Things You'll Need:
- Spatulas
- Plastic scrapers (hardware store)
- Bag of ice
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Step 1
Do not turn your oven's self-cleaning feature on.Remove all oven racks. If melted plastic is confined to the racks start by placing bags of ice on the racks in an attempt to freeze the plastic and make it brittle. Tap the plastic sharply with a spoon or other object that will not damage the rack itself in an attempt to crack the plastic and then carefully try to pry off the plastic with your fingers. Not all plastics are alike. Some will freeze and crack and allow you to peel them off, but other types of plastic will not.
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Step 2
Place bags of ice on the melted plastic if it is in the bottom of an oven. Obviously the oven must be off and cool for this to work. The idea is to freeze the plastic until it is hard enough to crack and "peel" off your oven floor. Use plastic scrapers available from your local hardware store or hard rubber spatulas to look for any crack between the plastic and the floor of your oven which you can exploit and use as a starting point for peeling off the plastic. If this step fails then go to the next step.[NOTE: Any utensils which you use to help clean melted plastic from your self-cleaning oven may very well be ruined. Do not use utensils which you wish to keep].
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Step 3
Open all windows and doors and set your over on low for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the plastic has become warm and soft it may be possible to scrape or peel it off the floor of your self cleaning oven. Use plastic scrapers available from your local hardware store or hard rubber spatulas. Keep in mind that spatulas will not be usable again. Wear gloves and scrape off as much plastic as possible. Re-warm your oven if necessary to continue scraping and wiping to get as much plastic out of your oven as possible.This method can also be used with your oven racks if the freezing process did not work. If the melted plastic is confined to the racks place aluminum foil in the bottom of your oven to prevent any plastic from dripping from the racks to your over floor and return the racks to you oven and warm them on low for 15 to 20 minutes will all household doors and windows open and then scrape the plastic off the racks.
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Step 4
Open all windows and doors and remove all children and pets from the home before turning on the oven's self-cleaning feature. This step may only be taken after you have cleaned as much plastic as possible from your oven and the racks and virtually no visible plastic remains. Remember that the self-cleaning cycle of your oven may be as long as 4 hours, so plan accordingly when everyone can be out of the house.
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Step 5
If plastic residue still remains in your oven after the self-cleaning cycle is completed, or if there is any smoke or if a burned plastic smell is still coming from your oven then it is time to call in the professionals. Depending on the type of plastic that has been melted into your oven and the quantity, it may be necessary to replace the oven entirely.Do not take chances with potentially toxic fumes which can fill your home and even enter into food that is cooked in a contaminated oven.
