The trick itself is surprisingly simple. Before doing anything else, people recommend removing loose crumbs and food debris with a damp cloth. After that comes the unusual part. A dishwasher tablet is placed into an oven-safe dish containing a shallow layer of water. The oven is then heated to around 150°C (300°F), allowing the tablet to slowly dissolve while warm steam circulates throughout the interior.
As the steam builds, it begins softening grease and stubborn baked-on residue that has accumulated over time. Many people compare it to loosening dried food in a dirty pan by soaking it before scrubbing. Except in this case, the entire oven is being treated at once. The process usually takes around 30 minutes. Then comes the part people often find most satisfying.
Because once the oven cools down, many of those stubborn stains become noticeably easier to wipe away. And that’s where people start understanding why this cleaning hack has attracted so much attention.