From time to time we are asked to clean an oven in the garage or even the garden. Whilst we don’t mind obliging in the summer, we’re not quite so keen in the winter months! I cleaned an oven recently in a garden as the builders were in the process of fitting a new kitchen. I had no pre-warning and was led along the side of the house to the garden where the oven sat on the patio.
It was very cold and the sky was dark. It was only a matter of time before the heavens opened. I had a double oven cooker with hob to clean before I froze or before the rain came down. The rain soon came and one of the builders put up the gazebo to cover myself and the oven. Although the oven was not getting too wet I was, but no great shakes, I’m used to getting a bit wet when I go back and forth to the van. Being used to sitting in a nice warm kitchen this was not the norm for me and after time the cold really kicked in.
The double oven was a tricky one to clean as the main oven had a total of 4 self cleaning panels, 3 of which are connected together via corner brackets. The roof panel on these ovens is also a nightmare to remove and replace as they only have tiny pin holes for the screws and trying to locate them while you are holding the panel against the roof with one hand and then trying to insert the screw with the other hand can be frustrating. This particular oven had an aluminium back to it, behind the fan, rather than the standard enamel, which made it harder to clean. As the oven was very old, the door to the main oven had 4 panes of glass and there must have been about 30 screws and numerous plates all holding the door and glass together, probably one of the hardest doors I’ve ever had to take apart and then put back together again! The job took me longer than I ever hoped for.
Now it is November we are definitely drawing a line on cleaning ovens out in the elements.