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Top 4 Oven Cleaning Mistakes

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We can all agree that ovens are usually one of the dirtiest places in a kitchen and cleaning it is agonizing and one of the most postponed cleaning duties for most households. It usually takes a lot of time, manual labor and is really messy. When people bring themselves to clean the oven they want to get done with it as fast as possible. This results in a negligent clean with a number of oven cleaning mistakes that can damage not only your oven but even your and your family’s health.

Here are top 4 oven cleaning mistakes that you should avoid when cleaning your oven:

1. Misusing the oven self-cleaning cycle

    Using the self-cleaning cycle on a really dirty oven

    Using the self-cleaning cycle is an oven cleaning mistake? That makes no sense! Well yes… but it actually makes sense, let us explain.

    Most of the ovens these days have a self-cleaning function. When you turn on the self-cleaning cycle the oven heats up to 900°F or more (depending on the oven model) to burn down all the food drippings, grime, and other residues.

    If your oven is very dirty and has a lot of grime or burnt food scraps the self-cleaning cycle will burn them creating not only a lot of fumes and smoke but can even ignite them causing a fire.

    As a precaution, we would advise to not use the self-cleaning cycle on really dirty ovens.

    Using the self-cleaning cycle too often

    Your regular oven is not designed to be used at 900°F for 2-4 hours. The extremely high temperatures put a lot of tax on the heating elements and sometimes result in them blowing, popping fuses in your place, or burnt-out control panels. Not only do you risk ruining the oven, you also use a lot of electricity for a long period of time.

    Cleaning the oven manually will prolong your oven life and save on electricity costs.

    2. Misusing cleaning products

      Another oven cleaning mistake is that people misuse their cleaning products.

      It is very comfortable to use an all-purpose cleaner on everything in your kitchen. However, they don’t always remove heavier grime or year-old food drippings. Even if you cover the inside of your oven with a multipurpose cleaner and leave it to sit overnight the dirt and grime might still be too hard and won’t come off so you end up wasting your time for nothing.

      Even when you have proper oven cleaning chemicals you need to know how to use them. Always read the product label and follow the instructions. Too little of the chemical will not clean your oven while too much can create too much toxic fume or even damage the oven surface.

      Finally, people forget to properly wash and rinse the oven so all the chemicals are washed away and won’t get into your food the next time you cook.

      3. Not wearing proper protection when using chemicals

        As mentioned above, thick grime and old burnt food needs really strong cleaners that have chemicals that are harmful to the human body. One of the biggest oven cleaning mistakes is when people don’t use eyewear protection or even gloves when cleaning their oven with strong cleaners. It makes us pull out our hair! If strong chemicals dissolve food drippings and grime why would it not do the same to your hands?

        It is extremely important to be safe when cleaning and wearing proper gloves and even eye-wear or a ventilator mask to avoid chemicals touching your hands, splashing into your eyes, or inhaling the toxic vapor.

        In addition to wearing protective equipment, it is also advised to properly ventilate the kitchen when using strong oven cleaners and prevent kids or animals from being around so that they wouldn’t inhale toxic fumes.

        4. No regular upkeep

          Since it’s not really obvious if an oven is dirty or not until you open it, many of us neglect and stall the inevitable cleaning duty. Most of the time it ends up an hour or longer chore because we didn’t keep it clean regularly.

          If you spill or splatter something on your kitchen surface you usually clean it pretty much immediately or at least after the meal, right? So why not clean up any food drippings, spills or heavy oil splashes when you cook in an oven.

          A light wipe after cooking will slow down the heavy grime buildup and prevent burnt food drippings in the oven.

          Finally, every 6-12 months (depending on how often you use the oven) perform a deep clean yourself or use professional cleaning services. This will allow regular oven cleaning to be quick and effortless.