Have the oven cleaned one to two weeks before Christmas Day. That is close enough for it to still be clean when the turkey goes in, and far enough ahead to move the date if plans change. An AGA needs a full day out of the cooking for its clean, and a pyrolytic oven's self-clean cycle is best run well before Christmas Eve.
A turkey keeps the oven hot for hours
Food Standards Scotland's turkey guide gives an unstuffed bird 40 minutes per kg at 180°C (gas mark 4) if it weighs 4.5kg to 6.5kg, and 35 minutes per kg above that. A 6kg turkey needs four hours; an 8kg turkey needs about four hours and forty minutes. It is cooked when the thickest part, between the breast and the thigh, reaches 75°C or above.
That is a long time at roasting heat for any fat already on the oven roof, the fan cover and the floor, and old fat smokes when it is heated again. The London Fire Brigade says around 60% of fires in the home start in the kitchen. Its advice is to clean the oven, hob, cooker hood, extractor fan and grill regularly, because built-up fat and grease can catch fire.
The same turkey guide says to cover the bird with foil and uncover it for the last 30 minutes. Keep the foil away from the door: Bosch's manual for its HBG6764 built-in oven warns that aluminium foil touching the door glass can discolour it permanently.
A timeline for a clean oven on Christmas Day
- Early December: choose between a professional clean and a weekend with a supermarket kit (the DIY vs professional comparison sets out what each one reaches), then fix a date one to two weeks before Christmas.
- The evening before the clean: cook early, or not at all, so the oven is cool by the morning. An AGA is switched off that night.
- The day of the clean: a single oven takes about 90 minutes on site, a double about 2 hours, a 90cm range cooker 2 to 3 hours and a two-oven AGA about half a day.
- That evening: the oven has already been heated with you looking inside, and it is ready to cook in.
- The days up to Christmas: once the oven has cooled after each cook, wipe the floor and the inner glass with hot soapy water. The Bosch HBG6764 manual suggests cleaning the cavity after each use so that dirt cannot bake on.
An AGA clean takes a day out of the cooking
An AGA stores its heat in cast iron, so it has to be switched off the night before a clean. AGA's user guides for its gas and oil cookers ask for the same before a service, because a hot appliance cannot be serviced. A two-oven AGA then takes about half a day on site.
Coming back up to heat takes time as well. AGA's FAQ says the hotplates are ready in about 10 to 12 minutes and the ovens take 40 minutes to an hour from cold, depending on the model; the guide for its older gas cookers allows several hours for the cooker to reach its full stored heat. So keep the clean away from the day you planned to bake the cake or glaze the ham. Between cleans, the AGA care guide covers the enamel and the roasting tins, which AGA's guides say should be washed in hot soapy water, never in the dishwasher or with caustic cleaners.
Pyrolytic ovens: run the self-clean cycle early
A pyrolytic oven cleans itself by heating the empty cavity until the soiling turns to ash. Which? puts the temperature at around 500°C and the cycle at one to four hours. Bosch's manual for one of its pyrolytic ovens lists programmes of about 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours. It says the door locks during the cycle and that the cycle gives off vapours that can irritate, so the kitchen should be well ventilated and children and pets kept away.
That rules out Christmas Eve with a house full of guests. Run the cycle a week or so before, with the racks out: Bosch says to remove all racks first, and Which? notes that racks and side runners often still need cleaning by hand. The pyrolytic vs professional guide compares the two routes.
If you clean the oven yourself in December
Supermarket oven cleaners work, and they are corrosive. McBride's 2017 safety data sheet for Oven Pride lists 10% to under 20% sodium hydroxide, carries the signal word "Danger", and advises gloves and eye protection. A study of calls to the UK National Poisons Information Service between 2009 and 2015 counted 796 enquiries about oven cleaners, and in 182 cases people had eaten food they thought had been contaminated with oven cleaner. Rinse the cavity and the racks thoroughly, use the product only in a cold oven, and leave a day or two between a DIY clean and the Christmas cook.
Booking a clean before Christmas
London Oven Cleaners work seven days a week, weekends at the weekday price, and the price is fixed on the phone before anyone comes out: a single oven is £77, a double £110, a 90cm range cooker £143 and a two-oven AGA £143. The full list is on the prices page. Racks, trays and side runners come out and are soaked and cleaned separately while the cavity, fan cover and door glass are degreased by hand in the kitchen. The oven is then reassembled and heated, and you look inside before we pack up. If a corner is not right, we put it right before we leave.
Call 020 8077 5225 (8am to 7.30pm on weekdays, 8am to 6pm at weekends) or use the quote card on this page. Cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the visit, which helps when December plans move. The professional oven cleaning page explains the visit in more detail.
Christmas oven cleaning questions
Do prices go up in December?
No. The same price list applies all year, and a weekend visit costs the same as a weekday one.
Can I cook in the oven on the day it is cleaned?
Yes. The oven is reassembled and heated before we leave, so it is ready to cook in that evening.
Is it better to clean before Christmas or after?
Before, if the oven already smokes, the door glass is too brown to see the turkey through, or you have guests coming. After, if the oven is in fair shape and you would sooner have the Christmas splashes taken off with everything else in January.
Can the hob and extractor be done on the same visit?
Yes. A ceramic hob is £23, a gas hob £28 and an extractor hood £28. Mention them on the phone so the time is allowed for.