While life can bring about awkward situations, oven racks are especially awkward when it’s time to clean them up. Between the running wires and their enormous size, those racks are something else to scrub and position in the sink (unless they’re repurposed as a drying rack). Now, it is true your oven has a self-cleaning feature, but you should never use it. So instead, TheKitchn has an even better solution—use your bathtub to soak those oven racks to remove the grit and grime. Heck, while you’re at it, this would be the perfect opportunity to clean up the rest of your oven with baking soda we’ve discussed before. Bust out your old towels you don’t care about and line them on the bottom of your tub; this is necessary so you won’t end up with scratches from the racks. Fill up your bathtub with hot water, swish in some dishwasher detergent, and let the soaking begin. You can soak the racks anywhere from 4 hours to overnight depending on your cooking schedule and how caked on the racks are. After the oven racks have had their bath, simply wipe off the remaining gunk. If you have some stained areas that aren’t coming off, grab up some Bar Keeper’s Friend to take care of the problem. Hit up the link below for more great tips from TheKitchn:

For Easy Clean up, Give Oven Racks a Soak in the Bathtub