leave your oven looking fresh and sparkling. Then, after you've done with Oven Pride, following it up with one of the best glass cleaners can help get the doors as shiny and clean as the rest of the oven will be - just be sure to use them separately and never mix cleaning products.

It's not as quick as some other options - it needs four to 24 hours to achieve the desired deep clean, and it's a strong solution with users claiming it can leave a pungent odour during use. Make sure to use the gloves provided and check the bag for holes as some reviews claim the bag leaked liquid, which could cause damage. Overall though, users rate this hard-working oven cleaner very highly.

If your oven is plagued by grease and grime that won’t budge no matter how hard you scrub, then it’s time to bring in the big guns.

Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner works wonders on even the grubbiest of ovens. Just spray the foam and leave it for a bit before wiping it away to reveal shiny surfaces that look as good as new. It’s only suitable for use on the inside of your oven, and you need to be careful not to get it on linings and rubber seals, but the foam gets to work straight away, loosening any build-up without the need for scrubbing.

Be warned, if you’re looking for a non-toxic product, this one is not for you. It is super-strength stuff, so make sure you take appropriate safety precautions by wearing long gloves or goggles.

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Brillo pads have been around for over a century and they are still doing the business when it comes to cleaning. These multi-use soap-filled, steel wool pads can remove the toughest of grease and baked-on dirt from ovens and grills and also leave oven doors sparkling.

Depending on how filthy your oven is, a degree of scrubbing will be required, so be prepared to put the work in to achieve good results. Although it is a good non-toxic alternative, you may want to wear gloves as scrubbing with the pads can hurt your fingers. Brillo pads are really versatile though, so you can use the rest of the pack to clean your dirty pans and dishes in lieu of a dishwasher - just pair with either the best tea towels or a sturdy dish rack to make drying pots easier.

This all-purpose spray cleaner can be used to remove grease on a whole range of surfaces, including fabrics, metals and plastics, so if you have an oven door which needs a good clean, this could be the product for you.

It is not a dedicated oven cleaner as such, but it can be used to remove grease and food from glass and other oven parts, including your extractor fan and hobs. You may need to put a bit of - ahem - elbow grease into it, but with some effort, it'll have your oven door looking shipshape in no time. Just make sure you wear gloves and avoid breathing in the mist as it’s a powerful solution.

This spray isn't suitable for use on wood or transparent polycarbonates, however.

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Prepare to be, well, astonished at the results from this humble pot of paste. This cleaner swaps harsh chemicals for orange oil so you get a nicer scent than other products and it can be used all over the oven, including the door.

It does have some chemicals in it, but you don’t need to wear gloves, and it’s got the seal of approval from the Vegan Society and Cruelty Free International. It also smells lovely to boot.

A great ethical alternative to some of the harsher products on the market. Some users found it wasn’t as effective on heavily soiled glass doors, however, so you may want something stronger if you have a particularly grimy oven.

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Boasting 100% grease removal powers, Cif’s Perfect Finish promises to transform dirty ovens in less than 30 minutes. Just apply the spray to the inside of your oven, or on your grill or hob and then rinse. Job done.

While it's not as versatile as some other options on this list, it can be used to clean up your oven, grill and BBQ. However, although Cif does produce some impressive results, it’s corrosive when used on certain surfaces, so keep it away from aluminium, copper, brass, marble, painted wood or appliance lettering.

Cif also warns that it can cause skin burns and eye damage, so be careful when using it and make sure to take adequate safety precautions.

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If you want to try and avoid chemicals, Dirtbuster’s oven cleaning spray is a non-caustic formula which is eco-friendly and biodegradable. Unlike the harsher cleaners that feature on this list such as Mr Muscle, there’s no strong odour - in fact it has a pleasant citrus smell.

It can be used on both the interior and exterior of the oven and is suitable for self-cleaning ovens, agas, hobs, racks, fans and BBQs. It's recommended that you pair this spray with a stainless steel scourer to remove grease and burnt-on food, although you may need to do more than one application for really stubborn stains.