You Have to See This: More Oven Cleaning (this time the racks)

I got my oven racks so clean, with so little work. This just amazed me. I put both racks into my farmhouse sink (a bathtub would also work for this task), added about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of Great Value automatic dishwashing powder (so, just the cheap stuff), and filled with very hot tap water to just over the highest protrusion from the racks. I left it there while I went to wipe the sides of the oven's interior. Ten minutes later I checked on the racks and could see this. 

Holy smokes! The baked on grime was dissolving from the racks and leaching into the water, without me touching the racks or water in any way. When I saw this, I had to grab my camera and show you. I couldn't believe that the racks were getting cleaned while sitting in the sink.

I went back to the oven to clean up my mess, then move some laundry from the washer to the dryer. About 25 minutes after last checking on the oven racks in the sink, I found this.

The grime was really coming off the racks. I decided to drain the sink and wipe the chrome bars, using an old sock/rag.

This rag was white when I began wiping, by the way. The grime had softened pretty well at this point, and I was able to wipe a lot of it off.

What I couldn't wipe with a rag, I used the green side of a scrubbing sponge. Quite a lot came off with the scrubber. I had an errand to run, so I plugged up the sink and added another 1/2 to 2/3 cup of dish powder and more hot water just to cover the racks. I came back an hour later and used a stiff brush to get the rest of the grime off.

This is how clean I got the racks with very little actual work. (But don't tell my husband this job was so easy!)

My oven is looking so good. I baked part of dinner in it tonight, and not only could I see clearly through the window, but the racks looked almost new, too. 

I can check oven-cleaning off my spring cleaning list. On to the next job.