At a Glance:
6 Reasons Not to Use the Self Clean Mode Before the Holidays
With the holiday season in full swing, so comes the beginning stages of planning what meals to make for guests and what meals to take to gatherings. If you are planning to host a holiday event at your home, you may be thinking about cleaning your oven ahead of time so that it looks shiny and new. Many models include an oven self clean function making it easy for homeowners to press a couple of buttons and step away while their oven cleans itself. While this function is convenient, it is not always a good idea to use the oven self clean feature on your oven right before the holidays.
Discover What a New Oven Can Do
Find the Perfect OvenOlder oven models are at higher risk of having a control panel stop working or a fuse pop during a burdensome oven self clean cycle. Repairs can be costly, and if your oven breaks down altogether, it may be hard to find a replacement in time for your holiday event. In addition, oven self clean cycles usually produce displeasing odors and smoke—two things you don’t want your house filled with right before a gathering. Not to mention, running the self clean function on your oven uses a lot of energy, increasing your winter energy bill.
Below we will share six reasons why you shouldn’t self clean your oven before the holidays. Then, we will feature the GE Profile 27” oven (PKS7000SNSS )—a great oven provided by Texas Appliances for homeowners looking to replace their current oven this holiday season.
How Does an Oven Self Clean?
Ovens with traditional self clean functions heat up the inside of the oven to a very high temperature, usually 500 degrees or higher. This high heat essentially burns any grease and grime off the oven walls into ashes. Additionally, there are some self cleaning ovens that offer a steam clean option (such as the GE oven featured below). Instead of using harsh heat and a lot of energy to clean the oven, the steam clean function uses the power of steam.
How to Self Clean Oven
To clean your oven by hand, you can either use a store-bought oven cleaner or you can mix one up yourself with ingredients you probably already have at home. Here is an example of one way you can self clean your oven.
- Remove oven racks (these can soak in the sink or be washed by hand).
- Create a cleaning solution by mixing ¾ cup baking soda with ¼ cup water.
- Spread the cleaning solution on the interior of the oven by hand (with gloves) or with a brush. Avoid heating elements and the door.
- Let the cleaning solution sit overnight.
- Grab a damp dishcloth. Use this cloth to wipe away the cleaning solution from the inside of the oven
- Fill a spray bottle with vinegar, and lightly spray inside the oven where the cleaning solution has yet to be removed.
- Use the damp cloth to do a final wipe down of the inside of the oven.
6 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Self Clean Your Oven Before the Holidays
It may seem like the convenient thing to do to run the oven self clean function before guests come over for the holidays, but think again. There are some real risks to running this function with the biggest risk being the chance that your oven will break down. We will talk about this below in addition to five more reasons why you shouldn’t self clean your oven before the holidays.
1. Oven May Break
Of course, any oven could break at any given time, so is this possibility really a reason why you shouldn’t self clean your oven before the holidays? Yes, at least if your oven is an older model or you have never used the self clean function on your oven before. Older ovens may not be able to handle running at high heat for an extended period. The high amount of heat can put a burden on an older oven and cause it to stop working.
2. Oven Inventory is Tight
If you haven’t noticed, many appliance warehouses and storefronts are short on inventory and are expecting long waits on appliances—including ovens. Many homeowners who need to purchase a new oven in a pinch might end up waiting months before receiving one. Because the current inventory of new ovens is not good currently, it is risky to use the self clean function on your current oven right before the holidays just in case it was to break down.
3. The Odor
If you have ever used the self clean oven function on your oven before (and not a steam clean function), you are probably well aware that a not-so-pleasant odor erupts from the oven during this long-running cleaning cycle. Of course, the odor does not last forever, especially with a well-ventilated kitchen, so you should be fine for the holidays. Just don’t run the self clean cycle the same day as your event to play it safe.
4. Chance of Smoke
In addition to the self cleaning function blowing out a nasty odor, there is also a chance that it will produce smoke from burning heavily soiled areas inside the oven. High amounts of smoke from the oven may set off the fire alarm and/or irritate the lungs and eyes. Because of the chance of smoke, it is best to run the self clean function days before your holiday event and not the day of.
5. High Energy-Usage
Running the self clean function on your oven requires a lot of energy as it heats up to 500 degrees or higher and remains at that temperature for three hours on average. Because of the spike in energy usage, you may notice an increase in your following electric bill. Homeowners who are trying to be budget-minded during the holidays may want to skip running their oven’s self clean feature for the time being. Ovens that steam clean do not use as much energy, so that would be a better choice for homeowners with steam clean ovens.
6. High Repair Costs
If you do run your oven’s self clean function and something does break, repairs can be expensive. For example, the self clean function can lead to a control panel burning out or a fuse popping. Fixing these issues on an older model is not as expensive because older ovens don’t have hidden heating elements like most new models. Newer ovens with hidden heating elements make repairs more difficult and costly—something homeowners may want to avoid at all costs during the holiday season.
GE Profile™ 27" Stainless Steel Electric Built In Single Oven
If you are in the market for a new oven, this GE Profile stainless steel oven is a great choice for families and homeowners. It features a 7” touchscreen display that provides weather updates, fun food facts, and the option to change the background to a custom screen. The oven features True European Convection, a 10-pass hidden bake element, and an 8-pass broil element, so foods are thoroughly cooked or baked. Because this oven can connect to a smartphone via Wi-Fi, homeowners can complete other tasks as they check on their dishes from the GE Appliances Kitchen app.
The GE Profile Stainless Steel Oven takes holiday meal making and simplifies the process in the best way. Not only will your oven be sparkly clean with the steam clean function (and propose less risk to your oven), but meals will also be perfectly and thoroughly cooked or baked with the True European Convection feature.
- Model: PKS7000SNSS
- Dimensions: 26.75” W x 28 ⅞” H x 26 ⅝” D
- Capacity: 4.3 Cu. Ft.
Related: GE vs GE Profile Appliances
Features
Self Clean with Optional Steam Clean
Thankfully, this GE oven not only has a self clean function but also a steam clean option, which is easier on the oven and uses less heat and odor. Homeowners can feel more comfortable using the steam clean function before the holidays as it is not as risky as the traditional (and very hot) self clean function.
Never Scrub Roller Racks
In addition to the GE oven having a convenient self clean function, it also includes smooth-glide rolling racks that never have to be scrubbed. Instead, the racks can stay inside the oven during the self clean cycle. The rolling feature makes it easy to slide out and remove heavy dishes from the oven.
Built-in Wi-Fi
The GE Profile electric oven has Wi-Fi capabilities, so it can connect to any smartphone or tablet through the SmartHQ app. Homeowners can manage and control (e.g., preheat) their ovens through this app.
Precision Temperature Probe
With the included Precision Temperature Probe, meats and roasts can be monitored to make sure they cook to the perfect temperature. To make things even more convenient, homeowners can track the Precision Temperature Probe through the GE Appliances Kitchen app.
The holidays have enough stress for a broken oven to be added to the list of stressors. Before running the self clean mode on your oven, consider the alternatives we’ve mentioned in this article, and always review the owner’s manual to ensure you’re using the function correctly. If you still have questions about the oven self clean mode or you want to explore new ovens to gift yourself for the holidays, shop ovens at Texas Appliances online or in-store today!
Why Trust Texas Appliance?
With roots back to the 1950s, Texas Appliance is an established, locally owned and operated, residential major appliance retailer serving both residential and builders’ needs. Our 4 locations allow us to offer a full spectrum of appliances to meet your every need. With over 40 major quality brands, Texas Appliance has one of the largest displays of built–in and free–standing appliances in the state of Texas.
We will be the best appliance dealer in our markets by exceeding our customers' expectations in every way. We will treat our customers, vendors and fellow employees with respect, honesty, integrity and appreciation. The difference between a "Good" company and a "Great" company lies in its' employees' determination.
Shop Ovens at Texas Appliance
Stop by Texas Appliance’s Fort Worth Store and Outlet locations to see what a difference buying local with an experienced staff can make. Or shop ovens online! Our friendly experts are always happy to help you understand how to use the oven self clean feature — whether you call us at 817-299-2800, use our online chat feature, or visit us in person.
Learn More: GE Profile Appliances vs. GE