November 4, 2026, 3:03 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
The oven is one of the most frequently used appliances in the kitchen and therefore gets dirty quickly. While larger surfaces like the sides or racks are easy to clean, there are some gaps that are hard to reach. This is also true for the gap between the two glass panes in the oven door. However, a cleaning hack is supposed to help clean them. myHOMEBOOK tested whether it really works.
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Many forget a spot when cleaning the oven
Social media often showcases an oven cleaning trick that is not only simple but also very effective. Many are familiar with the phenomenon of a dirty oven door, even though it has just been cleaned. It’s not always a matter of not being thorough enough; rather, most ovens have two panes, one on the inside of the door and one on the outside. Most people only clean the front and the inner pane of the oven door. But many forget the gap. With a sock and a ruler or another long object, the narrow gap between the two glass panes can be easily cleaned.
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myHOMEBOOK tried the sock hack
To see if this internet trick really works, myHOMEBOOK simply tried it out themselves.
What you need: For the sock trick, all you need is an old sock and a long object (12 inches or more). This could be a ruler or an old spatula. It’s important that the object is narrow enough to fit through the thin openings at the top of the oven door. A palette knife, like many use for baking, will also work.
The old sock is usually dampened first, and then a drop of dish soap is added. This can be especially useful for stubborn grease splatters on the inside of the panes. For dust particles or fine streaks, glass cleaner may be sufficient.
The sock is pulled over the stick or the spatula and then pushed into the narrow openings in the oven door. With a few skillful movements toward each pane, the dirt in the gap can be easily removed.
Important: It’s important to note that while the sock can clean the panes broadly, it takes a few tries and some dexterity. If your main goal is to clean the pane, you’ll notice a difference. However, don’t expect the corners to be clean. Neither a ruler nor a spatula is flexible enough for that.
Finally, you should wipe the damp areas with a dry sock to avoid streaks on the panes.
Does the oven trick with the sock help?
The oven cleaning works quite well with the sock trick. Since this gap is rarely cleaned thoroughly, an old sock can serve its last purpose without needing a separate cloth that would be difficult to retrieve from the gap. For a rough cleaning, this trick is definitely very useful, even if it’s not as easy at the outer edges and corners. If you didn’t know about this spot and haven’t cleaned it before, you’ll notice the difference when you remove dust and dirt from the gap. You’ll definitely have more “clarity.” However, a truly thorough cleaning isn’t possible with this method. Spatulas and rulers aren’t flexible enough to move back and forth.