Why Your Self-Cleaning Oven Smells

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ARS
July 31, 2024
Oven Repair

Self-cleaning ovens are truly one of the great inventions of modern life. After all, who likes scrubbing burnt-on gunk off the interior of their oven – especially when you can just press a button and let the oven do the work for you? 

If you’ve been taking advantage of your oven’s self-cleaning function and have started to notice an unpleasant smell, this guide is for you. We cover the mechanics behind the self-cleaning process, how it can cause odors, and what you can do to prevent it. 

How do self-cleaning ovens work?

Self-cleaning ovens may sound complicated, but the process is actually very simple. These ovens use a process called pyrolytic cleaning, which uses extremely high temperatures to burn away any dirt and residue inside your oven. 

The self-cleaning cycle will keep your oven at approximately 900°F for around four hours, incinerating any material on the inside into a fine ash that can then be easily wiped away with a damp cloth. 

The door of the oven automatically locks during a self-cleaning cycle, as the temperatures are so high that opening your oven door could be dangerous. 

Why can self-cleaning ovens smell?

Self-cleaning ovens basically incinerate any dirt, food scraps, or other matter that may be inside the oven’s interior. This is naturally going to create some odors! Some of the main culprits include:

Food residue

Spills, grease splatters, and food particles are the main culprits behind the smell during a self-cleaning cycle. The high temperature causes the residue to burn and can result in strong, and in some cases unpleasant, smells. 

Chemicals

If you’ve used any cleaning products on your oven’s interior, the self-cleaning cycle will burn the residue, which can cause foul smells. The oven’s interior materials can also produce smells during the self-cleaning cycle as they are exposed to extreme temperatures. 

Smoke/ash

While self-cleaning ovens aim to contain most of the smoke produced during a self-cleaning cycle, some of it is going to escape. Just like the smell of a delicious roast meal can permeate your kitchen, the unpleasant smell of burning residue can also escape. In some cases, the smoke will even be thick enough to set off your smoke alarm!

Smells – what’s normal and what’s not?

While some smells are to be expected during the self-cleaning cycle, strong, unpleasant odors that make it impossible to remain inside your house are not normal! It’s very important to ensure you never use cleaning products or chemicals in conjunction with the high temperatures of a self-cleaning cycle, as the fumes produced by these chemicals don’t just smell bad – they’re actually dangerous!

Too much smoke is also not normal and is a sign that the self-cleaning function may not be working correctly and is allowing too much smoke to escape. If you suspect an issue with your self-clean function, stop using it and consult with a professional. 

Preventing and minimizing odors

To minimize bad smells when using the self-clean function, make sure you follow the guidelines for use set out in your oven manual. It’s also essential to do the following:

Remove excess grime

While self-cleaning ovens save you work, they work best if you combine them with a little traditional cleaning. Before you start the self-cleaning cycle, wipe away any large pieces of food or debris to help minimize the smoke and fumes produced by the self-cleaning cycle. 

Avoid all chemicals

Self-cleaning ovens and chemicals do not mix! Never use any cleaning products in your oven if you plan to use the self-clean function, with the exception of natural, nontoxic products like vinegar. This will prevent nasty chemical odors and dangerous fumes. 

Use self-clean sparingly

The self-clean function is great, but make sure you don’t use it too often. Overuse of the function can lead to damage to the interior components of your oven, and with time it can even lead to the internal parts releasing fumes and chemicals when heated to high temperatures. 

Alternatives to using the self-clean function

If you’ve tried the self-cleaning function and feel like the smell is something you just can’t live with, there are some alternatives you can try. 

Steam cleaning

Some self-cleaning ovens also have a steam cleaning feature, which is a great alternative to pyrolytic cleaning. Most ovens with this feature have a reservoir that you can fill with water before selecting the steam cleaning function, but you can also steam clean any oven with a few simple tools. 

  • Fill a large ovenproof bowl with water.
  • Place the bowl in the center rack of your oven.
  • Close the door and set your oven temperature to 450°F.
  • Leave your oven running for around one hour.
  • Turn the oven off and wait until it has cooled. 
  • Remove the bowl of hot water.
  • Wipe down the interior of your oven with a microfiber cloth. The steam will have loosened the grime so it will wipe away easily. 

Vinegar and baking soda

You can also clean your oven without heat or nasty chemicals by using just baking soda and vinegar. 

  • Make a solution of white vinegar and water in equal parts and put it in a spray bottle. 
  • Spray the interior of your oven with the vinegar solution and leave it to sit for one hour. 
  • Wipe the interior down thoroughly. 
  • If there are any stubborn spots of grime, make a paste of baking soda and water and spread these on the spots. Leave them to sit for an hour and then wipe away. 

Keeping your oven smelling good

If your oven still has stubborn and unpleasant smells, try one of these natural masking techniques to get it smelling fresh and clean:

  • Put some slices of lemon in an ovenproof bowl of water and heat for an hour at around 250°F. Lemon is a natural odor destroyer!
  • Heat water with some drops of natural vanilla extract in your oven at 250°F.
  • Place an opened box of baking soda in your cold oven overnight to absorb odors. Just make sure you remove the box before you next use your oven!
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