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Cleaning Your Pizza Oven

By Robert Parsons April 26, 2023

It is essential that you look after your new pizza oven, as it will increase its longevity and will also help you to check for signs of extensive wear. Before starting, it is essential that you let the pizza oven cool down, this will avoid the risk of receiving severe burns.

Scraping off the debris can be done with a pizza oven brush/scraper, however if you don’t have either of these then a pizza cutter or knife will do just as good a job, take care when scraping from the surface to avoid digging in and causing damage to the oven surface.

Wood-Fired Oven Cleaning

When it comes to cleaning a wood-fired or brick oven, if you have recently used it then it can take a long time to cool down. It is important to make sure that the oven is fully cooled down before beginning the cleaning process. Starting with your scraper/knife begin to scrap the debris away from the surface. If you find the debris hard to move, then try using a damp cloth to loosen it.

Whilst cleaning your wood-burning oven, it is essential that you don’t forget to clean out the stack. It should be cleaned at least once a month to remove the layer of soot which will have developed after prolonged usage. It is important to note that for larger ovens, especially brick ovens for professional use in restaurants, you should get a professional chimney sweep in to clean your stack as they will have the correct tools and knowledge to do the job safely and efficiently.

Pizza Deck Oven Cleaning

Cleaning with water around the pizza stone is a bad idea, as the water or cleaning solution can be absorbed and will crack under heat. This is a potential hazard, as you may not see any cracks and therefore run the risk of broken pieces in your pizza. It will also mean that you will have to replace the pizza stone.

Using the scraper/knife, remove the ash and food which is on the inside of the oven, from both the top, sides and base. If you find any spots which are proving difficult to remove, then simply grab a brush and use some slight force to remove the debris. Once you have loosened the debris, use a small handled brush to sweep it up and place them into a waste bag – do not try to pick up the debris by hand.

Conveyor Oven Cleaning

Inside a commercial pizza oven, there are many small gaps and places where food and other debris could form, making them one of the more difficult ovens to clean. Start by removing the conveyor belt and fingers of the oven – accessing this part of the oven will enable you to remove any heavily burnt food, grease and other waste. Clean the fingers to remove oil, cheese and crumbs which may have built up on them, spray down the conveyor belt and set it aside for 20-30 minutes before wiping down.

After the time has passed, wipe down the conveyor belt and fingers using a small brush and make sure to dry them before re-installing. Clean the control box using non-liquid cleaners, as liquids may cause damage to the circuit inside.