Recognizing Cleaning Challenges

Your convection oven helps your business run smoother by cooking food faster than conventional ovens. The food cooks from the hot air pushed by fan, which allows cooking at lower temperatures. 

Cleaning your convection is easier than you think, regardless of how hard it looks. Clean your oven by following these tips.

Prepare to Clean the Oven

To clean a convection oven, you need: 

• work gloves
• scrub brush
• sponges
• paper towels
• wash cloth
• liquid dish soap
• baking soda or lemon wedges
• bowl 
• commercial oven cleaner (optional) 

Plan to clean your oven after business hours so you can leave the doors open to dry. If the oven has been running, turn it off, and let it cool. 

Remove the racks, and set them aside in the sink. Add several drops of liquid soap in the sink, fill it with water, and scrub the racks. If they are extra greasy, you may need to let them soak. Rinse the racks, and let them dry naturally. 

Loosen Debris 

Run the oven's self-cleaning cycle, if it has one, making sure the door stays completely closed. The temperature from the cycle should loosen particles. 

Open windows and avoid spraying cleaners or chemicals in the oven during the cleaning cycle. Take a timer with you in another area, and peek at the timer occasionally. Ensure no one enters the area while the cycle runs.

If it doesn't have a self-cleaning cycle, slice a fresh lemon into four wedges, and then set them in a bowl. Fill the bowl with water, and set the bowl inside the oven. 

Shut the door, and let it heat for thirty minutes. Shut off the heat, let the oven cool, and wipe debris. If there is white debris on the glass or exterior, use a damp paper towel to wipe it, then dry it with a clean paper towel. 

Clean with Baking Soda or Oven cleaner

Sprinkle one-quarter cup of baking soda or cream of tartar into a bowl, and gradually add water until a thick paste forms. Spread the paste on areas where stubborn particles remain with a sponge or old toothbrush. Avoid getting the mixture on heating elements or vents. 

Let the paste sit for thirty minutes to several hours, and scrub it. Use a clean, damp cloth or sponge to wipe residue. For extra cleaning power, add a drop or two of white vinegar. Clean the exterior of the oven with the mixture.

Use commercial cleaners as a last resort. Remove pans or other objects close by, and then spray an oven cleaner on the interior and exterior. 

Let the cleaner sit for the suggested time, and leave the room. Switch the ventilation fan or overhead fan on, and wipe the cleaner with disposable cloth or sponge.

If you don't have time to do this or don't want to do it on your own, consider hiring a commercial cleaning company, such as Commercial Cleaning Services. Not only will the cleaning company have the tools and experience needed to clean your oven properly, but they will also allow you to spend the time you would have had to spend cleaning the oven on other things.