Alright, so we got this call from a family in Plumstead, lovely area near the common, and they were in a right state. They’d had their kitchen extended, took about four months, and during that time they’d basically been surviving on oven chips, frozen pizzas, and roast dinners cooked in a double oven that hadn’t been cleaned in about two years. The wife was absolutely mortified when she showed us, kept saying she couldn’t believe she was letting strangers see it. But honestly, we’ve seen worse, much worse. The grease was so thick on the glass you couldn’t see through it, and every time they opened the door, smoke poured out. She said she’d tried one of those aerosol sprays from the supermarket and nearly passed out from the fumes. We told her to relax, we’d seen it all before.
We got there at 8am on a Tuesday, just the two of us. First thing we did was strip the whole thing down. Both ovens, all four racks, the grill pan, the drip trays, even the back panel and fan guard. Took everything out to the van where our heated dip tank was already warming up. That tank is a game changer, honestly. We use an eco-friendly solution, no caustic stuff, and it just melts the grease off while we work on the interior. The racks had so much carbon on them they looked black instead of silver. We gave them a good scrub with wire wool after the soak and they came up like new. The trays were worse, years of fat and oil baked on, but the dip tank doesn’t mess about. By 10am everything removable was clean and drying on the van rack.
The interior was where the real work was. The main oven had this thick layer of carbon on the bottom where stuff had spilled and burnt on repeatedly. We used our scrapers first, the plastic ones so we don’t damage the enamel, then applied a heat-activated gel that breaks down the carbon bonds. Let it sit for fifteen minutes while we worked on the top oven, which was actually worse somehow. The door glass was the biggest challenge, there was grease between the two panes of glass, which happens when the seal starts to go. We had to take the door apart to get in there, which most companies won’t do, but we always do if it’s needed. Cleaned both sides of both panes, resealed it, and suddenly you could actually see your food cooking again.
While the oven parts were finishing up, we turned our attention to the hob and extractor. The hob was a gas one, four burners, and the caps were clogged with grease and food debris. We dismantled those, soaked the parts, and scrubbed the burners until the flames would burn blue and even again. The extractor hood was filthy, the filters were saturated, and the grease had dripped down the front panel. We removed the filters, degreased the entire unit, and polished the stainless steel until it was reflective. Even cleaned the splashback tiles behind the hob, which had years of cooking splatter on them. The wife kept popping in from the living room, couldn’t believe the transformation. Said it looked better than when they moved in.
By 1pm we were reassembling everything. Racks back in, trays slid in, door reattached, all the burners reassembled and tested. We fired both ovens up to make sure they were heating properly and there was no smoke, which there wasn’t. Then we did the final polish, every surface, every handle, every knob. The husband came home from work just as we were finishing and his face was a picture. He opened the oven door, looked inside, closed it, opened it again like he couldn’t believe it. They paid on the spot, gave us a massive tip, and the wife insisted on making us a cup of tea before we left. She posted a review that night calling us miracle workers. If your Plumstead oven is in a similar state, don’t be embarrassed, just give Go Cleaners London a ring. We’ll sort it, no judgement.
