KCS Kitchener Cleaning Services is a professional residential cleaning company serving Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph, and the surrounding Ontario region. We offer deep cleaning services with optional oven cleaning add-ons tailored to what your home needs.
The Short Answer
Oven cleaning is not part of a standard deep cleaning service. Professional cleaners wipe down the oven’s exterior surfaces, the door, handle, and control panel, as part of a kitchen deep clean. But the oven interior, oven racks, and baked-on grease inside the cavity are a separate add-on service. Some cleaning companies offer premium packages that include inside appliances like ovens. Move-out cleaning bookings are also more likely to include a full oven scrub.
A quick exterior wipe-down? Takes a few minutes. No problem. A full interior oven cleaning is a different story. That’s a specialized service that adds 1.5 to 3 hours to the job. The gap in time and effort is why providers list it separately.
If having your oven cleaned is a priority, ask your cleaning company before you book. Confirm whether the oven interior is part of the standard service checklist or available as an add-on, and get the cost in writing. That one question prevents the most common letdown on deep cleaning day.
What Does a Deep Clean Typically Include?
To understand why oven cleaning isn’t standard, it helps to know what a deep clean does cover. And where providers draw the line.
A deep cleaning service goes way beyond regular cleaning. It targets the buildup that piles up over weeks or months of everyday living. In the kitchen, that scope is broad, but it stops short of taking apart appliances. If you’re not sure where the line falls, our breakdown of the difference between a full clean and a deep clean covers exactly what each service includes.
Kitchen Deep Cleaning Tasks
A kitchen deep clean covers scrubbing and sanitizing countertops, cleaning the stovetop and drip pans, degreasing the range hood and exhaust filter, and wiping down cabinet fronts and handles. It also means scrubbing the sink and faucet, cleaning the backsplash, wiping all appliance exteriors including the oven door and refrigerator front, and cleaning the microwave inside and out. Floors get scrubbed instead of just mopped, and baseboards, light switches, and outlet covers get the attention they never see during standard cleaning visits.
What’s Usually Not Included in a Deep Clean
Even a thorough deep cleaning has limits. The interior of major appliances, ovens, refrigerators, and dishwashers, is the most common exclusion. Inside cabinets and drawers are skipped because they hold your personal belongings. Wall washing beyond spot-cleaning, carpet shampooing, and floor polishing all need their own gear and are handled separately.
These exclusions come down to specialized products, extra time, and access beyond what a deep cleaning team handles in a single visit.
Why Oven Cleaning Is Usually a Separate Service
Oven cleaning gets treated as a specialty add-on rather than a standard deep cleaning task for five practical reasons. It’s labor-intensive and time-consuming. It requires specialized cleaning products. The stubborn baked-on grease inside ovens demands different techniques than surface cleaning. Oven maintenance follows a different schedule than the rest of your home. And including it by default would push the base price of every deep cleaning booking way up.
Start with the time factor. A thorough oven cleaning takes 1.5 to 3 hours depending on the oven’s condition, because commercial degreaser needs time to break through layers of carbon buildup before scrubbing even starts. That’s roughly the same time providers spend deep cleaning an entire bathroom. Adding the oven interior to every booking would stretch a service that already runs several hours for a full home.
Baked-on grease and food residue inside an oven won’t come off with the all-purpose or eco-friendly cleaners used on countertops and appliance exteriors. Professional oven cleaning requires commercial-grade degreasers, and those products add both cost and hassle to the job.
There’s also a timing mismatch. You book a deep clean seasonally, before a move, or as a reset before starting a regular cleaning schedule. Ovens need a proper cleaning roughly every three months with average home cooking use. Those schedules don’t line up.
Bundling oven cleaning into every booking would raise the base price of a deep cleaning service by $50 to $150.
Grease buildup inside an oven affects cooking performance, creates smoke, and becomes a safety issue over time.
What Professional Oven Cleaning Actually Involves
Once you understand what oven cleaning involves, the time and cost make a lot more sense.
A professional oven cleaning follows the same steps every time. The cleaner removes all oven racks, trays, and shelf supports and places them in a soaking solution. Then a commercial-grade degreaser goes onto the entire oven cavity, ceiling, walls, floor, and door interior, and sits for 15 to 30 minutes. Once the product has broken down the carbon buildup and baked-on grease, the cleaner scrubs all interior surfaces with non-abrasive pads to protect the enamel. The oven door glass is cleaned on both sides, and in many cases the glass panels are separated to remove grease trapped between them. The soaked oven racks are scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and put back inside the oven.
The result is an oven free of visible grease, residue, and that burnt smell old buildup creates when heated. This is different from your oven’s self-clean cycle, which runs at 800–900°F to burn residue to ash but doesn’t reach grease between door glass or caked-on oven racks.
How Much Does It Cost to Add Oven Cleaning?
The cost of adding oven cleaning is easy to budget for once you know the ballpark.
Adding oven cleaning to a deep cleaning appointment costs between $50 to $150. The exact price depends on your oven’s size, condition, and whether the provider charges a flat fee or hourly rate for add-on services. As a standalone service booked separately, professional oven cleaning ranges from $93 to $300. For reference, a whole-house deep cleaning service runs between $200 to $400 before any add-ons.
Booking oven cleaning as an add-on during your deep clean saves money versus scheduling it separately. The team is already on-site with everything they need. If your oven needs attention and you’re planning a deep clean anyway, bundle them.
How Often Should You Have Your Oven Deep Cleaned?
So you know what it costs. How often do you need it?
Appliance manufacturers, including KitchenAid, recommend having your oven thoroughly cleaned every three months with average home cooking use. If you cook daily, roast or broil a lot, or notice smoke or a burning smell when the oven preheats, consider more frequent professional cleaning. Light oven users who rely more on a stovetop or microwave stretch the interval to every four to six months.
The clearest sign your oven is overdue? Visible buildup on the cavity walls or a persistent odour when the oven heats up.
Maintaining your oven between professional cleanings stretches the interval and reduces the cost. Wipe up spills right away. Use oven liners to catch drips. Clean your oven racks monthly with dish soap.
How to Make Sure Your Oven Gets Cleaned When You Book
Ready for oven cleaning? Here’s what to ask and do when booking your deep cleaning service.
Questions to Ask Your Cleaning Company Before Booking
- Is the inside of the oven included in your standard deep cleaning package, or is it a separate add-on service?
- What does your oven cleaning specifically cover, oven racks, door glass, and the full cavity?
- What is the extra charge for adding oven cleaning to the appointment?
- Do you offer a premium package that includes appliance interiors like the oven and refrigerator?
- Does your team bring specialized oven cleaning products, or do I need to provide anything?
What to Confirm in the Service Agreement
Review the service checklist or booking confirmation before the appointment. Look for specific language about “oven interior” or “inside oven,” not just “kitchen appliances,” which refers only to exterior surfaces. If the confirmation is vague, follow up and get a clear answer in writing.
When Ovens Are More Likely to Be Included
Move-out cleaning and move-in cleaning appointments are where oven interiors are most likely included by default. Landlords and property managers expect all appliance interiors cleaned as part of restoring a property to move-in condition, which saves you the cost of a separate add-on.
If you’re in Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo, or Guelph, KCS Kitchener Cleaning Services offers deep cleaning with optional oven cleaning add-ons so your cleaning package matches exactly what your home needs. All cleaning staff are insured and bonded, and every service comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Request a free estimate to confirm pricing and what’s included before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions About Oven Cleaning and Deep Cleaning
Is oven cleaning the same as wiping the outside?
No. When cleaning companies refer to oven cleaning as an add-on service, they mean a thorough cleaning of the oven interior, the cavity walls, ceiling, floor, oven racks, and door glass. The exterior wipe-down of the oven door, handle, and control panel is a surface-level task that’s included in a standard deep clean. Two very different levels of service in terms of time, products, and results.
Do cleaning companies charge extra for oven cleaning?
Yes. Oven cleaning requires specialized products, more time, and different techniques than general surface cleaning. Providers charge it as a separate add-on ranging from $50 to $150 on top of the base deep cleaning price. Some companies offer premium packages that bundle appliance interiors including the oven at a combined rate.
Are oven racks included in oven cleaning?
When you book professional oven cleaning, whether as a standalone service or as an add-on, rack removal and cleaning is standard practice. Oven racks are removed, soaked in a cleaning solution to loosen baked-on grease, scrubbed, and reinstalled. Confirm with your provider that racks are covered, especially if your oven has specialty racks or telescopic glide rails.
Should I run the self-clean cycle before the cleaners arrive?
No. Don’t run the self-clean cycle before a professional oven cleaning appointment. It’s not needed and makes the job harder. The self-clean function heats the oven to 800–900°F to incinerate residue, but heavy carbon buildup sometimes bonds more firmly to the enamel at those temperatures instead of turning to ash. Let your cleaning company handle the oven in its current condition. Their commercial-grade products are made to work on grease and baked-on residue directly.
What other appliances aren’t included in a deep clean?
Along with the oven, the interior of the refrigerator, dishwasher, and sometimes the washing machine and dryer are excluded from a standard deep clean. Each of these appliance interiors requires specialized attention, more time, and in some cases unique products. Cleaning companies offer them as separate add-on services so you choose which ones your home needs. Ask your provider for a complete list of add-ons when booking.
Is oven cleaning included in move-out cleaning?
Yes. Move-out cleaning services return a rental property to move-in condition, and that includes cleaning the interior of the oven, refrigerator, and other major appliances. Landlords and property managers expect these areas spotless for incoming tenants, so appliance interiors are part of the standard move-out package. Confirm with your provider before booking to make sure the oven is included.