When it comes to using the self-cleaning feature on your oven, the ease and convenience are undeniable. Why wouldn’t you want to eliminate much of the back-breaking work of removing stuck-on stains and grime? You’ve invested good money in an oven with that feature after all. But should you use your self-cleaning feature? Using it does carry some risks, especially if you use it regularly.
These risks are caused by the very nature of the self-cleaning cycle. An oven self-cleans by heating to extremely high temperatures (800+ degrees Fahrenheit), essentially turning any particles in the oven into ash (which is easily wiped up after the cycle). The problem is, these extreme temperatures accelerate the wear-and-tear of essential oven parts, such as circuit boards, switches, and fuses.
Should You Use Your Self-Cleaning Feature?
For these reasons, we recommend you use the self-cleaning feature on your oven very sparingly. This helps mitigate the risk of oven failure due to one of those oven parts failing.
However, we advise against using this feature altogether within a month of any big cooking holidays (Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.). You certainly want to have your oven looking sparkling clean for the holiday, but not at the risk of being without it entirely! Planning ahead will save you from having to scramble to get it fixed during the busy holiday season.
When the holidays are approaching and your oven is in need of a cleaning (or in-between self-cleaning cycles), there are all-natural methods for cleaning your oven that work great. Although it does require some elbow grease, we think you’ll like the results. For a step-by-step process on how to clean your oven using baking soda and vinegar, visit our blog entry titled: “How to Naturally Clean Your Oven“.
Other things to keep in mind regarding the self-clean feature:
- Always be home for the full duration of the self-cleaning cycle, which can be up to 3 hours.
- It’s best not to use it during the hot summer months, as it will make your home even hotter.
- Keep a Class B fire extinguisher handy, just in case.
- Review owner’s manual for your oven’s specific self-cleaning instructions.
About Sharper Service Solutions
Sharper Service Solutions has been proud to service appliances in the Pacific Northwest since 1984. When/if your oven is need of repair, we would be happy to serve you! Contact us here.
