Things to Know Before You Self-Clean Your Electric Oven

Electric ovens come with a very handy self-cleaning feature, but this doesn’t mean you should always use it to clean your oven. Sometimes it may be more effective to do things the old-fashioned way using a cloth or sponge.

But that’s just one of things you need to know when it comes to cleaning your electric oven. Below we’ve outlined some tips to help homeowners get to grips with the cleaning process so they can ensure their electric oven is always clean.

The Self-Cleaning Feature

The self-cleaning feature on an electric oven is very useful however, you shouldn’t always use it. If the mess is on the top or the sides or the oven then cleaning it the old-fashioned way will be more effective. If you notice nasty odours coming from the oven but can’t see any mess then using the self-cleaning feature may be in order.

How Often Should You Self-Clean?

There’s no one answer to this question, unfortunately, it will all depend on how often you use your oven and how regularly you clean it. Remember you should still regularly clean your oven by hand as well after it’s been used to help prevent a build-up of food waste and debris.

Consider What Type of Self-Cleaning Oven You Have

Self-cleaning ovens come in two main types the more common traditional self-cleaning ovens use a very high temperature to clean the oven, while the newer type uses a steam cleaning method. Both methods are perfectly viable so don’t worry whichever one you have it should do the job, so more modern electric ovens even offer both types of self-cleaning.

Make Sure The Oven Is Prepared Before Self-Cleaning

You can just activate the self-cleaning mode on your electric oven and leave it at that! If you want to ensure your oven is properly cleaned and its safe while cleaning then you should make sure the oven is prepared before activating the self-cleaning mode. This means taking the oven trays out and making sure any large parts of food debris are cleaned out. Oven trays will usually lose their sheen if they’re left in so it’s important that you remove them.

Can I Still Clean The Oven By Hand?

Cleaning your electric oven should be avoided when you’re using the self-cleaning function, however, you can still use water and sponge to remove food debris and grim. In fact, it’s often suggested you do this before starting the self-cleaning mode in the first place. However, one thing you should avoid doing is using any kitchen cleaners inside the oven as this can cause problems when it comes to self-cleaning mode. It’s also likely going to leave behind toxins when it comes to preparing the food, so make sure you only use water.

Schedule A Time For Self-Cleaning

The self-cleaning cycle might seem like it’s relatively harmless and easy but it can be a time-consuming process and cause faults to occur afterward if the oven isn’t given enough downtime in between. Cooking a simple meal after a self-cleaning cycle has been completed is unlikely to cause any issues, however, more strenuous tasks are likely to cause faults.

So, if you’re planning a dinner party or big meal make sure you don’t but your oven through a self-cleaning cycle beforehand. Because it is likely only going to cause problems when it comes to using your oven later on. So, make sure you schedule a self-cleaning cycle for your electric oven at a good time.

Important Safety Concerns When It Comes To Self-Cleaning

When you self-clean your oven you will need to ensure you take proper safety procedures. Before activating the steam cleaning method, you should ensure there is no food debris in the oven and then the vents are not obstructed.

The high-temperature method is a little more harmful you’ll once again have to make sure the oven is free of debris and trays. But you’ll also have to make sure the top of the oven is free of pans and trays as well as the high temperatures could cause them to melt. In the high-temperature self-cleaning mode temperatures can get as high as 550°C so make sure the oven is kept clear and it as proper ventilation.

So, that’s a look at everything you need to know when it comes to using the self-cleaning function on your oven. The self-cleaning mode can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to keeping your oven clean but using it isn’t always as simple as just pressing the button and leaving it to run. So, make sure the oven is prepared probably.