Giving your oven a thorough clean is one of those household tasks that are far too easy to delay - until you find yourself faced with stubborn, burnt-on grease that simply refuses to shift. While there are a handful of natural oven cleaning remedies available, I was in need of something considerably more powerful to tackle the build-up of grime that had gathered over the past several months.

Cleaning the oven ranks among my least favourite domestic duties, which was fairly evident given how long I had been putting it off. In an effort to make the process as painless as possible, I decided to take on the job using the two most widely used oven cleaning products - Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner and Elbow Grease Oven and Grill Cleaner. I had previously tried two Elbow Grease products on my stained oven racks and my greasy air fryer and was pleasantly surprised by the results. With both sprays marketed as heavy-duty solutions, I was keen to put their claims to the test.

A quick trip to the shops saw me pick up the 400ml Elbow Grease Oven and Grill Cleaner for £1.69 from Home Bargains and the 300ml Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner from Sainsbury's for £4.

Given the considerable difference in price, I had a feeling that Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner would come out on top in terms of performance.

Before getting stuck in, I carried out some essential preparation, bearing in mind the potent chemicals contained in both sprays. I flung open the windows and door and pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. The aerosols were so strong, and one produced such a fine mist that I even found it necessary to wear a face mask while applying them.

With the kitchen well-ventilated, I heated the oven to its lowest setting before cleaning, as this allows any burnt-on carbon deposits to warm up and soften, making them considerably easier to remove.

Once the oven had reached temperature, I switched it off and began applying the Mr Muscle Oven Cleaner to the left-hand side and the Elbow Grease Oven and Grill Cleaner to the right.

The moment I started spraying, I noticed a clear difference between the two products. The Mr Muscle formula dispenses a notably thick foam, meaning it took longer to coat the left side, while the Elbow Grease produces a finer mist, allowing for quicker and more even coverage across the surface.

With both products applied, I shut the oven door and left them to work for around 30 minutes, in line with the instructions on both cans.

Once the time was up, much of the foam had dissolved. Before wiping anything away, I could see that the foam on the Elbow Grease side had drawn out more grease, having turned a noticeably darker brown shade compared to the Mr Muscle side.

That said, a greater amount of foam from the Mr Muscle spray had remained in place, particularly along the oven walls. Armed with a bucket of soapy water and a sponge, I wiped away the residue from both sides.

While the grease had lifted completely, burnt-on staining persisted on both sides - though it was noticeably more pronounced on the Mr Muscle side.

Both cans do advise that heavily soiled ovens, which mine certainly were, may require a second application, so I proceeded to reapply both sprays once more and left them to work for 30 minutes.

Following the second application, the stubborn burnt-on stains began to loosen. On the Mr Muscle side, most of the residue had disappeared from the bottom, yet the marks on the sides persisted. On the Elbow Grease side, all the stains had cleared from the sides, though some remained on the bottom.

In total, five rounds of applying both sprays were required. The Elbow Grease side came up spotless, while a handful of stains lingered on the Mr Muscle side.

Both sprays proved capable of cutting through grease on their initial use; however, for particularly stubborn baked-on stains, multiple applications will be necessary with either product.

Of the two, the Elbow Grease Oven and Grill Cleaner emerged as the clear winner-it is the more affordable option, offers greater volume, is quicker to apply, and, despite needing several treatments, ultimately eliminated the stains.