Is it Dangerous to Use Your Oven's Self Clean Feature?

At a Glance:

How Do Ovens Self Clean?

Why Ovens Have a Self Clean Feature

Self Clean Feature Benefits

Potential Dangers of Using the Self Clean Feature

Best Times to Self Clean Your Oven

Replacing Your Oven with a New Model

FAQ

Why Trust Us?

Before you start the self clean cycle on your oven, make sure to read our brief guide on potential self clean feature risks. Below, we will dive into self clean oven features and what the benefits are of having an oven that self cleans. We will also share the best times (and worst times) to self clean your oven, in addition to the potential dangers of running it in the first place. Finally, we will share a few top rated oven models that would make great replacements. We’ll then close out by answering some frequently asked questions.

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How Do Ovens Self Clean?

Most convection ovens offer a convenient self clean feature so homeowners don’t have to dive in and clean it themselves. If you are wondering how to clean a self cleaning oven, it’s fairly simple. When a traditional oven self cleans, the interior temperature rises to around 800 degrees, if not higher. Incredible! The high heat helps to incinerate any debris and gunk that has stuck onto any wall of the oven. Once the oven has completed its long (sometimes 1, 2, or 3 hours) self clean cycle, it will slowly cool down. After the oven has cooled down, you can easily clean out the incinerated debris. Now it’s clean!

Steam Clean Ovens vs Self Clean

There are also steam ovens that include self oven cleaning features. For a steam oven, or for advanced convection ovens, the self-clean feature uses the power of steam to clean the inside of the oven. Unlike a traditional self-clean cycle, a steam clean cycle uses less energy, and the inside of the oven doesn’t have to get as hot. Self clean steam cycles are generally safer than traditional self clean cycles.

Why Ovens Have a Self Clean Feature

Brands make sure to mention that their oven appliances include a self clean feature because they know how important it is for a homeowner to have this option. It is much easier, and requires less time, to turn on a self-clean cycle rather than clean the walls of an oven by hand. Homeowners can clean their ovens while multitasking in other parts of the home. 

Self Clean Feature Benefits

Let's recap the benefits of using a self clean feature on an oven and why more homeowners look for this oven feature when shopping ovens.

✅ Great for multitasking. Using the self clean feature on an oven allows homeowners to focus their efforts on other tasks around the home. 

✅ Saves time. Rather than spend a chunk of time on handwashing the inside of the oven, homeowners can use that time more wisely on something that may be more important.

✅ Less mess. Washing the inside of an oven can be a messy task with cleaning sprays, liquids, soaps, and more. The cleaner themselves is also likely to get dirty. By running a self clean cycle, all the mess is contained inside the oven. Food soils inside the oven are incinerated and easy to clean up after the cycle has completed and the oven has cooled. 

✅ Cleans more effectively. When using the self clean mode on an oven, all food soil and grime is incinerated off every wall inside the oven. The self clean cycle touches every last inch of the inside of an oven whereas cleaning the oven by hand might result in some missed spots.

✅ No toxic chemicals. By running your oven’s self clean cycle, you are getting the oven clean without spraying any toxic chemicals. The self clean cycle is certainly a more natural and eco-friendly way to clean your oven.

Potential Dangers of Using the Self Clean Feature

Unfortunately, there are some risks to turning on the self clean feature on an oven. Here are a few reasons why not to use self clean on oven models.

❗Overworking the Oven

It takes a lot of power and effort for a standard wall oven or range to reach extra high temperatures during a self clean cycle. Doing so can really overwork an oven and potentially cause an older model to completely give out.

❗Causing a Fire

Believe it or not, self cleaning ovens can start a fire during the cleaning cycle. This is typically due to a large piece of food or chunk of grease sitting inside the oven that should have been removed prior to the cleaning cycle. Although a fire inside your locked oven isn’t necessarily dangerous, a fuse could blow, and a fire could start in the control panel.

❗Fumes from the Oven

While no chemicals are used during the self clean cycle and fumes from burning food debris are not harmful to breathe, they are very unpleasant to smell. A self cleaning oven can stink up your house easily without proper kitchen ventilation. Opening windows and doors can help clear out the fumes sooner than later.

Carbon Monoxide Risk

Additionally, users run a risk of inhaling harmful carbon monoxide during an oven's self clean cycle. . As we mentioned with the fumes, keeping some windows and doors open can help limit this risk. It’s also a great idea to always have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home, just in case. 

Best Times to Self Clean Your Oven

Using the self clean oven function shouldn’t be a frequent thing. In fact, some experts suggest using this feature once a year. So, when you do decide to use it, whether once a year or more, there are a couple of suggestions for the best time to do so.

✔ Consider running your self clean feature when you don’t mind having windows and doors open to the outside.

✔Choose to self clean your oven when you have plenty of time to be at home and preferably when there aren’t many folks inside, especially little kids.

✔ Keep pets outside.

✔ Avoid running the self-clean feature before a party or gathering in case the smell is still lingering throughout your home.

Replacing Your Oven with a New Model

Maybe it’s simply time to replace your old oven with a new and advanced model. If so, take a look at these top rated ovens that are currently on the market.

GE Profile™ 30" Stainless Steel Single Electric Wall Oven

Shop This GE Self Clean Oven

For a major oven upgrade, this GE Profile wall oven does not disappoint. With Precision Cooking Modes, homeowners can set their oven to autopilot. This feature automatically adjusts the temperature and the cook time of a meal for it to be perfectly cooked. This model includes a GE Profile oven self clean feature, sabbath mode, and can connect to a smartphone with Wi-Fi capabilities.

➟ Related: GE VS GE Profile Ovens

Samsung 30" Stainless Steel Electric Built In Single Wall Oven

Shop This Samsung Self Clean Oven

Another top rated oven, the Samsung Single Wall Oven, features steam cook, Wi-Fi connectivity, and guiding light controls. Not only does this model include a Samsung oven self clean feature but it also includes a hybrid self clean feature. This hybrid feature cleans the oven with low temperatures and doesn’t emit foul-smelling odors when doing so.

Samsung 30" Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel Smart Freestanding Electric Range

Shop This Samsung Self Clean Range

ThisSamsung 30” Electric Range is the lowest priced oven on our list, but it does not disappoint when it comes to innovative features. Through the SmartThings™ App, homeowners can control oven settings like temperature and cooking time right from their smartphone. There is a self clean cycle dubbed the Self & Steam Clean function. This function gives homeowners two cleaning options—the self clean for heavy messes and the steam clean for easy messes that only takes 20 minutes to complete.

Knowing how to clean an oven is an essential part of extending the life of your oven, and while the self clean oven feature is handy, we recommend using it sparingly. Still, with the option of deep-cleaning an oven once every six months or so, this feature is nice to have on hand, and today's models make it safer than ever. Explore all the possibilities with self clean oven models available at one of our Pittsburgh appliance stores near you at Don's Appliances!

FAQ: Self Clean Oven

Is it safe to use a self cleaning oven?

Yes, overall, it is quite safe to use a self cleaning oven as long as you are responsible and take precautions. Removing any large food debris or grease will reduce the chance of anything catching fire. Keeping small children and pets away will help prevent the oven from being touched when it’s extremely hot.

How long does a self cleaning oven take?

Depending on how much food soil is in the oven will determine how long a self cleaning cycle will take. Generally, self clean cycles last between 1.5 hours to 3 hours. Steam clean cycles are much faster and are typically complete in less than 30 minutes.

How often should you self clean an oven?

A general suggestion is to use your self clean feature just one time a year. Of course this frequency may increase depending on how often you use your oven and how messy it actually gets.

What happens if I leave the racks in a self cleaning oven?

Leaving oven racks inside during a self cleaning cycle is not a good idea due to the high temperatures inside. Oven racks can warp, discolor, expand, and contract. This could damage or completely ruin the oven racks including the porcelain oven cavities that the racks slide into.

Why Trust Don’s Appliances?

Founded in 1971, Don’s Appliances is a family-owned, independent appliance retailer based out of Pittsburgh, PA. Don’s has since expanded to 10 locations selling, delivering, installing, and servicing all major appliance brands. Large enough to offer competitive pricing yet small enough to continue offering the “white glove” service we pride ourselves on, our focus is always on the customer experience — from the first step into a showroom to the purchase transaction to well after your new appliance has been installed.

When our customers are remodeling or building a new house, Don’s has all the expertise, product knowledge, inventory, brands, displays, and services to meet and exceed your needs. And in the event an appliance breaks, we are there, right on time and with the right product, delivery, installation, and service.

Shop Ovens at Don’s

Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and shop self cleaning ovens online at Don’s Appliance. Our friendly experts are always happy to help you find he best oven — whether you call us at 866-544-1711, email us, or use our online chat feature. Better yet, stop by any of our Don’s Appliances Pittsburgh, PA warehouse locations. Visit us today!

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