I Cleaned My Oven with a Magic Eraser — Here’s How It Went
Like many of you, I have been quarantine cooking (and baking) for weeks now. And my oven is proof. Between the cinnamon rolls, Ina’s lemon chicken, more than one batch of meatballs, and everything else, my oven — especially the door — was beginning to look like a Jackson Pollock painting (only it was far less pretty … and actually pretty disgusting).
Unfortunately, cleaning the oven wasn’t high on my list of priorities. I’m working from home and cooking more meals than usual, and that means more daily cleaning than usual. I just didn’t have time to take on a big, hours-long chore. So, when I heard that a few swipes of a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser could quickly improve my dirty oven situation, I was all ears.
I already use Magic Erasers to clean my stovetop from time to time, but I hadn’t thought of ever cleaning the inside of the oven with it. The internet said I could, though, so I gave it a quick college try.
I started with the door because, well, that’s the area that needed a cleaning the most. I took photos as I worked because I knew you guys weren’t going to believe me. Can you just look at this picture below?
This is what happened after I ran a damp Magic Eraser in a line down the glass part of my door. Just once! I barely put any elbow grease into it and every layer of actual grease lifted right up. I worked up and down, in rows, across the rest of the door until all the grease had been lifted. Then, I wiped the glass with a rag, wet the sponge again, and got to work on the remaining splatters.
I must warn you, though, that as you go through this project the Magic Eraser will get gross — quickly (see below for what I mean).
I was having so much fun, even my pup came in to see what was going on! (No, this photo is not crucial to this post. I just thought you’d all like it. Welcome!)
Here’s what the door looked like when I was done. It certainly wasn’t perfect, and more of those brown flecks would have come off if I had kept scrubbing, but it was a million times better than before.
Next, I tried to tackle the inside of the oven. Here, I did not have as much success. I couldn’t even tell if this was the “before” or the “after” pic, and ultimately decided it didn’t matter because there wasn’t much of a difference. The Magic Eraser helped the walls shine up a bit, but it didn’t remove any of the burnt-on grease stains. Turns out, the official Mr. Clean Magic Eraser site highlights the tip to use the product to clean the glass but doesn’t mention anything about the inside of the oven. (Presumably because their staffers got the same non-results there that I did?) So while I’m a big meh for using it to clean the walls of the oven, I’m a giant yas for cleaning the glass on the door. Particularly if you’re looking to do it in just a minute or two, which I assume is the case for everyone.
Have you ever used a Magic Eraser to clean your oven? Or do you have any other smart tips to share? Leave your insights in the comments below.