This might be our least favorite (not to mention dirtiest) task: scrubbing ashes, charred food, and grease from the oven. It’s unpleasant enough that many avoid it, even though neglecting this chore leads to baked-on food that is much harder to remove, not to mention an unhealthy amount of smoke in the kitchen. So what if we told you that the secret to a spotless oven has been sitting in your kitchen all along?

How Often to Clean Your Oven

Assuming you use your oven on a regular basis, you should clean it every three months. Keeping a regular schedule will make the oven easier to clean, prevent your favorite cookies from tasting like they’ve been smoked and cured, and reduce the risk of fires. Also, anytime you notice spilled food smoking in the oven, it’s time to clean up the mess.

What You Need

So, are you ready to say goodbye to steel wool for good? Here’s all you need to pull off this popular cleaning hack:

  • Pair of rubber glovesDishwasher tablet (make sure it’s the powder kind, not gel)Bowl of warm waterMicrofiber cloth or paper towelsOptional: hand-vac or mini-broom and dustpan

How to Clean an Oven With Dishwasher Tablets

  • Put on rubber gloves to protect your hands.Remove any loose ashes or food with a hand-vac or brush and dustpan.Dip the pod in the warm water so it soaks up a bit of the water. Be careful not to leave it in for too long, lest it start to crumble.Use the tablet to scrub the inside of your oven just like you would a sponge. We recommend laying the tablet flat in your palm and moving it in circular motions to vanquish that caked-on debris. You might need to use a good amount of pressure.When the tablet starts to dry out, simply dip it in the water again and scrub some more.When you’re finished, wipe away the residue with a damp cloth or paper towel and say hello to your new oven.

Tips to Keep Your Oven Clean Longer

Keeping your oven clean is fairly straightforward: Wipe up spills and messes after each use with a damp cloth. That’s after allowing your oven to cool, of course, so that you don’t suffer any burns. If you’re baking something that tends to bubble over, you can place a cookie sheet on the lower rack to catch spills and prevent a mess from reaching the oven floor.

Easy peasy, y’all! Next you can try out this genius way to clean your oven racks.