I do my on my deck or anywhere outside, set down some newspaper. Just spray them with easy-off oven cleaner or something like. let them sit a few hours and hose them off. Everything should come off, if not use a Brillo pad.

I put mine in the large leaf trash bags. I use amonia as much as anything,I soak newspapers with the amonia, but I have sprayed them with ovn cleaner also. I tie the off and let them soak overnight. I spray them off with the hose and none of the mess comes back into the house.

where would the gunk go if you do it in your tub???? BTW I do as JoAnn=FL and it works for me. I also try to use lids or foil cover to control splatter as much as possible.

I do as cathyid does. Overnight in big trash bags with a cup of ammonia (cup upright, not applied to racks, the fumes do it all). DOn't use oven cleaner, no need to.

Hmm, I sure do appreciate the replies but I guess you don't have the runoff problem as I do; hosing down anything is a no-no around here.

You could do them in the bathtub with dishwasher detergent...Cascade, etc. let them soak overnight. Use an SOS pad on them the next day if necessary.

My concern would be what the metal edges of the racks would do to the tub finish. I leave my racks in the oven to be cleaned with the oven. They are not pretty and silver any longer, but they are clean.

so don't hose them off, wipe them down and throw the papers away with the mess. If you have to get rid of the leftover you can use the tub or like someone said, put them in a trash bag.

Use the plastic garbage bag technique in the bathtub. One cup of ammonia is not very much. You could dispose of everything in the trash and it needn't even go down the drain.

Obviously you need to protect the tub from getting scratched. I would use old towels, sheets or blankets.

Soak them overnight in garbage bags and then take them to the carwash and use a high pressure wash on them.

I leave mine in the oven when I hit the "clean" button...The tub method brings be back to childhood "chore" lists...

The cup of ammonia is not put on the racks, but left upright, careful not to spill. Close up the big trash bag with racks and the cup (careful not to spill), and leave overnight. The fumes do the job.

I do mine in the tub. It does make a mess and metal marks on the tub so then I have to clean the tub. I have a cast iron tub, don't think I would do it with other types.

There is a product called Dawn Power dissolver that stuff is amazing. I use it on any of my pots, pans, etc that have baked on stuff. Just spray it on let it sit for a while and wipe then rinse. I do it in my sink. The power dissolver is in a blue spray bottle and it is like a foam when it comes out it sticks, I buy it at walmart and the grocery store. Awesome stuff.

Wow, I didn't realize this was still going. Thank you all for your suggestions.

Well, after getting my water bill yesterday I see that we went a little bit over allotment, so I'm going to do a disgusting thing and put the racks back in the oven without cleaning right now.

We're REALLY hoping for El Nino soon!!

Raven I have not been able to find that Dawn Power Disolver in a store for quite some time. A couple months ago I bought a case of 12 from a seller on Amazon because I couldn't find it anyplace else.

Yes, I do mine in the bathtub. I soak them in dishwashing liquid for a few hours at least. That softens up all of the gunk. Then I use a Dobie scrubbie on them. I use a drain cover and I wipe up the mess with paper towels.