By far one of the most difficult household chores is cleanup, especially if you need to clean your oven after hours of slaving away in the kitchen! It may take a lot of time and effort to totally remove all residues left in an oven. And sometimes, you may require the service of a professional to be sure everything is cleaned and that the oven is restored to working order. For folks who just can’t stand cleaning the oven over and over again, you can always go for self-cleaning ovens.
The fact is, self-cleaning ovens makes cleanup real easy. However, despite its name, you still have to regularly clean the self-cleaning oven, otherwise, the remnants left inside your oven could cause damage the oven.
How Does a Self-Cleaning Oven Work?
Using a special fire-resistant coating and approximately 900 degrees Fahrenheit (482 degrees Celsius) temperature cycle, the self-cleaning oven burns off all the leftovers from baking without the assistance of chemicals. It will take about three to five hours to complete this process. Self-cleaning ovens are equipped with fire-resistant coating and a mechanical interlock that remains locked until the cleaning process is done.
You should keep the windows open and the hood turned on because emanate during its cleaning process. It is also advisable to ensure kids or pets are not within the area when the oven is in its cleaning process to avoid inhaling the fumes.
Once the temperature cools down to 600 F (315 C), the lock reopens. You need to wipe away all the ash from the leftovers after the cleaning process is finished. Be more energy-efficient by commencing the self-cleaning cycle right after using the oven. This way you can make use of the heat left from the previous baking.
On Cleaning Self-Cleaning Ovens
Residue is left inside the chamber after the self-cleaning process. You need to remove the burnt deposits for your oven to be totally cleaned. Here are the steps to properly clean your self-cleaning oven:
1. Get a clean micro-fiber towels and a scraper.
2. Open the windows and turn on the hood for ventilation. This will allow the fumes or smoke to flow out of the room easily.
3. Before turning on the self-cleaning cycle, make sure to remove everything inside the chamber. The intense heat produced by the cleaning process may cause deformities or discoloration to the racks and trays. Use the scraper to any dirt on them then spray or spread any oven-cleaner solution. Let it stand for about 20 minutes then wash it and strip off any deposits left behind with the use of a scraper. Wipe off the water with your damp cloth to keep them from rusting.
4. Dip another clean cloth in a mix of soap and warm water then wipe the spills in your oven chamber. Do not use any rough objects such as a scourer pad to wipe the inside of your oven. This could damage the special coating inside your oven. You may use a scraper only if necessary but you need to be very careful in removing stubborn leftovers and carbon.
5. Close the oven door then turn the self-cleaning mode on. The door should automatically lock once the process begins. After about three hours, the cleaning process should be over. The lock will then automatically reopen.
6. You will then find ash residue when you open the oven door. Make sure the oven has completely cooled down then wipe off the ash left in the interior of the oven with a damp cloth.
7. If you want, you may apply glass cleaner to the oven glass. This will make it look brighter and cleaner. For the exterior of your oven, apply stainless steel polisher to a damp cloth and wipe over your oven.
8. Don’t forget to have your oven checked at least once a year by a licensed cleaner. You may call the manufacturer of your oven to provide you with regular checking and cleaning services.
You can count on Jove Arthur to give you the latest and best tips about the home improvement industry. He is working as online sales manager at Door Emporium, which offers the best solid wood doors, mahogany doors and other solid wood doors.