Cleaning your oven is an important step for household upkeep. It can also help prevent the need for costly appliance repair services over the long run. However, oven cleaning can be a messy and arduous task. It’s no wonder that many modern ovens come with a self-cleaning feature. You may have heard, though, that it’s not always safe to use this setting. Read on to learn the truth about the self-cleaning oven setting and if you should use it.

How the Self-Cleaning Setting Works

To understand the pros and cons of using the self-cleaning setting on your oven, it’s important to know how it actually works. Over time, your oven will most likely get soiled with spilled food and grease that gets stuck on oven surfaces and hardens as the oven heats up over and over. Getting your oven clean by hand means using cleaning solutions and lots of elbow grease to break up the baked-on food and scrub it all away.

The self-cleaning feature on an oven actually uses the oven’s own power to facilitate the cleaning process. When you run this cycle, the oven locks and then heats up to 800° (or more!) to actually burn off any food debris, turning it to ash that you can easily wipe away. You’ll still need to clean your oven racks by hand (they can get damaged if you leave them in during the self-cleaning cycle) and wipe off the ash from the interior surfaces, but you won’t need to scrub the oven walls to get them clean.

Will the Self-Cleaning Cycle Necessitate Oven Repairs?

The main worry when it comes to the self-cleaning cycle is that it will damage the oven and cause homeowners to pay for oven repair services. While running this cycle has been known to cause damage to heating elements, door latches, and electrical components, these instances are few and far between. In 99% of cases, the setting works as advertised and causes no damage at all to the oven.  

Overall, researchers and kitchen experts agree that you should feel confident using your oven’s self-cleaning feature. In the vast majority of cases, it’s been found to be an effective and efficient way to clean your oven with minimal labor and fuss.

Special Instructions for the Self-Cleaning Setting

It is possible that the self-cleaning process will produce some smoke and fumes, so it’s important to have plenty of ventilation when you run this cycle. If you have one, running the range hood may be a good idea to help minimize any smoke in your kitchen.

You should also keep in mind that the self-cleaning cycle takes time—usually at least three hours. Before you can use the oven again, you need to:

• let the cycle finish
• wait for the oven to cool down
• clean out the ash left behind

You may also want to time the cleaning process well ahead of any major cooking plans just in case there’s a problem along the way. While damage to your oven is highly unlikely, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

If you need guidance or oven repair help in Wilmington or the region, call the team at All Brands Appliance Repair. Our family-owned company has over 46 years of experience providing reliable appliance and oven repairs throughout the area. You can schedule an appointment or call us for emergency service 24/7. All Brands Appliance Repair—Reputation You Can Count On.