We Asked Experts If You Really Need to Clean Your Oven After Every Use—And They All Agreed

We’ve noticed a bit of an alarming social media trend lately. Cleaning content creators have been proclaiming that you need to clean your home appliances on what seems like a wildly frequent basis, but they aren’t explaining why. Nothing can ruin a mindless scroll break quite like content like this.

One of the most recent videos we came across staked the claim that you need to clean your oven after every use. Is this excessive, or do these quick daily cleans save you from hours of scrubbing down the line?

In honor of our skepticism, we did a little investigative journalism of sorts and sought out the opinions of two experts who are in the business of cleaning homes professionally. Here’s what they had to say on whether or not you really need to clean your oven after every use.

Do You Actually Need to Clean Your Oven After Every Use?

Both cleaning experts we interviewed agreed that wiping down your entire oven after every use is entirely unnecessary. However, you should be cleaning up any wipes or spills right when you notice them. Think of it as more of a spot clean.

“Keeping an oven clean isn’t about deep cleaning after every use, but more about having consistent habits that prevent grime from building up,” says professional cleaner Debbie Lovett. “A quick wipe-down of any spills while they’re still fresh should be enough. This approach will save you time and keep any odors away.”

Cleaning expert Derek Christian echoes the same sentiment and explains that he has personally noticed that spills only get harder to remove with time.

“I do a lot of frozen pizza for my kids,” he says. “When the toppings ooze off onto the bottom and I wipe [the mess] up right after the oven cools down, it is pretty easy. But if I leave it after a few more cycles, it is really hard to remove.”

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How to Keep Your Oven Clean Without Overdoing It

One thing we learned from both cleaning experts is that you don’t need to pull out the oven cleaner spray every time you notice a spill.

Simply wait for your oven to cool and do a quick survey of any spills. If you notice loose crumbs, remove them. Then, spot clean any spills with a damp cloth. If you’re lucky enough to own an oven with a self-cleaning steam function, run it any time you notice the mess getting out of hand.

Christian also stresses the fact that good prevention can make all the difference when it comes to saving time.

He suggests covering the food you are cooking with a lid or aluminum foil when possible to avoid splatters. Roasting bags are super helpful for the same reason.

He also has one secret weapon that does wonders for keeping the bottom of your oven clean, and that’s an oven liner. He especially loves ones that are flexible and dishwasher safe.

3 Signs Your Oven Actually Needs a Deep Clean

Lovett has three signs she looks for to determine whether or not an oven needs a thorough clean:

• You notice smoke or burning smells when you preheat the oven.
• Grease is visible on the glass.
• Your food is cooking unevenly (grease and spills block heat flow).

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that every oven eventually needs a deep clean, even with daily spot cleans. It can actually impact the taste of your food and even pose a safety risk.

“It can damage the oven if burned food stays on too long, and that smell can get into your food,” Christian says. “It can even catch on fire if not cleaned often enough.”