I've never heard of lemons, but it's possible. I have heard of a putting a small bowl of ammonia and a bowl of boiling water in a barely warm oven overnight.

I use a lemon when cleaning my microwave oven. If I've needed lemon juice for something, I take the leftover halves from squeezing and put them in a bowl, into the microwave and set to bring to a boil, leave the door closed for a few minutes. The lemony steam loosens any spatters or soil and all will wipe easily out, fresh and sparkling.

I'm guessing with the regular range oven, you might want to put the lemon in a oven proof bowl while oven still hot from cooking, turn off then. I doubt it would magically do the cleaning unaided, but it should make cooking debris easy to wipe out with a damp cloth or sponge.

I've never heard of lemon, but there is a lemon-scented oven spray by Easy-Off (and I'm sure there are other brands) that you can spray on while the oven is still warm and which helps to break down the grime more quickly than on a cold oven. If I were to use a 'natural' product, I would think it might be vinegar. It won't smell as nice as lemons, but I think it would be more effective than lemons. If this is a self-cleaning oven, you may want to check your owner's manual or research your particular brand online. Some methods could void your warranty.

The ammonia technique is something I've read in a number of old-school household cleaning tips articles & books - not mixed w/ water, tho.

I've tried it & it didn't really do that much to loosen baked on foods; I still had to scrub w/ steel wool.

Now I have a self-cleaning oven & I love it.

I may not have made myself clear earlier - note to self, read, then submit. The lemons don't go into a bowl alone, they go into a bowl of water. I'm sure its the steam that helps to loosen soil and spatters, nothing too magical about the lemons.

I would think in order to get enough steam you would need to try a method used for adding steam to the oven for oven spring when baking bread.

Heat an empty cast iron skillet in the bottom of the oven and then add boiling HOT water to the pan using a long-spout watering can (wear long sleeves and an oven mitt to protect your arms from the steam). The hot skillet + hot water will provide more steam than an oven that is cooling down after use would supply.

I would also think it would be necessary to clean the oven as soon as the oven cools enough in order to remove the baked-on "stuff" loosed by the steam, using a mild abrasive like a paste made with baking soda and water or a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge.

I have a Maytag oven (purchased 2012) that uses steam, rather than excessive high heat, to clean the oven. I used my former self-cleaning oven once and never again due to the toxins released and the wasted energy from the high heat.

-Grainlady