When was the last time you cleaned your oven—really cleaned it, not just wiped up that one spot of spilled grease? Considering how to clean an oven can be intimidating, but if it’s been more than three months since a deep cleaning, most cleaning experts agree that it has been too long. Don’t worry; you can make up for that lost time, and usually without using any harsh chemicals or the high heat of the self-cleaning function.

There are a number of good ways to clean an oven, though we’re partial to two methods: one that uses baking soda and vinegar and another with dish soap. To find out the best tips and tricks for how to clean an oven, we reached out to cleaning experts, who stressed that these common household items are often the way to go. Below we walk through both oven cleaning processes in depth.

You may find quick solutions to oven cleaning, but to get the job done right, we recommend allotting time for the cleaning solution to work properly. That means cleaning an oven from start to finish can take between 13 and 14 hours. Before you throw in the towel, know that this duration is not active scrubbing time. For instance, the baking soda paste method needs about 12 hours to break down all of the grime buildup. For that reason, don’t start cleaning an hour before you need to bake a birthday cake. Plan accordingly, as your oven will be out of commission for at least half of the day. A tip: Begin cleaning the oven and oven racks in the evening after you’ve prepared dinner. The baking soda paste will work hard overnight while you rest.

Here, a step-by-step guide for a clean oven you’ll be proud of using baking soda and white vinegar.

To get your oven sparkling, you’ll need the following cleaning products:

• Baking soda
• Water
• Rubber gloves
• White vinegar
• Spray bottle
• Cleaning rag

Take out the oven racks and set them aside, preferably on old newspaper or towels. You don’t want to transfer the grime to your kitchen floor. Be sure to remove any other items in the oven, such as thermometers or pans.

To make your DIY cleaner, mix equal parts baking soda and water until it makes a spreadable paste. Start with half a cup of both ingredients, and double the recipe if you need more. You’ll be coating the entire oven with the baking soda paste, so make enough to cover the entire interior surface.

Spread the baking soda paste all over the interior of the oven. (You may want to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands. It’s a pretty dirty job, and the grime will get under your fingernails if you go gloveless.) Stay clear of the heating elements as you apply the paste. Be sure to cover extra greasy spots and don’t worry if the paste is thicker in some areas. The paste will begin to turn brown as it comes in contact with the grease.

Once you’ve completely covered the inside of the oven with the baking soda paste, let it sit for at least 12 hours.

Once you’ve applied the paste to the interior of your oven, turn your attention to the oven racks. The best way to clean oven racks is to give them a soak in hot water for at least two hours. (Consider using this time for stovetop cleaning.) Add a quarter cup of unscented Dr. Bronner’s pure castile soap if your oven racks are extra grimy. The bathtub works great for this step. Place old towels on the bottom to keep the dirt from transferring onto your tub. Once time is up, the residue should come off pretty easily with a scrub brush. Rinse.

After 12 hours, use a damp cloth to wipe away the baking soda paste and oven residue from the oven’s interior. A spatula or scraper may be necessary if elbow grease isn’t enough to deal with stubborn areas. Loosen the residue gently so as not to scratch the surface. Avoid scouring pads as they can damage the oven.

Add white vinegar to a plastic spray bottle and spritz it all over the interior of the oven. White vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and will cause any residual baking soda paste to foam up and loosen any extra sticky bits.

A clean oven interior will go unnoticed if the glass door is murky with grease. To clean the glass, make another batch of baking soda paste, and spread it all over the window. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Wipe off the paste with a damp rag or paper towel.

For the final oven-cleaning step, give the exterior of the oven door a vigorous wipe down. Use a natural vinegar cleaner, which can be made by combining equal parts of water and white vinegar. Spray onto a rag, and clean the exterior. (If you spray it directly onto the knobs and panels, you risk getting the cleaner into a control panel, which could make it short-circuit.) Buff the outside of the oven until spots and streaks disappear. Use a microfiber cloth to clean a stainless-steel oven.

The dish soap route is another great way to get a truly clean oven, and using only a few common household items.

For this oven-cleaning routine, you’ll need the following supplies:

• Dish soap
• Water
• Spray bottle
• Bar Keepers Friend
• Microfiber cloth
• Scouring pad

Clean your oven’s racks using dish soap, a sponge or rag, and the kitchen sink (or, if they’re too big for your sink, a shower or bathtub). “Fill your sink with warm water and dish soak, remove the oven racks, then place the rack in the sink to soak,” says Forrest Webber, owner of Bear Brothers Cleaning “This helps loosen grease and grime while you work on the interior.”

You can also use Bar Keepers Friend, a surface cleanser that removes grease, rust, and tarnish, on the oven racks as needed, and make sure to dry them well before replacing them.

To begin, wipe out any loose bits of food from the oven. You can even use a vacuum with a brush or nozzle attachment to help.

Then combine equal parts of mild, odor-free dish soap and water to the spray bottle, and coat every surface of the interior of the oven with the soap and water blend. It should be well covered in the solution, but don’t use so much that liquid is streaming down the sides and pooling below.

Let that soapy water sit for about an hour, allowing it to penetrate and loosen stubborn oven gunk. After giving the solution time to sit, use paper towels or rags to wipe out the oven, removing as much gunk as you can in a single pass.

Spray the soap and water blend on all interiors surfaces of the oven again. For any seriously stubborn or large spots of oven yuck, try a layer of Bar Keepers Friend.

Wipe the oven using a clean, dampened microfiber cloth. Then, use a scouring pad to attack any stubborn spots. Lastly, use a damp cloth to wipe out the interior one final time, lifting out the Bar Keepers Friend and last bits of gunk. Leave the door open so the oven can dry.

“When using dish soap to clean the oven, we also recommend using it for the outside of the oven,” says Marla Mock, president of Molly Maid. She suggest combining dish soap and warm water, then using a microfiber or soft cloth to wipe the exterior surface entirely. “Focus on areas like knobs, buttons and the control panel, [then] use a dry, soft cloth to wipe down the entire surface thoroughly, ensuring no moisture remains to prevent water spots.”

Finally, pop the oven racks back in place and then run the oven at a moderate temperature, between 250ºF and 300ºF for a half hour or so to let it fully dry.

Properly deep cleaning an oven is not a quick task. However, regular preventative cleaning is relatively fast, and prolongs the time between deep cleans. For a quick oven clean, wipe down the interior with a damp cloth and hot water after every use, wiping it as it cools. Though it adds an extra task to your cooking and cleaning routine, the additional few minutes of effort can prolong the time between deep cleans, saving you hours of work in the future.

If that’s too much, wipe it down once a week—or at least once a month with warm water and a bit of dish soap. Any grime is less likely to turn into buildup with that frequency of cleaning. The more often you clean the oven, the less intense the cleaning has to be, and you will actually save time overall.

If you value health, hygiene, the scents in your home, and the taste of your food, then oven cleaning is important. It’s always recommended to clean any area that comes into close contact with food. When it comes to the oven, a dirty interior can affect the taste of your food, and may even be harmful to your health.

“Having a clean oven not only enhances the flavors of your culinary creations, but also prevents the accumulation of grease, burnt residue, and potentially harmful bacteria,” adds Mock. “It also helps prolong your oven’s lifespan, maintain its efficiency, and reduces the risk of unpleasant and unwanted odors.”

“As long as your oven is in good working order, using the self-cleaning oven feature is safe and effective,” says Mock. However, the process typically takes around three to six hours to complete, using high temperatures (around 900 to 1,000 degrees) to incinerate leftover food particles.

This can create strong odors and may potentially release harmful fumes into the air. To avoid any odors from collecting in the home, keeping the space well ventilated while you run the self-cleaning oven feature is advised. Note that each oven is different and it’s important to follow your oven’s manual carefully before attempting the self-clean option.

Ask yourself, “How often do I use my oven?” The more frequently you use the oven, the more splatters you’ll accrue. An avid baker should aim to give the oven a deep clean once every three months. For someone with a less-than-regular cooking habit, a cleaning every six months, or even once a year, can work.

If you ever notice significant residue lurking in the oven, or something drips to the bottom of the oven while cooking, wipe the mess once the oven cools. You don’t want the gunk baking, and undoubtedly smoking, every time the oven is on. The primary oven maintenance cleaning tip: Wipe down the interior with a damp cloth and hot water and dish soap once a month, and the grime is less likely to turn into buildup.

Once you’ve cleaned your oven to the point that it’s sparkling, you’ll want it to stay that way for as long as possible. To start, pop in some nonstick oven liners, like these ones from Amazon, to help you fight off future grease. These mats catch drips and spills, are easy to remove, and clean quickly. Alternatively, place a sheet of foil beneath cooking dishes that could drip food. Just note that the foil should go on an oven rack and not on the bottom of the oven as it can damage the appliance if it gets too hot.

If you want an easy way to clean a truly soiled oven, turn to some excellent cleaning products. Toby Schulz, CEO and cofounder of Maid2Match, suggests Bar Keepers Friend as his go-to product. “Just make sure you’re using the cleanser powder, and ‘rinse’ the interior with a damp cloth afterwards,” Schulz explains. “Bar Keepers Friend also works well for cleaning oven racks. Either sprinkle damp oven racks with some of the cleanser powder, or make a paste with Bar Keepers Friend and water then apply it to the racks. Let the solution sit for a minute or two, then scrub with an abrasive sponge and rinse the racks thoroughly before using them again.”

Using either the baking soda or soap method described above are both extremely safe ways to clean an oven, as they involve no harsh chemicals and do not use intense heat, which can release harmful particulate matter into the air. That said, as with your own health, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; wipe the oven’s interior down regularly with a damp cloth and a touch of dish soap and fewer deep cleans will be necessary.

“For stubborn stains on oven interiors, try a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda,” recommends Mattie Sheppard, strategic interior designer and cleaning advisor at Real Estate Bees. Apply the paste, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then scrub it away with a non-abrasive sponge. And for spots on the glass, another effective hack is using a razor blade for scraping off that tough, baked-on grease. Just be cautious and use the razor at a flat angle to avoid damaging the surface.