5 Things To Do with Oven Cleaner
Updated: Mar. 20, 2019
Oven cleaner is a versatile household item that can clean much more than just your oven. Use it on curling irons, the bathtub, cast iron and more!
Always wear rubber gloves and protective eyewear when using oven cleaner.
1. Put the Style Back in Your Curling Iron
Before using a curling iron that has caked-on gel or hair product stuck to it, spray on a light coating of oven cleaner. Let it sit for an hour, then wipe it off with a damp rag and dry with a clean cloth. Make very sure that you don’t use the iron until it is thoroughly dry.
2. Wipe Away a Bathtub Ring
Get rid of stubborn stains or a ring around your white porcelain bathtub by spraying it with oven cleaner. Let it sit for a few hours, then give it a thorough rinsing. Do not apply oven cleaner to coloured porcelain tubs; it could cause fading. And be careful not to get the oven cleaner on your shower curtain, as it can ruin both plastic and fabric.
3. Clean a Cast-Iron Frying Pan
If you need to clean and re-season an encrusted second-hand cast-iron frying pan you found at a garage sale, start by giving it a good spraying with oven cleaner and placing it in a sealed plastic bag overnight. The next day, remove the pot and scrub it with a stiff wire brush. Then, wash it thoroughly with soap and water, rinse well and immediately dry it with a couple of clean, dry cloths. This technique eliminates built-up gunk and grease, but not rust. For that, you’ll need to use vinegar. Don’t leave it on too long, though. Prolonged exposure to vinegar can damage cast-iron cookware.
4. Remove Stains From Concrete
Get those unsightly grease, oil and transmission fluid stains off your concrete driveway or garage floor by spraying them with oven cleaner. Let it settle for 5 to 10 minutes, then scrub with a stiff brush and rinse it off with your garden hose at its highest pressure. Severe stains may require a second application.
5. Strip Paint or Varnish
For an easy way to remove paint or varnish from wooden or metal furniture, try using a can of oven cleaner; it costs less than commercial paint strippers and is easier to apply (that is, if you spray rather than brush it on).
Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things
From that jar of petroleum jelly, to a roll of aluminum foil, that tube of toothpaste, to a carton of milk, you’ll discover more than 2,317 brand-new ways to use the stuff you have on hand in your pantry, medicine cabinet, garage, junk drawer, and more to save time, money and effort! But it now from the Reader’s Digest online store.
