After cooking with the Ooni oven for quite some time, it is easy to say that it can get dirty, real fast. It’s not like the oven is badly designed, but in general, with every oven, they get dirty really quickly.
The most important thing I would say to ensure the longevity of your Ooni oven or any oven for that matter is cleaning it regularly. You can think of it as a occasional maintenance you can do on the oven. But what are the techniques for cleaning an Ooni pizza oven? Well, let’s go through them.
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Things You Need
There are quite a few things that you will need, some more important than others:
- Plastic putty knife or any plastic scraper;
- Compressed air or vacuum;
- A fine steel wool;
- Regular dish soap;
- Some paper towels.
Compressed air isn’t necessarily obligatory, but it will definitely come in handy. You can also get by with using a regular vacuum.
Step 1 – Pellet Hopper & Burner
NOTE: Clean your Ooni pizza oven outside. Some of the cleaning methods will make a mess, so make sure you pick an adequate cleaning spot.
The first thing you need to do is clean the pellet hopper or burner. Take it out, and start scraping the top of the grill, where the pellets usually sit. Use the plastic scraper for this part.
TIP: You can also use a steel brush for the burner if you have one around. Don’t use any cleaning solutions here as some might be flammable, and it isn’t necessarily a spot you want spotless anyways.
Scrape or use a steel brush until you’ve fully remove the pellet buildup, and then use compressed air to blow it out. You should regularly clean the burner to ensure that you’re getting adequate airflow to it!
Step 2 – Stone Cleaning
Take out the stone from the bottom of the Ooni oven. Use a plastic scraper of sorts to remove any loose contaminants. Don’t use a steel brush or anything that’s steel here to avoid damaging the stone.
IMPORTANT: Be careful when handling the stone, as it is very prone to breaking. Be careful where you place it as well, and have it flat when scraping it, to avoid dropping it.
You don’t need to scrape every little bit of debris here, just the loose debris.
Step 3 – Inside Of The Ooni & The Lid
While you still have the stone out of the Ooni, it’s time to clean the insides. Use a fine steel wool and particularly go over the top part in the insides of the oven. A lot of buildup tends to occur here.
And, the fine steel wool won’t damage the oven in any way. As you’re scrubbing, you’ll see a lot of debris fall off. Quickly do the steel parts from the outside with the wool, and then use compressed air to blow out everything. Or a vacuum.
Check the top part inside of the oven and see whether all the debris has been cleared.
After which, you can clean the insides of the lid. This part will have a lot of soot on it, and it is best if you use a paper towel that’s slightly damp. Go over it a couple of times until it is clean. Again, don’t use any cleaning solutions.
Step 4 – The Outsides
No special methods here, just go over the outsides of the Ooni with some dish soap and a soft sponge. Use a dry soft cloth to wipe of any liquid once you’ve cleaned the outsides.
Then, insert the stone into the Ooni, UPSIDE-DOWN. This is because we’ll actually start the Ooni, and the debris will burn off.
Step 5 – Start It & Let It Burn Off
This is the final step. You want to start a fire and let your Ooni get as hot as possible. All of the remaining soot and/or debris will burn off in the process.
I recommend letting it burn for an hour or so just to be sure that everything is burned off. After it burns for an hour, let it cool, and flip the stone in the right way up.
As I said before, it is really important that you do this relatively regularly. It will keep your Ooni pizza oven running efficiently and will ensure its longevity. Depending on the frequency that you use it, pick a schedule and do regulatory maintenance on your Ooni.
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