Cleaning hacks: Cleaning expert’s hack restores greasy oven trays using items already in your kitchen

Oven trays can be a bit of a pain to get completely clean because just when you think you’ve washed off all the burnt bits and grime there is often oily residue left behind.

Cleaning expert Lynsey Crombie may have found the solution to that with an easy and affordable hack using items already in most kitchens.

She used the trick on her own oven tray and shared the process in an Instagram Reel.

Watch the video above.

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“My oven tray was looking a bit worse for wear, so I grabbed a lemon, cut it in half, added some bicarb, gave it a good squeeze, and used it as the perfect natural scrubber,” she captioned the post.

After scrubbing the tray with the lemon and bicarb soda (also known as baking soda), Crombie rinsed the tray in the sink.

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After drying the tray she revealed it to be good as new and looking much better than before she cleaned it.

“These two powerhouses cut through grease and grime with ease, making light work of dirty oven trays.”

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The hack was a huge hit with Crombie’s Instagram followers with many remarking how nice the smell of the kitchen would be after using lemons this way.

“I love a good lemon trick! They always smell so nice,” a woman said.

“Going to do this today,” commented one.

“Look at all the grease it removes – amazing results,” a follower wrote.

“Love doing this,” another said.

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Among the positive comments however were a couple of questions about using bicarb soda. One wondered whether it’s the same raising agent used in cooking and another asked if its baking soda or powder that’s needed for the Crombie’s cleaning trick.

The pantry item used in this hack and most cleaning hacks is bicarb or baking soda.

It is the same product used in many baking recipes, especially if there is buttermilk or yoghurt in the recipe as baking soda needs an acid to activate the raising effect in it.

Baking powder is different and isn’t typically used for cleaning. It contains a raising agent that works on its own as it already has an acid in it (such as cream of tartar) that creates the raising effect in cakes and bread.

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As for lemons, they are wonderful for cleaning as they contain citric acid which is antibacterial and breaks down stains and grime easily.

Lemons can also be used to clean wooden chopping boards, just combine with salt for a good scrub.

Sliced lemons added to a bowl of water and popped in the microwave for five minutes will make easy work of wiping off all the baked on food and grease in the appliance.

And you can also add slices of lemon to water in a kettle to remove limescale stains.

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