At the top of my spring cleaning list is a task I dread: oven cleaning. It ranks right up there with toilet scrubbing. Though, cleaning the toilet takes a lot less time.
Despite the fact that I have a self cleaning oven, I still dread the entire process. I always have; even back in the days when I had a standard oven which required me to don a hazmat suit and oxygen mask to clean. I remember getting down on my hands and knees and spraying generous amounts of oven cleaner on pools of dried grease and grime. The smell was noxious and half the time my oven was still dirty despite all of my efforts.
With a self cleaning oven all I have to do is remove the oven racks and wash them in the sink. If you have serious grease or food build-up, you may have to use traditional oven cleaner to get rid of the stains. Personally, I think commercial oven cleaners are overrated. I have yet to find one that works as well as it claims to, but I digress. If you choose to leave the racks in the oven during the cleaning process, be sure to coat them with vegetable oil, and then wipe them before cooking again.
Self cleaning ovens should never be run when you are not home to monitor the entire three-hour job. The amount of heat that is emitted during the cleaning cycle is extremely intense and if there are any issues with smoking, you will want to be home to address them. If you haven’t already guessed, having a ton of caked on grease on the bottom of the oven, will cause smoke to build during the self cleaning process. The idea behind the intense heat is to turn all of the debris into ash.
When the cleaning cycle ends, allow the oven to cool down before wiping the inside with a damp cloth or sponge. Pay special attention to the seals and the front exterior door which go untouched during the self cleaning process. To clean the spots that were missed during the self cleaning cycle, use a rag dipped in hydrogen peroxide and wipe away any built-up grease and dirt.