How To Clean a Pizza Oven

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A pizza oven in the backyard is what makes backyard cooking a pure joy. But, no matter how safely you cook with time, the pizza oven gets dirty. So, now what about cleaning the pizza oven? Here is an article about how to clean a pizza oven.

How To Clean a Pizza Oven

The pizza oven gets dirty with cheese, grease, and flour. The gunk sticks in the oven pan, and it has to be cleaned regularly. But, with a few steps, the pizza oven gets cleaned like new.

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Fire lit in a brick oven

Materials Required

  • Soap
  • Ash Rake
  • Ash Can
  • Copper or brass brush
  • Fireplace shovel
  • Microfiber scrubber
  • Propane spray

Step 1: Clean The Ash

When you start to clean the pizza oven, the first step is to clean the ash.

  1. Wait until the oven is completely cooled. When the ash is completely burnt, you can start cleaning.
  2. It is advisable to leave the oven for a day and clean it the next day. This ensures that the heat is cooled and there is only ash left in the pizza oven.
  3. Next, use the oven cleaning tools like an ash rake and fireplace shovel to bring the ash in the front.
  4. Collect the ash and remnants in the ashcan and throw them later in a dustbin.

This procedure is simple and easy to do. If you don’t have an ashcan, you can use any other dirt collecting box or newspapers. 

Step 2: Cleaning The Inside Of The Oven

Generally, the food spill gets burnt, and no residue remains inside the oven, but occasionally some debris or residue can get stuck inside the oven, which should be cleaned.

  1. To clean the debris inside, make sure there is no ash left.
  2. Use an oven brush made up of brass or copper. The brass and copper brush helps in cleaning the debris stuck in the crevices of the oven.
  3. The brass/copper bristle will scrape off the grease, cheese, and food spill from the oven.
  4. Do not use any soap or solvent to clean the debris.
  5. It is advisable not to use any other material’s brush as it can damage the heating surface of the oven.

The inside of the oven gets dirty from the residue of ashes and food spills. Therefore, it is advisable to clean it once in a while.

Step 3: Cleaning The Front Of The Oven

After cleaning the inside of the oven, the next step is to clean the front bricks. Just like maintaining your brick fireplace, you must ensure that the front brick of the pizza oven is cleaned regularly. You can use heat to clean it up. 

  1. At first, burn some coal or wood chips. Then, use an ash rake or fireplace shovel to pull the charcoal just below the front bricks.
  2. With coal, you can use wood to flame the heat. Let the coal and wood burn for 20 minutes. It is advisable to keep the flame low. Otherwise, it can burn the front bricks.
  3. Alternatively, you can use a propane spray to heat the bricks. 
  4. Be careful while doing it as too much heat can fade the color of the bricks. 

Applying heat is the easiest way to clean the grime and dirt from the front. The front of the oven does not get heated. Usually, it helps in trapping the heat. 

Step 4: Scrubbing 

It is a dry-cleaning method. Pull the sleeves of your shirt above the elbow, as this process requires a tough elbow clean.

Two whole pizza being cooked in a brick oven
  1. Use a microfiber scrubber and start scrubbing the surface of the front of the oven.
  2. Scrub! Scrub! Scrub!! Go through each crust and crevices to scrub off the dirt build-up.
  3. You can even use a toothbrush with a soft bristle to brush off the dirt.

A brush helps in cleaning the dirt build-up. In addition, it helps in breaking the grease and dust from the oven.

Step 5: Use Soap Solution

Soap helps in breaking the dirt and cleaning the grease.

  1. Take a bowl and put detergent or any soap solution
  2. Soak the microfiber scrubber and then start scrubbing the surface. Thoroughly clean the bricks of the oven.
  3. After you cover each part of the oven, use a spray washer to clean the soap solution
  4. Clean the soap solution properly; otherwise, it will lead to detergent marks.
  5. When it is cleaned, let it dry.

When it is completely dry, move forward to the next step, cleaning the surface of the oven.

Step 6: Clean The Floor Of The Oven

Apply heat for an easy and quick process to clean the oven.

  1. Burn the coal and, when it is hot enough, then use the brush to bring it close.
  2. Spread it well in the area you want to clean and then let it sit for over 30 minutes.
  3. When the coal burns off, clean the charcoal from the oven.
  4. And you will see the floor is bright like always as the cheese, grease just burns off. 

The hearth of the pizza oven helps in maintaining the temperature in the oven.

Therefore, the temperature is a deciding factor in a good and mediocre pizza oven. 

Step 7: Clean The Chimney Or Flue Of The Pizza Oven

The traditional pizza oven gets dirty frequently with soot. When wood is burnt at a slow flame, the soot comes out as a by-product. So clean it often to avoid any accidents.

  1. Keep a plastic cover on the pizza oven surface so while cleaning the chimney, the debris will fall on the plastic. It will be easier to scoop out the dirt.
  2. The chimney typhoon is a rotary cleaning brush. With the typhoon brush, you can pull out the gunk from the chimney.
  3. Attach the brush in a 1-meter handle and then secure it in the drilling machine. It is easy to clean the debris in this way.
  4. Start the drill, and this way, the typhoon brush will rotate. Keep attaching the 1-meter handle till you reach the top of the chimney.
  5. When you reach the top of the chimney, start the drill for anti-clockwise rotation. It will make it easier to pull out the brush.

After pulling out the brush carefully, collect the debris with a brush and throw it in an ashcan or directly into the trash.

Here is a video guide that you can follow to clean the chimney.

Maintenance Tips For Pizza Oven

While cleaning is a good habit for maintaining the pizza oven, it is essential to look at other aspects to ensure the pizza oven looks healthy.

Pizza being cooked in a brick oven
  • Whenever you are starting the pizza oven to cook pizza, do not heat it too fast. Heat it to 300 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour and then let it peak the temperature.
  • No matter it is a brick oven or stainless-steel oven, keep the oven covered whenever it is not in use. It prevents dirt accumulation inside the oven.
  • Clean it after every cookout. It ensures the dirt doesn’t become sticky in the oven.
  • Soot, ashes, and dirt should not be left unattended.
  • If you are cleaning the oven with a sponge, make sure you don’t damp it too much; otherwise, it can result in cracks.

Proper maintenance is a good habit of keeping the products healthy in the long run. 

Here is an article that explains the power of maintenance of a pizza oven.

Cleaning Stainless Steel Pizza Oven

In recent years, the brick oven is replaced with stainless steel oven. It is easier and safer to use.

In addition, the stainless pizza oven is easy to maintain and takes lesser time to cook the pizza. 

The stainless pizza oven is prone to smudge and fingerprint marks easily. That is why you must clean it every day.

To clean the stainless pizza, you can use a damp cloth and wipe off the smudge from the steel plate.

If the stains are sticky, you can use diluted white vinegar and clean the stains. It will make the oven shiny and clean. This vinegar mixture is also pretty great for cleaning hand saw blades.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Often Should I Clean The Pizza Oven?

It is advisable to clean them thoroughly once in 2 weeks if it is used regularly. This is because there are multiple types of ovens available, and each accumulates dirt differently. So depending upon the type of oven you should clean. 

When the pizza oven looks visibly clean, it reduces the chances of causing damage to the oven stone. 

How Often Should I Clean Pizza Stone?

If you are using it regularly, then clean it once a week. Cleaning the ashes and debris will improve the heating of the pizza stone.

What Is The Ideal Time To Clean The Pizza Oven?

There is nothing called ideal time; it must be cleaned when the oven is completely cooled down. You must wait overnight as it will cool the chimney and the hearth of the oven.

Conclusion

Cleaning the pizza oven is an art that you must master when you are learning to cook pizza. Wooden ovens are prone to accumulating dirt, debris, and stain often. The other part which accumulates the debris from ashes is creosote.

The pizza oven must be inspected well once in a while. This will ensure that the grease and dirt are cleaned frequently with the right tools.