The Secrets for Keeping Your Ooni Like New

How to Clean Ooni Pizza Oven

How to Clean Ooni Pizza Oven

So, you’ve been enjoying the incredible pies that your Ooni pizza oven can whip up, and now you’re wondering how to clean an Ooni pizza oven to keep it in prime condition.

You’ve come to the right place! Is nothing more tedious or frustrating for a homemade pizza lover than scraping congealed grease, excess flour, toppings, and charred remnants from a pizza recipe?

In this post, we’ll share our insider tips on maintaining and cleaning your oven, ensuring it continues to deliver those crispy, delectable pizzas we all love. Check out the picture below of a well-loved Ooni pizza oven in action and see how dirty it can get. Stick around, and we’ll guide you through the process step by step like we’re right there with you.

Let’s get your Ooni pizza oven looking and functioning like new!

How to Clean Ooni Pizza Oven

Cleaning your Ooni pizza oven may seem daunting, but with the right approach, it’s a breeze! Just follow these detailed instructions, and your oven will be sparkling clean quickly!

1. Cool down: Before you begin, ensure your Ooni pizza oven is completely cooled down. Never attempt to clean a hot oven, as it poses a risk of burns and damage to your oven.
2. Remove loose debris: Start by removing any large, loose food debris from the oven’s interior. Use a brush or scraper to dislodge burnt food bits of dough, toppings, or ash. Be gentle to avoid scratching the oven’s surface.
3. Clean the stone: Remove the pizza stone from the oven and brush off any excess flour or debris. If needed, use a damp cloth to wipe it down. Avoid using soap or abrasive materials, as they can damage the stone. Allow the stone to air dry completely before reinserting it into the oven.
4. Wipe the interior: Using a damp cloth or sponge, gently wipe the interior surfaces of your Ooni pizza oven. Again, avoid using soap or abrasive materials, which can damage the oven’s finish. Focus on removing any stubborn grease or residue. Be sure to clean the inside of the door and the area around the chimney as well.
5. Clean the exterior: Wipe down the exterior of your Ooni pizza oven with a damp cloth, removing any dirt or stains. For stubborn spots, you can use a mild, non-abrasive cleaner. Rinse with a clean, damp cloth and dry thoroughly.
6. Check the chimney: Remove the chimney cap and use a chimney brush or a long, flexible brush to clean out any soot or debris that may have accumulated. Replace the cap once the chimney is clean.
7. Inspect for damage: While cleaning, look for any signs of damage, such as cracks or rust. If you notice anything concerning, consult your Ooni pizza oven manual or contact Ooni customer support for advice on repairs or maintenance.
8. Reassemble and store: Once everything is clean and dry, reassemble your Ooni pizza oven, ensuring all components are in place. Store the oven in a cool, dry location, preferably covered with an Ooni cover to protect it from the elements.

By following these steps, you’ll keep your Ooni pizza oven in excellent condition, ready to serve up scrumptious pizzas for years to come. Regular cleaning and maintenance will not only prolong the life of your oven but also ensure consistent cooking performance and delicious results.

What Do You Need to Clean Your Ooni Pizza Oven

First things first, you need to know how to clean your oven correctly. Some of us are messy cookers, and others can keep things clean while cooking (showoffs!), but even the cleanest cooks will make a mess now and again.

There’s a big difference between being careful and controlling your ingredients.

You may be able to prevent grease splatter, but you can’t “control” it, so it’s best to know how to clean your domestic oven if it gets dirty or other common causes of messiness occur.

To clean your Ooni pizza oven efficiently and effectively, having the right tools and materials on hand is essential. These include a brush or scraper to remove loose debris, a damp rag cloth or sponge for wiping down surfaces, and a non-abrasive cleaner for any stubborn stains on the exterior.

You’ll also need a chimney brush or a long, flexible brush for cleaning the chimney. When choosing your cleaning tools, select gentle materials on your oven’s surfaces to prevent scratches or damage. With these simple items at your disposal, you’ll be well-equipped to keep your Ooni pizza oven looking and performing its best, ensuring you continue making delicious pizzas every time.

To avoid the worst cleaning apocalypse, you’ll want to clean your Ooni pizza oven every time you cook with it.

Yes, that sounds like a hassle, but spending hours cutting through crumbs caked onto months-old grease is not a fun way to end your dinner.

Dried-out grease and char probably wouldn’t taste that good in pizza anyway.

On that same topic, you’ll also want to sweep the chimney occasionally, to prevent a buildup of particles, which can be both smelly and dangerous. A large brass wire stone brush should do the trick.  

Recommended Brass Brushes to Clean Ooni Pizza Oven

Next comes the oh-so-fun process of removing ashes from your oven.  If you don’t mind spreading and breathing ashes everywhere, you can manually dump them into a container. If that doesn’t sound like you, consider using an ash vacuum. Here is the one we recommend.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for soot to cling to the walls of the oven, which is why you’ll want to take care to clean them properly as well with a few essential maintenance tips:

Ooni Pizza Oven Essential Maintenance Tips

• Remove any ash that is the by-product of the combustion of wood (or charcoal).
• Use a brush, shovel, and scraper to reach those hard-to-reach places.
• The scraper can also help remove any residual food particles.
• Be careful not to scratch the oven floor or pizza stone plate when using the scraper.
• Use the wire brush for even deeper cleaning.
• Use a brush wrapped with a wet cloth or a specialized cleaning brush to clean the chimney.
• To make your chimney extra nice, brush it twice.

Now let’s focus on the grease stains. To remove grease on the oven floor, raise the heat a bit, which can sometimes cause greasy encrustations to dissolve.

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to turn off the oven, let it cool completely, and then go to town with some good old-fashioned dish soap, warm water, and some vinegar for adamant stains.

As the saying goes, wash, rinse, repeat. One thing you’ll want to make sure that you avoid would be detergents unless you like their chemically soapy taste baked right into your pizza.

You may also want to moisten your pizza floor and wipe it down before baking to ensure that you’re cooking with a clean slate.

It’s worth noting how these stains can happen even if you’re clean and careful. When using wood-fired ovens, organic vapors (including tar) are released as the wood burns slowly.

These can mingle with moisture to create creosote, condensing, and hardening in different parts of your oven.

This is another reason you’ll want to check for cracks; once creosote gets into them, it can be challenging to get it out.

Finally, you’ll want to ensure you dry off your oven to avoid water damage.

Recommended Products to Clean the Ooni Chimney

How to Clean Ooni Pizza Stone

One of the first and most important steps to ensuring that your pizza oven and stone baking board are in good shape is to ensure they’re actually in one piece.

The pizza stones in the Ooni ovens are fragile, so you must be careful when handling them.

Cracks are always unpleasant on an expensive item, but you could find yourself in serious trouble when you combine those cracks with heat.

Stains don’t affect the stone’s ability to cook or the flavor of your pizza. In fact, some chefs believe that the more stained or ‘seasoned’ a stone is, the better the flavor of your pizza. However, if you really can’t live with them, try this:

Mix one tablespoon of water with one tablespoon of baking soda to make a paste. Rub the paste onto the stained area using a soft cloth and scrubbing in a circular motion. Wipe away the paste with a damp – not wet – cloth. Leave the stone to dry completely before using it again.

To avoid those hazards, ensure no cracks in the oven dome before heating your oven. 

Visual Inspection of your Ooni Pizza Stone

While hairline cracks can happen, these can be manageable, but only if you ensure that they don’t get any bigger and keep soot from getting lodged in them. 

Ooni Pizza Stone Care Tips

In terms of specialized caretaking for your pizza stone, you’ll want to follow a few essential tips:

• As with other parts of the oven, you want to avoid using detergent, as the stone will soak it up and give your homemade pizza a soapy aftertaste.
• Avoid submerging your cooking stone in water instead of scraping away loose particles and then going over it with a damp cloth.
• For heavy-duty particle cleaning power, use medium-grit sandpaper for stubborn, raised, caked-on food particles.
• Do not leave stones in ovens with a self-cleaning cycle, as this can break them.

What about pizza stone stains? Pizza stones are prone to staining; it’s part of their cooking process. They remove moisture from the dough as it cooks, creating an excellent crust but leaving stains. Stains don’t affect the stone’s ability to cook or the flavor of your delicious pizza.

Cleaning Tips Specific to Each Ooni Oven

Mostly, Ooni ovens are self-cleaning; you will find more on this below. However, all the Ooni ovens have specific things that you need to take care of that other Ooni ovens may not have. 

For example, in the Ooni Pro, you need to clean the chimney, while for the Ooni Koda, there is no chimney.  So here are the specifics for each oven.

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 12 and the Ooni Koda 16

Both are propane gas pizza ovens with a black-coated shell on the outside and no chimney. For more information on these models, check our Ooni Buying Guide.

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 12 Inner Parts

1. Run your Ooni Koda propane burner at its highest temperature for 30 minutes. Excess Food will be burnt by then.
2. Let it cool down (It takes about 1 hour to cool down)
3. Remove the Ooni Gas Burner attachment
4. Wipe down with dry paper towels. (Avoid using water to clean the inside of the oven.)

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 12 Outer Shell

1. Wipe down with a damp cloth and dry immediately.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 12 Pizza Stone

1. Scrape off any excess with a plastic spatula or your pizza peel.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.
3. Do not place the baking stone in the dishwasher.
4. Flip your stone over and reinsert it for the next cook. The extreme heat from the oven should be enough to burn off any remaining residue while you’re making pizzas.

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 16 (Step-by-Step)

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 16 Inner Parts

1. Run your Ooni Koda propane burner at its highest temperature for 30 minutes. Excess Food will be burnt by then.
2. Let it cool down (It takes about 1 hour to cool down)
3. Remove the Ooni Gas Burner attachment
4. Wipe down with dry paper towels. (Avoid using water to clean the inside of the oven.)

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 16 Outer Shell

1. Wipe down with a damp cloth and dry immediately.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.

How to Clean the Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Stone

1. Scrape off any excess with a spatula or your pizza peel.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.
3. Do not place the baking stone in the dishwasher.
4. Flip your stone over and reinsert it for the next cook. The heat from the oven should be enough to burn off any remaining residue while you’re making pizzas.

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 12 and the Ooni Karu 16

Both are multi-fuel ovens with a stainless steel shell or black coated on the outside and a chimney. For more information on these models, check our Ooni Buying Guide.

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 12 Inner Parts

1. Let the oven cool down completely. (It takes about 1 hour to cool down)

2. If you’ve used solid fuels, dispose of cooled ashes in a fire pit, compost pile, or any other environmentally-friendly waste disposal option.
3. Use a stiff wire brush to clear excess soot from the fuel tray and grate so the perforations are debris-free. This will help with airflow for your next cook.
4. Use a dry paper towel to clean the soot from the pizza door and chimney. (Avoid using water to clean the inside of the oven).

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 12 Outer Shell

1. Let the oven cool down completely.
2. Wipe off soot and dirt using dry paper towels.
3. If you’ve got tougher stains, Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman’s Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish are great ways to clean the stainless steel parts of your Ooni. If you can’t find these particular products, just use a clean towel and non-abrasive cleaner. (Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals).

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 12 Chimney

1. Remove the chimney
2. Run a brush through the inside of the chimney (Dry); this will remove any soot.
3. If you want, wash with water and soap after running the brush.
4. Put the chimney back in its place or store it in a safe place.

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 12 Pizza Stone

1. Scrape off any excess with a spatula or your pizza peel.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.
3. Do not place the baking stone in the dishwasher.
4. Flip your stone over and reinsert it for the next cook. The heat from the oven should be enough to burn off any remaining residue while you’re making pizzas.

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 16 Inner Parts

1. Let the oven cool down completely. (It takes about 1 hour to cool down)

2. If you’ve used solid fuels, dispose of cooled ashes in a fire pit, compost pile, or any other environmentally-friendly waste disposal option.
3. Use a stiff wire brush to clear excess soot from the fuel tray and grate so the perforations are debris-free. This will help with airflow for your next cook.
4. Use a dry paper towel to clean the soot from the pizza door and chimney. (Avoid using water to clean the inside of the oven).

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 16 Outer Shell

1. Let the oven cool down completely.
2. Wipe off soot and dirt using dry paper towels.
3. If you’ve got tougher stains, Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman’s Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish are great ways to clean the stainless steel parts of your Ooni. If you can’t find these particular products, just use a clean towel and non-abrasive cleaner. (Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals).

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 16 Chimney

1. Remove the chimney
2. Run a brush through the inside of the chimney (Dry); this will remove any soot.
3. If you want, wash with water and soap after running the brush.
4. Put the chimney back in its place or store it in a safe place.

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 16 Glass Door

1. Wipe down the glass using a dry paper towel to remove the bulk of the soot.
2. Apply a solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water to the glass using a clean rag. 
3. Let it sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Use the coarse side of a sponge to clean the glass with the solution.
5. Rinse the glass with water. 
6. Use paper towels to dry the glass completely. 

How to Clean the Ooni Karu 16 Pizza Stone

1. Scrape off any excess with a spatula or your pizza peel.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.
3. Do not place the baking stone in the dishwasher.
4. Flip your stone over and reinsert it for the next cook. The heat from the oven should be enough to burn off any remaining residue while you’re making pizzas.

Here is what we recommend to

clean the exterior of these ovens

How to Clean the Ooni Fyra 12 (Step-by-Step)

This Ooni pizza oven is the only one that uses hardwood pellets. It has the same black-coater exterior as the Kodas and a chimney. For more information on these models, check our Ooni Buying Guide.

How to clean the Ooni Fyra 12 wood pellet hopper and burner

1. Scrape off any buildup in the vents. You can either brush it or use steel wool.
2. Make sure there is nothing left; the build-up may restrict any airflow.
3. Avoid using water, and if you do. Make sure it’s completely dry before you use it again.
4. Set it aside until you clean the rest of the oven, and then put it back in its place.

How to clean the Ooni Fyra 12 inner parts

1. Run your Ooni Pro at its highest temperature for 30 minutes. Excess Food will be burnt by then.
2. Let it cool down
3. Wipe down with dry paper towels.

How to clean the Ooni Fyra 12 outer shell

1. Let the oven cool down completely.
2. Wipe off soot and dirt using dry paper towels.
3. If you’ve got tougher stains, Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman’s Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish are great ways to clean the stainless steel parts of your Ooni. If you can’t find these particular products, just be sure to use a clean towel and non-abrasive cleaner. (Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals).

How to clean the Ooni Fyra 12 pizza stone

1. Scrape off any excess with a spatula or your pizza peel.
2. Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals.
3. Do not place the baking stone in the dishwasher.
4. Flip your stone over and reinsert it for the next cook. The heat from the oven should be enough to burn off any remaining residue while you’re making pizzas.

How to clean the Ooni Fyra 12 chimney

1. Remove the chimney
2. Run a brush through the inside of the chimney (Dry); this will remove any soot.
3. If you want, wash with water and soap after running the brush.
4. Put the chimney back in its place or store it.

How to Clean the Ooni Pro 16 (Step-by-Step)

(Note the manufacturer has discontinued the Ooni Pro.)

How to Clean the Ooni Pro 16 Inner Parts

1. Let the oven cool down completely. (It takes about 1 hour to cool down)

2. If you’ve used solid fuels, dispose of cooled ashes in a fire pit, compost pile, or any other environmentally-friendly waste disposal option.
3. Use a stiff wire brush to clear excess soot from the fuel tray and grate so the perforations are debris-free. This will help with airflow for your next cook.
4. Use a dry paper towel to clean the soot from the pizza door and chimney. (Avoid using water to clean the inside of the oven).

How to Clean the Ooni Pro 16 Outer Shell

1. Let the oven cool down completely.
2. Wipe off soot and dirt using dry paper towels.
3. If you’ve got tougher stains, Bar Keepers Friend or Weiman’s Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish are great ways to clean the stainless steel parts of your Ooni. If you can’t find these particular products, just use a clean towel and non-abrasive cleaner. (Avoid using abrasive cleaning products or those containing harsh chemicals).

How to Clean the Ooni Pro 16 Chimney

1. Remove the chimney
2. Run a stiff brush through the inside of the chimney (Dry); this will remove any soot.
3. If you want, wash with water and soap after running the brush.
4. Put the chimney back in its place or store it in a safe place.

How to Clean the Ooni Pro 16 Door

1. Wipe down the glass using a dry paper towel to remove the bulk of the soot.
2. Apply a solution of 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water to the glass using a clean rag. 
3. Let it sit for 5 minutes. 
4. Use the coarse side of a sponge to clean the glass with the solution.
5. Rinse the glass with warm water. 
6. Use paper towels to dry the glass completely. 

Did you know?

Did you know that Ooni pizza stones are reversible and self-cleaning? You can turn your stone over and cook on the other side?  Yes, the high heat will clean the stone for you!

Here is what to do if you spill food on the baking stone.  Remove any large pieces with a spatula, remove with an oven brush, and leave your Ooni to take care of the rest!

The best way to tidy up is to close the door, add more fuel and let Ooni burn itself clean. 

How to Protect Your Ooni Oven From the Elements

There’s nothing quite like cooking outside, especially if you love to have family and friends over. For that reason, and because pizza ovens are often on the larger side, it makes sense to keep them outside.

However, while pizza ovens may be party-friendly, they’re not always weather-friendly.

You don’t want rainwater, rust, dust, sun exposure, or any other elements of nature damaging your expensive pizza oven, which is why you always want to keep them well covered.

Ooni offers a variety of covers to choose from, depending on your oven. You can check them out at ooni.com.

However, if you want a custom cover or design and make your cover, check out Covers and All.com

They make Outdoor Pizza Oven Covers that are 100% Waterproof & UV Resistant, Pizza Oven Covers For Residential & Commercial Use. Customized Covers With Tie-downs To Secure The Cover On Windy/Rainy Days.

Overall Ooni Outdoor Pizza Oven Tips

Are you getting ready to cook for a big party? Great! Did you start firing up the oven right after guests began to arrive? Not so great.

Well, unless you and your guests are willing to wait around for a few hours before eating. Unlike conventional kitchen ovens, a wood-fired pizza oven doesn’t have a simple “On” switch in many cases but heats up gradually.

• You should preheat your oven for at least 20 minutes before sliding the pizza in and cooking for the best results.
• If you are cooking a lot of pizzas, you should preheat for at least 30 to 40 minutes to allow the baking stone to reach high temperatures for the best performance. How long you should wait strictly depends on the pizza dough you use. It’s okay to slide the dough in some ovens when the range’s at around 500 degrees Fahrenheit, but with these ovens, it’s easily over 900 degrees.
• Instead of using pine or softwoods, which can release creosote and other toxic chemicals in that kind of heat, you’ll instead want to use hardwood.
• Ensure that the pizza is close enough to the flame to cook well but not so close as to burn it. Placing the pizza close to the flame is essential as this can help give it some lift to avoid saggy bottoms. This can help make the crust a bit crisper and avoid an overly saggy, doughy taste.
• You’ll also want to keep rotating the pizza while it’s cooking to ensure that it gets equally brown on all sides. While conventional ovens surround their foodstuff with heat, with wood-fired ovens, the heat only comes from one side, so rotation is essential.

For more tips and tricks, check our post 9 Ooni Tips and for even more info on Ooni pizza ovens and how to succeed with your Ooni oven, check our related posts:

Ooni Accessories You Must Have

Ooni Additional Resources

The Last Slice

There’s much to love about proper wood-fired, lump charcoal-burning, and gas-powered pizza stoves. Ooni offers all three and has some ovens that offer all those options in one convenient package!

Of course, just as a canvas is only as good as the artist who paints upon it, a great pizza oven is only as good as the chef who makes it their own.

By following these tips and tricks, you can clean and take care of your pizza oven and prepare piping-hot delicious pizzas to perfection for years to come.

So tell us if you do anything different to clean your Ooni or if you clean it at all; we would love to know.

Enjoy!

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