When shopping for a new range, many questions can arise. One we are often confronted with as sales associates are "What is the difference between self-clean and steam clean?" also referred to as "Aqua Lift".
Let's take a closer look. One of our favorites, the Maytag MGR6600FZ is reliable and made of high quality, at a working man's price. It's easy-to-clean, fingerprint resistant stainless steel keeps your range looking as good on the outside as it works on the inside.
The Self-Cleaning cycle uses very high temperatures, burning soil to a powdery ash. What are some things we might need to know about self-cleaning to make the process more efficient? Making sure to clean your oven before it becomes heavily soiled will prevent it from running a longer cleaning cycle, as well as creating less smoke.
Be sure to keep your kitchen well ventilated while your oven is self-cleaning, to avoid excess heat, odors, and smoke. Avoid cleaning the oven door gasket itself. The door gasket is essential for a good seal and could be damaged during vigorous cleaning.
During the self-clean cycle, your oven will reach a temperature of approximately 800 degrees, for three hours or more. The oven door will lock about six seconds after the cycle has been started, and will not unlock until the oven is cool. The cycle time includes a thirty-minute cool downtime. The MGR6600 is currently selling for about $699, in gas without convection.
The MGR8800 for $949, on the other hand, comes with convection and aqua lift self-clean. What is Aqua Lift? It's the first of its kind, this cleaning solution is activated with heat and water to release tough, baked-on soils from the oven interior, all in less than 1 hour!
Aqua Lift self-cleaning was created to save time and clean using a lower temperature. When using Aqua Lift, your range will only reach temperatures of up to 200, rather than 800 degrees. Since it uses water to clean, it avoids the traditional stench of harsh chemicals and smoke.
With Aqua clean, you start by pouring approximately two cups of water into the bottom of the oven, close the door, then start the cycle. When the cycle is complete, you are then able to remove the residual water and loose food with a sponge or cloth.
But which method is better? When tested, it's found that using the high temp incinerating method seems to be more effective, and "less work". It turns everything to ash, ready to be wiped up, rather than simply "loosening" the gunk, still requiring elbow grease to remove. If you're sensitive to harsh cleaners or want to avoid that smell of something burning, just be prepared to apply more time after the cycle is finished to complete the task of getting your oven back to showroom clean.