Stubborn oven grime melts away 'effortlessly' with one product - not vinegar

Cleaning the oven can be one of those tasks you leave for ages until it just can't be ignored anymore. You might end up wondering how your oven managed to get so dirty, but it can happen quite quickly thanks to food splatters, grease and spills during cooking, which then bake onto the glass surfaces.

If you don't clean it regularly it can keep building up and become really unsightly. But it turns out there's a very simple way of melting off stubborn grime from the oven with just one product. The clever hack was shared to Beldray's TikTok account, and people were blown away, even in disbelief, about how easy it looked.

The company, which specialises in cleaning and other houseware products, regularly shares tips online with its followers. In the clip, they showed a dirty oven with grime caked on both the door and inside the appliance. They then showed how you can get the appliance looking shiny and brand new with just a handheld steamer.

And inside they just had water - not even white vinegar - which is a product commonly used for various cleaning jobs around the house. Explaining how to use it, Beldray wrote in the caption: "Steam away the grime. Use a steam cleaner to effortlessly loosen grease and grime."

It can also be used to "tackle stubborn build-up" if you have an attachable brush head, which can be used to "scrub away tough spots on your oven racks". Now simply "wipe your oven clean". In the video they used Beldray's 10-in1 handheld steam cleaner.

In the comments section people were amazed that the product could be used so effortlessly to clean the oven. "Not possible," said one person in disbelief. "No way a handheld steamer will do this," said another. Another asked: "Did you use any product before?" to which Beldray replied: "We did not! This is done with steam alone."

Another person said: "Ooo I have this! Need to give it a try on my oven!" and another said: "I just did this and it was 10/10."

Before you use your handheld steamer to clean the oven, it's important to check the manual to make sure it's safe to do so. It might not be suitable for all ovens. Some ovens also have a built-in steam-cleaning feature, or you can do it manually.

According to The Spruce, steam cleaning an oven is a "non-toxic and simple way to clean your oven without using commercial cleaners". You can do this by heating water in the oven to create steam, which in turn loosens grime so it can be easily wiped away.

All you need is a large, ovenproof bowl or baking dish, water and a sponge or microfibre cloths. Spruce recommends filling a dish which can withstand warm temperatures with cool water, before putting it in an oven which has been set to around 230C.

They explain: "Depending on the level of soil in your oven, set the oven timer for 30 to 60 minutes. The heavier the grime, the longer the container should remain in the oven."

Then turn the oven off and let it cool. Leave the door closed until it's completely cool, which also allows the steam to loosen the grime. Then simply wipe it off.