Self-cleaning ovens are a recent invention that many homeowners have in their homes, but is it safe to use self-clean oven features? Self-cleaning is supposed to make it easy for you to clean your oven without any work on your part, but did you know that this feature can damage your oven? This blog post will talk about self-cleaning oven dangers and how to clean your oven naturally.
Self-Cleaning Oven Dangers
Do you find yourself asking, “should I use self-cleaning oven features if they can break the oven?” Let’s answer that question and find out how self-cleaning ovens work while we’re at it!
What is the Self Clean Feature – How it Works
The self-clean feature on your oven is a setting meant to incinerate any food and grease build-ups inside of it using extreme heat. The temperature of a self-cleaning oven gets up to around 1000 degrees. The food and debris are turned into ashes that are easier to wipe away, and the process generally takes approximately four hours. However, the extreme heat used during this cycle can be dangerous and cause costly repairs.
Here’s Why the Self-Cleaning Feature is Dangerous
In theory, the self-cleaning feature sounds like it would work perfectly, but it can cause significant problems for your oven. There are several reasons to avoid your self-cleaning oven feature! First of all, this high heat setting can damage the enamel on the inside of your oven, causing it to break down and flake off, which can leave your oven looking old and worn.
In addition to damaging the enamel, the self-cleaning feature can also damage the wiring and fuses in your oven. The high heat can cause the wires to overheat and break, quickly becoming a major fire hazard.
Dangerous fumes are another problem with the self-cleaning feature. When the high heat incinerates the food and grease build-up, it also creates fumes that can be harmful to your health. These fumes can cause respiratory problems and other health issues, so it’s essential to be aware of them.
If you decide you must use it despite self-cleaning oven dangers, avoid doing it right before a holiday or big meal. If the self-cleaning feature fails and damages your oven, your oven will be out of commission at the worst possible time.
A Safe Alternative: How to Clean Your Oven with a Natural Oven Cleaner
Now that we’ve talked about the dangers of using the self-cleaning oven feature, let’s talk about how to clean your oven naturally. This is a much safer option for your oven and your health!
There are many natural oven cleaners on the market, or you can make your own with some simple ingredients.
To make your natural oven cleaner, you will need:
- Baking soda
- Coarse salt
- Dish Soap
- Vinegar
- A spray bottle
Using an oven scraper, remove any large pieces of burnt food first. Next, mix the baking soda, dish soap, and coarse salt in a bowl to form a paste. Then, apply the paste to the inside of your oven and let it sit for two hours, or overnight if it’s more convenient for you.
Once you’ve let the paste sit, use water and a damp sponge or brush to scrub away the paste. Bits of burnt-on grease and food will come off during this process. After most of the paste is gone, mix 1 part water and 1 part vinegar in your spray bottle, and spray your oven with the mixture. Remove any remaining suds with a damp cloth.
We hope this blog post has helped show you self-cleaning oven dangers and how to clean your oven naturally instead! And of course, if you have any issues, the range and oven repair team at Masterminds is here to help!
