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There are many oven cleaning products on the market. Not all of them are as good as they promise.
Don’t get me wrong, though. Oven cleaners do precisely what they promise; clean the oven. But what is the effect of oven cleaner on kitchen counters? Can one product be used for various purposes?
Having a sparkling clean kitchen is everyone’s dream. From a spotless oven to polished countertops. Cleaning the kitchen doesn’t seem like an easy mission. Keep on reading to learn more about the potency of oven cleaners.
What Do Oven Cleaners Do?
While you’re preparing the most delicious dishes for your family, friends, and loved ones, grease, and food splatter will eventually affect the cleanliness of your oven. These remains can affect the taste and odor of the dishes you’re baking. They are also not so pleasant to be around because they’re just dirty.
Although it takes a few minutes to wipe the surfaces in your kitchen, cleaning the oven might be a little bit more challenging since the food remains tend to stick. This is why using an oven cleaner is probably stronger as it will get rid of all the greasy residue, guaranteeing that your oven will be squeaky clean for the next baking batch.
You’re probably looking for products that can serve various purposes, though. After all, you’re trying to eliminate grease and food stains to keep your kitchen clean and healthy.
Can I Use an Oven Cleaner to Clean my Countertops?
The chemicals in the oven cleaner can be too harsh on your countertops. While these cleaners can change the look of a vintage oven, they’re not the right products to use on a countertop.
Most of these chemicals can also be toxic if they get in touch with your food. They’re industrial-grade chemicals that shouldn’t get in touch with your veggies if you’re cutting them on your kitchen countertop or using it as a working surface while baking or preparing sandwiches.
How Do Oven Cleaners Work?
The oven cleaner’s chemicals react with the fats in the food remains and grime that builds upon the walls, surface, and bottom of your oven. Once you apply the cleaner, a chemical reaction will occur, creating bubbles that dissolve the fat particles and food stains.
However, for that same reason, it’s not recommended to use oven cleaners to clean countertops and other surfaces that might get in contact with your food. The chemical reactions will penetrate through the particles of your surface and might eventually end up in your food.
What is the Effect of Oven Cleaners on Kitchen Counters?
Oven cleaners usually contain chemicals like butane, monoethanolamine, and salt hydroxide. These chemicals can damage some countertop materials.
After cleaning the oven, you will wipe it clean to remove all the residue. However, it’s not recommended to use these strong solutions on your countertop, as they will get absorbed through porous surfaces.
Avoiding absortion
Oven cleaners don’t work on countertops for two reasons. The first one is that some surfaces like wood are porous. This means that any chemicals that you use to wipe the surface might eventually penetrate through the particles. Even if you wipe and rinse, there will still be a toxic residue that you don’t want to have in your food.
Different types of food contain chemicals like acids and alkalis. These chemicals might also interact with the chemicals in the cleaner, leading to another undesirable reaction.
Damage control
The second reason why you shouldn’t use these cleaners on your counters is that they can damage the surface.
Kitchen counters can be made of non-porous materials like marble or granite. While these materials won’t let any chemicals pass through, these chemicals can damage the outer surface. With regular use, the counter will lose its shine, and the surface might eventually break.
The buildup from the cleaner will create an unattractive layer on top of the counter that you need to remove. This is why it’s better to use a special non-toxic cleaner that has been specifically made for counters. Even better yet, use home-made alternatives that won’t damage the surface or cause any toxicity.
In order to understand the exact effect of oven cleaners on counters, I have broken them into several types. You will be able to assess the effect before you use such a cleaner to remove the residue from your counter.
Using Oven Cleaners on Wooden Counters
If you have a bohemian or rustic style kitchen, you probably have wooden counters or butcher blocks. These counters stood the test of time as they add warmth and elegance to your kitchen.
However, almost all counters have a layer of varnish or finish on top. This layer protects the countertop and guarantees that the chemicals from your food won’t affect the wood in the long run. They also allow for easy cleaning because you can simply rinse and wipe the countertop after each use. Without this protective layer, the wooden surface will quickly fill with food stains, grease, and grime.
If you try to remove the grime and grease, you will have to use water and soap to break the fat particles. If you’re using harsh chemicals, eventually the moisture will affect the wood and cause mold. With time, the wood will become soggy, and the mold could poison your food if it gets in contact with it.
An oven cleaner contains strong chemicals that break fat particles and stains. These chemicals can also cause the varnish layer to break. With continuous use, the finish layer will be completely removed, exposing the raw wood.
When this layer is removed, the moisture from the food and the water you use for cleaning will cause the surface to rise up. It will dry with time, but the core will stay moist, and the top part might start to break.
The best way to clean wooden countertops is to use a special cleaner that has been designed for this purpose. You should start by scraping off any food particles or fat residue to make the cleaning process easier. Then you should apply mild dish soap and use a sponge to scrub the counter until you remove all the food residue. Scrubbing along the grain of the wood is highly recommended as it will make the surface cleaner.
You can also disinfect your wooden counter with white vinegar or lemon juice. It only takes 15-30 minutes. Apply the liquid to a clean cloth and let it sit on the countertop. You can mix lemon juice with salt to scrape off any food remains that might still be stuck to the surface. Rinse carefully and dry using a clean towel before using the countertop again.
Using Oven Cleaners on Ceramic Tile Counters
Tile is one of the most versatile materials. This is why lots of people choose to have tile floors or walls as they’re easy to maintain and clean.
Ceramic tile countertops are extremely popular among homeowners because they can be cut, polished, and installed to match any décor or taste. Tile is more affordable than natural stone, and still, it can be installed in such a way that mimics a solid surface without breaking the bank. You can also install them to minimize space between tiles for a better look.
However, ceramic is porous. While there’s always a top coat to preserve the shine, I wouldn’t recommend to use tiles with high glaze in your kitchen. The glaze can easily scratch, and the tiles will be less durable.
Using oven cleaners means that the strong chemicals from the cleaner will penetrate through the surface and eventually affect the sturdiness of the tiles. With repeated use, the tiles might eventually crack.
The chemicals from the oven cleaner can interact with the materials used in the grout joints that keep the tiles in place. With time, the tiles might move from their place, and you will end up with a broken countertop that you need to replace.
Replacing ceramic tiles is easier than replacing a whole countertop in case of damage because you can replace one or two tiles at a time. The best way to clean ceramic tile countertops is to use a unique ceramic cleaner that won’t affect the shine of the tiles.
You should start by scraping off the food remains or fat residue using a blunt object that won’t scratch the tiles. You can also use hot water if some of the particles look difficult to remove.
After that, you should apply a thin layer of the ceramic cleaner and use a clean piece of cloth or chamois fabric to wipe the surface. Fabric works better than cleaning sponges that actually push the dirt and grime into the grout joints. If there are any stains from colored food, you can use mild dish soap or a home-made cleaner that is made of equal parts of vinegar and lemon juice.
When you finish cleaning, you might end up with a soapy film or residue on top of the tiles. This might affect the shine of your ceramic countertop and make it look a little dirty, even after you’ve spent a long time scrubbing it. The best way to get rid of this film is to use warm water and an all-purpose cleaner. It will also restore the shine of your ceramic tiles.
Using Oven Cleaners on Stone Counters
Countertops can be made of natural stones like granite or marble. These materials are quite desirable because they can last for a lifetime. Also, no harsh chemicals are used in the production process.
Stone is also highly resistant to heat, scratch, and chemicals. The material is so dense that you can easily put a hot pot directly on the top of your counter, and it won’t crack or show any signs of damage. Moreover, they have fewer seams than tiles. If you have a kitchen island, it might be made of one large slab with no seams.
For these reasons, granite and marble counters are usually easy to clean. There are no spaces for the food residue to build up. You can even install an under-mount sink that is easier to clean. They allow you to wipe the spills right into the sink without anything getting stuck on the edge.
Although stone counters are more durable and won’t break if you apply an oven cleaner, it shouldn’t be your go-to cleaning solution. The chemicals can damage the look of the surface and make it dull.
It’s a good idea to apply a sealer to the countertop and wipe off the excess. This will maintain the shine and keep the surface looking clean. When it’s time to clean the counter, you can use a blunt tool to remove any stuck food remains, then use warm water and mild dish soap to clean the surface. Any strong chemicals might damage the sealer layer.
You should use a microfiber towel to wipe the counter because abrasive materials and chemicals can damage the top layer. You can use baking soda to remove oil-based stains that can affect the look of your stone counter. If the stains are too stubborn, you can use a mix made of hydrogen peroxide. After preparing a hydrogen peroxide paste, you should apply it and cover it with a plastic wrap, then let it sit for a couple of days to break the stain.
Using Oven Cleaners on Formica Counters
Laminate counters represent an affordable remodeling option because they’re easy to maintain and come in several colors that can add a lot of character to your kitchen. Formica counters are made of layers of paper that are heated to act as a substrate of the slab. There are plywood or MDF countertops too.
Because the resin is one of the main components, these counters aren’t that heat-resistant. You can’t put a hot pot directly on the countertop without damaging the surface.
Laminate is also not scratch-resistant, and scratches can damage the substrate. When you expose the substrate to liquids, it will absorb the water and damage the look of the counter.
However, the main advantage of buying Formica counters is that they’re relatively easy to clean. A mild cleaner or warm soapy water will be enough to clean the top. You shouldn’t use any strong chemicals or abrasives to remove any residue.
Formica is waterproof and stain-resistant because it’s not porous. This means that using an oven cleaner will not cause the surface to crack or break. However, it can damage the color or dull the surface.
How to Remove an Oven Cleaner Stain?
If you have accidentally spilled or used an oven cleaner and it has stained your counter, you can easily remove the stain. Here is what you should do.
- Use a soft cloth or a microfiber towel to wipe the countertop as soon as it spills. Waiting until the stain dries will make the process harder and will allow the stain to set.
- To get rid of the excess cleaner, you should soak the area with water and wait for about 30 minutes. You can use mild dish soap with warm water to break the stain.
- Use a soft sponge or rag to wipe the cleaner.
- If the stain is still there, you should use warm soapy water to remove it. The heat can break up the chemicals.
In some cases, the stain might still be there, and in this case, you should use a multipurpose cleaner. You should make sure that it works for the type of counter you have, so it doesn’t damage the surface.
- In the case of a wood counter, you should remove the cleaner off the surface as soon as possible before it breaks the finish. You should use a sponge or towel to remove the cleaner after soaking it in cold soapy water. You can apply wax to retain the shine of the countertop surface.
- If you have a ceramic tile countertop, you should use a microfiber towel to dry it. A special ceramic cleaner will work better because it keeps the tiles in excellent condition.
- With Formica counters, there might be no problem unless you let the cleaner sit on top of your counter for a long time. In most cases, using soapy water will be enough to get rid of any residue.
Wrap Up
Oven cleaners are designed to remove fat stains and food remains that stick to the interior of your oven. However, these strong cleaners contain harsh chemicals, so they shouldn’t be used on other surfaces in your kitchen.
Some countertop materials are not durable enough to withstand harsh chemicals. They will scratch or lose their shine if you’re using the wrong type of cleaner. In case the oven cleaner accidentally spills, you should wipe and rinse it as soon as possible. You can use an all-purpose cleaner if it leaves a stain.
Further Reading
