When was the last time you checked to see how dirty the inside of your oven is? Yes, the occasional shred of cheese or splash of grease may hit the ground in your oven, but it’s no big deal, right? Wrong! A dirty oven can lead to all sorts of issues, which will eventually turn into expensive repairs. Because of this, you may be tempted to use your oven’s self-clean feature. We strongly recommend you DO NOT use this function, though, due to the many self-cleaning oven dangers.
Grease, particles of food, and other liquids and debris tend to spill and build up inside your oven over time. The easy move is to just push a button and have the oven clean itself, but this can also be a risky move. The self-clean cycle itself can cause parts in the oven to fail, and can even create health and safety hazards for you and your family.
Don’t ignore these self-cleaning oven dangers, especially right before the holidays! We strongly recommend that you clean your oven using an all-natural homemade cleaner instead. Better safe than sorry!
Self-Cleaning Oven Dangers: Is it Safe to Self-Clean an Oven?
If I told you there’s a feature on your oven that cranks the temperature up to around 1000° F and turns everything inside to ash, you might say that doesn’t sound very safe. And you’d be right!
Manufacturers keep this feature around due to customer demand, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. The cycle emits fumes that are both foul-smelling and toxic. The charred food particles give off carbon monoxide when they burn away, which can cause a number of health issues for everyone in your household.
Another substance called polytetrafluoroethylene toxicosis is emitted, which is especially toxic to pets. There are so many self-cleaning oven dangers that it’s a wonder they’re still allowed.
Self-Cleaning Oven Dangers and the Holidays
With Thanksgiving right around the corner, you may be asking yourself, “Is it safe to self-clean an oven before the holidays?” Unfortunately, it’s not ever safe to use the self-clean feature. It’s an especially bad idea, though, right before you’re having guests over.
Self-cleaning oven dangers include part breakdowns and smelly, poisonous fumes. So, even if your oven doesn’t completely malfunction right before the big day, your home will still be filled with putrid fumes that will annoy and potentially harm your loved ones. I think we can all agree that it’s not worth the risk!
Part Failures from Self-Cleaning Cycle
It’s remarkably confusing why oven manufacturers haven’t either perfected the self-clean cycle or done away with it altogether. Aren’t self-destruct buttons supposed to be reserved for secret agents and cartoon coyotes only?
The fact is, simply running your oven’s Clean cycle can cause certain parts to break, creating an even bigger (and more expensive) problem. The extreme temperatures commonly cause:
- blown fuses
- melted oven knobs
- melted control panels
- and more
If you must use this function, do all you can to avoid self-cleaning oven dangers by following your model’s instruction manual word for word.
Homemade Natural Oven Cleaner
After learning about all the potentially disastrous results from self-cleaning an oven, you’d be crazy to try it still. Fire, poisonous gas, and a lingering odor should be enough to turn anyone away from using it. Thankfully, there’s a cheap, simple solution you can make at home that will turn your old-fashioned oven cleaning into a breeze.
Not only is this method safer than the self-clean feature, but it also works even better! Here’s what you’ll need:
- water
- vinegar
- baking soda
- damp cloth
- spray bottle
- cleaning gloves
- scraper or spatula
Find out more about this easy oven-cleaning process with step-by-step instructions.
If it’s too late and you’ve already run your self-cleaning cycle, or if you’re having any other issues with your oven, call Northeast Appliance Repair right away! Our oven repair technicians are the most experienced in the area, and we’ll get your oven back to work fast, no matter what.
