What You Don't Know About Your Oven's Self-Cleaning Feature
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Your oven takes a beating all year, from New Year's appetizers to dribbling turkey fat on Thanksgiving and Christmas cookie crumbs. Odds are, it could use some R&R. Did you pick up a weird burning smell the last time you made your favorite sheet pan recipe? If so, it's definitely time to learn how to clean your oven.
If your oven's control panel has a button that says "clean" or "steam clean," congratulations! You have a self-cleaning oven, and your job just got a lot easier. The self-cleaning function doesn't mean you can skip wiping up spills and crumbs while you cook—you still need to do routine cleaning. What it does do is deep clean all the nooks and crannies for a total appliance refresh, saving you a lot of scrubbing. Before you switch on self-cleaning mode, there are some best practices you need to know. We asked Chrissy Hogie, KitchenAid senior product marketing manager, to explain how to use a self-cleaning oven safely and correctly.
What Is a Self-Clean Function?
A self-cleaning oven uses either high temperatures or steam to help remove any residue leftover from any previous baking or roasting you've done. High-heat self-cleaning fires up temperatures 800 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter to incinerate burnt-on grime, turning it into ash you can wipe away easily with a damp cloth. Steam cleaning, during which temperatures typically max out at 400 degrees, uses steam to loosen (rather than incinerate) stuck-on gunk. You'll need to clean it off afterward along with any remaining water. Generally, steam cleaning is a little more labor intensive than high-heat self-cleaning, but it really depends on how dirty your oven is to start with.
When to Self-Clean Your Oven
Unlike your regular oven-cleaning routine, which we recommend doing every few weeks depending on how often you cook, you should run your oven's self-cleaning cycle every four to six months. If you use your oven every single night, use the function once a quarter. (Because high-heat self-cleaning can be tough on your oven's components, you shouldn't use it more often than that.) If you, like Carrie Bradshaw, use your oven for storage instead, you can aim for once or twice a year.
Because the self-cleaning mode can take a long time and be a bit unpredictable (some cycles will take longer than others depending on level of soil), use it only when you're flexible on time. In other words, don't run the cycle the night before Thanksgiving unless you want to order a pizza instead of cooking your prize turkey.
How to Use Different Types of Self-Clean Ovens
It's important to know what kind of self-cleaning oven you have—high heat or steam—before you use the self-clean feature. Some newer ovens offer both, so you can pick the one you need and use different cleaning methods at different intervals.
Whichever method you have or choose to use, be sure to remove racks or pans (including in the warming drawer down below), large pieces of food debris, and/or fresh spills from your oven before you begin. You'll help protect your cookware and minimize the smoke.
Steam Clean
To use the steam-cleaning function, pour 12 ounces of distilled or filtered water onto the bottom of the oven or into the steam reservoir if your range or oven has one. (Don't use tap water because it can leave mineral deposits behind.) Press the button associated with the steam-cleaning cycle, which should take about 50 minutes to complete. When the cycle is finished, open the oven door and use a sponge to wipe the walls and floor and soak up any remaining water. If there's still stubborn residue inside, use a nylon scrubber to get it off.
"You can also pour vinegar or lemon juice onto the scrub to help remove any mineral deposits," Hogie says.
If you have an oven with a steam-clean feature, Hogie says it's important not to use any cleaners or additives during this process. "This feature is designed for light cleaning and is not intended to dissolve difficult soils," Hogie explains. "So steam clean an oven as soon as possible after spills occur. The longer a spill sits in an oven, the more difficult it may be to remove." Common spills include melted cheese, proteins, or sugars, Hogie says—and the two latter often take some elbow grease to get.
Traditional High-Temperature Clean
First, clean out any big pieces of debris with a damp cloth, sponge, or vacuum, and then program the self-clean feature to start. The process should take three to five hours, Hogie says, depending on how dirty your oven is. The oven door will lock while it runs and then open automatically once the cycle is finished and the appliance has cooled back down. Be warned: This process can be smoky and smelly. Because you don't deep clean your oven that often, there's probably a good bit of grime to burn off. We recommend running the exhaust fan (and/or a ceiling fan or box fan) and opening a window to ensure your kitchen has plenty of ventilation while the cycle is running to avoid any lingering fumes or odors.
"Once the oven has completely cooled, you can remove any ash with a damp cloth," Hogie says. "To avoid breaking the glass, do not apply a damp cloth to the inner glass door before it has completely cooled."
Oven Self-Cleaning FAQs
Is the Self-Cleaning Function Safe to Use?
Yes, running your oven's self-cleaning function is totally safe. You can even work in the kitchen while it runs. Fortunately, those aforementioned fumes are not harmful to breathe in, but they are very unpleasant to smell. It's all the gunk and food debris burning off of your oven's interior surfaces. A self-cleaning oven will stink up your house if you don't properly ventilate the space. Turning on the exhaust fan in your range hood and opening windows and doors can help clear out the fumes sooner rather than later.
Can I Leave the Racks in While Using the Self-Clean Function?
No! Because of the extremely high heat, leaving the racks in during this process can result in warping, discoloration, and even potential damage to the oven's internal components. Some oven manuals may say it's okay to leave the racks in place, but we think it's best to take them out. Remove the racks before starting the self-clean process and wash them either by hand or in your dishwasher (if they fit).
Can I Use Oven Cleaners With My Oven's Self-Cleaning Cycle?
No! Using foreign cleaners, aluminum foil, or other cleaning products with your oven's self-cleaning function can easily damage your oven and the interior finishes. Cleaners may even reduce the self-cleaning function's effectiveness.
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