Hey everyone, I’ve got a chrome oven (Moulinex Optimo OX4848) with some seriously stubborn burnt-on food splatters that just won’t budge. I’ve tried degreaser (KH-7) and scrubber sponge, steel sponge scrubber, and even a sanding block. The sanding block was working, but I heard it might damage the chrome plating, leading to rusting underneath.
The trickiest spots are on the top of the oven, and I’m wondering if it’s safe to turn the oven over to let some steaming water loosen up those burnt spots. What would you all recommend as the best way to thoroughly clean those difficult burnt-on spots without damaging the chrome plating? I want to get it really clean without risking damage to the oven surface itself. Any specific products or techniques you have used that worked well for this?
I’m in Spain, so I’d appreciate recommendations for specific products that I can find in local supermarkets (all the products available in Spanish supermarkets are in soysuper.com).
I really don’t care if I damage Chrome… Firefox on the other hand… you better not touch that!
On the serious side though, yeah, sanding it down will damage the chrome. You might not get to the metal, but it will become less shiny and porouse, and more food will stick to that particular part in the future, and it will be harder to get off.
We have a product over here, it’s called Arris DeGrass, I don’t think you have that in the US… it’s a degreaser, but it’s extra strong, like you don’t use that without gloves, EVER!.. ask me how I know 😂. Most people use it for cleaning ACs and degresing engines around here. So, basically, find an engine degreaser and use that, that should work just fine. But make sure you wash down everything REALLY REALLY good afterwards.
Try boiling a kettle, filling a bowl of water, pop it in the oven on 100 for 30 minutes. That will soften it up. Then you could also try a paste of bicarbonate and water painted on and leave for a while. It might take several goes.
When it’s done, buy a silicone liner for the bottom and wipe out the sides and roof with soapy water every time you use it. It saves sooo much time in the long run.
Good luck!
bicarbonate and water painted
That’s what I’ve ended up doing, I’ve covered the spots with the bicarbonate and water paste and will leave it overnight and then I’m going to spray it with vinegar and remove it.
you can skip the vinegar, beside the bubbles when it reacts with the bicarbonate mixing the two essentially only neutralize both
Note that I have NOT used it oh chrome but on all other materials Bar Keepers Friend has been amazing with food stains. While I prefer the cream I believe the spray is less abrasive. If you tried steel wool the cream should be fine though. Good luck!
I used to use 000 steel wool on chrome motorcycle pipes and they never scratched, so that’s safe. For your stove, I’d try some boiling water to soften the mess first. Then, go ahead and clean in your regular fashion.
I have used 0000 steel wool and CocaCola soda for removing rust from chrome car parts. It works well but you shouldn’t do it on any chrome part that has had any coating applied to it, as that will obviously damage the coating.
The steel wool does leave scratches, but theyre so small that theyre not noticeable.
What about automotive chrome cleaner? Some of those products are supposed to break down stuff that has been baked on at exhaust temps, far above any oven or stove surface.
I looked at the stove, it says it is stainless steel, perhaps you can use something else that you could not use on chrome steel.
I’ve had good luck with simple green and patience while it sits there.
You can also usually zap a wet sponge in the microwave long enough to get it steaming, then place it on top. Just be aware you’ll want to use tongs to move it.
That’s the real key with baked on stuff; patience. You have to let whatever you’re using have enough time to loosen the gunk up.
If those fail, oven cleaner works, but it’s pretty damn brutal. Make sure you have plenty of ventilation and follow all safety instructions for the cleaner.
A decent oven should have chrome that’s on there solid, so you can usually sand down carefully without issue. If the block is hard, and you watch what you’re doing, you won’t come in contact with the chrome until you’re at the thinnest level of the baked on stuff. That’s usually gong to be easy enough to remove with something like bon ami or barkeeper’s friend. It’s faster than the long soaks, but you do have the possibility of scratches (no matter how low) if you go too fast.
