The mere thought of scrubbing the oven can make anyone despair, particularly if you’ve let the grime build up over time.
Burnt-on food residue and tough grease are the banes of kitchen clean-ups, often demanding a lot of scrubbing that could take the best part of your day to shift.
If it’s your turn to confront this task but you’re on the lookout for a more straightforward method, there’s a common piece of kitchen waste you shouldn’t be so quick to toss away.
TikToker @homewithlese, who has built up an audience of over 50,000 followers with her simple cleaning hacks, recently shared a nifty trick to remove those tough grease stains naturally.
She suggested saving your eggshells instead of throwing them away because they double as an organic cleaning agent for your oven. Just a few easy steps and some additional household items will create an effective solution to tackle that greasy buildup.
The cleaning pro said: “Egg shells are rich in calcium which is good for the bones and also good for removing burnt grease.”
To get started, you’ll need around 20 eggshells. Wash them thoroughly, then lay them out on a baking tray.
Pop them in the oven and let them bake for roughly 20 minutes at 180C to make them easy to crush down.
Once the shells have cooled from the oven, whizz them in a blender until they become a fine powder. Stir in a spoonful of bicarbonate of soda, and you’re ready to put this cleaning hack into action.
The cleaning expert demonstrated by scrubbing the bottom of a grimy pan with the homemade paste and a bit of water, using circular motions before wiping away the residue with a clean cloth.
One half of the pan was soon sparkling and looked brand new, in stark contrast to the other half still marred by stubborn stains. Many of her followers have called the tip ‘genius’, raving about its simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
This eggshell mixture can also be employed to spruce up your hob, oven or any other areas stained by food. Additionally, eggshells serve as an excellent natural fertiliser for plants.
Lese sprinkled some of the eggshell powder into her houseplants, providing a slow-release calcium boost to the foliage.
But it’s not just plants that can reap the benefits. Lese suggests sprinkling the eggshell powder over your morning porridge, blending it into smoothies or incorporating it into your diet however you prefer, for an extra dose of calcium – crucial for bone health.
Just ensure the shells are thoroughly cleaned before grinding them into powder to eliminate any potential bacteria.