How to Use Self-Cleaning Ovens

Some ovens are self cleaning During the cleaning process, the oven heats up to a temperature of 900 degrees Fahrenheit. The extreme heat cooks off food and spills inside the oven, leaving ash that can easily be wiped out. The oven door locks while it is cleaning to prevent the door from being opened. Self cleaning ovens are better insulated than regular ovens to keep the extreme heat inside.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Read the owner's manual that came with your oven before you perform self cleaning. Although all self cleaning ovens work basically the same way, there may be slight variations for some manufacturers and models.

2. Take out the oven racks. You need to clean the oven racks by hand, and then put them back in when the oven is done cleaning.

3. Wipe up any spills and messes inside the oven first, using warm water and a mild soap. Ovens smoke more during cleaning when there is food inside. Wash the inside of the oven door as well. Do not scrub the door gaskets, just gently wipe them off. Damaging the gaskets prevents the oven from sealing.

4. Lock your oven door manually if your model does not lock it automatically when you clean.

5. Open a window near the oven for ventilation. There is a certain amount of smoke when you clean the oven. The dirtier the oven is, the more smoke is created.

6. Turn the control on your oven to "clean" and set the timer for 2 to 5 hours depending on how dirty your oven is, and what the manufacturer recommends.

7. Wait for the cleaning to finish and the oven to cool before opening door. When oven is fully cooled wipe up any ash inside. If your oven is not completely clean, next time set the timer for longer. If your oven is spotless you might want to see if you can get away with a shorter cleaning time.

Tips & Warnings

• Because self cleaning ovens are better insulated, they are more energy efficient when used for cooking. However, if you run the self cleaning feature on your oven more than once a month, you offset the savings you realized. With light to moderate use your oven should be able to be cleaned every one to three months.
• Save on the electricity used with a self cleaning oven by cleaning the oven right after use at a high temperature. For example, if you set your oven to clean after making French fries at 450 degrees, it takes less energy to get the oven up to the required 900 degrees.
• If you have pet birds, take them out of the house before cleaning your oven. Over heated cooking surfaces, oils and fats, can create fumes that are harmful for a bird's delicate respiratory system.