Removing Grease & Cleaning the Oven

Sprinkling a small amount of zeolite powder over the grease in baking dishes and frypans makes them easier to clean. Zeolite powder can also help in emergencies.

One night we had guests and one of the dishes we were having for dinner was a potato bake. The dish was very full and should have been put on a baking tray but, because we were all talking and distracted, that didn’t happen. Some time later I noticed through the window in the oven door that there was a fire in the bottom of the oven, the potato bake had overflowed and had caught alight.

I panicked for a moment wondering how to safely put out the flames in a hurry, then thought of zeolite. Using a large long handled spoon I poured zeolite powder onto the flames which immediately went out. I shuddered at the thought of the mess I would have to clean up and left it overnight.

The next day I used an egg flip to scrape off the burnt remains and was absolutely astonished when it all came up easily leaving a spotless surface underneath, much cleaner than the rest of the oven. It was one of the easiest messes I’ve ever had to clean up. The reason the zeolite worked so well is because it absorbed all the moisture. Since then I’ve been using zeolite powder to clean off burnt bits in the oven whenever necessary.

To clean oven racks, sprinkle zeolite powder onto a damp scourer sponge and rub it over the racks, it makes them much easier to clean.

There’s a lot more tips about the practical uses of zeolite in the book 'Australian Zeolite Facts & Practical Uses'.