Self Cleaning Oven

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Top Tips to Get Your Microwave Sparkling Clean

Posted on 3 July, 2017 in Cleaning Tips, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

Microwave

Considering how frequently households use the kitchen microwave, it’s surprising how often they are overlooked. We often clean our countertops, fridges, hobs, sinks and other appliances every week while only cleaning the microwave every once in a while, and that usually means only cleaning the door of the appliance! That might make things look good on the outside but it’s important not to forget what could be lurking inside when not this piece of equipment is not properly attended to.
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A Guide to Cleaning Oven Trays

Posted on 26 June, 2017 in Cleaning Tips, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

Dirty Oven Tray

Greasy, sticky or burnt oven trays are never a good look. They can be tough to clean, and it may sometimes feel like it is impossible to remove their blackened marks and encrusted food accumulation. And so, you might find the temptation arising to give up and resign yourself to just buying a new set of oven trays. However, with a little tender loving care, your trays can be rescued and even revived to their original sparkling state.
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How Clean Is Your Oven? (Infographic)

Posted on 18 September, 2013 in Cleaning Tips, Oven Cleaning, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

Think about how often you use your oven, compared to how often it’s cleaned. Over time continued use of an oven will cause grease and grime to build up and if this build up gets too much, it may cause performance issues or serious safety concerns. Here at Ovenu we wanted to highlight just how dirty your oven can get, so we put together the informative infographic below to remind you that it’s vital your cooking appliance receives a regular and thorough clean. Read more

The Perils of Self Cleaning Ovens

Posted on 16 January, 2012 in Oven Cleaning, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

The latest innovation in the oven market has been the development of self cleaning ovens. Designed to make the chore of cleaning your oven that little bit easier, they’ve been well received from the buying public. However in addition to misinformation about their effectiveness, there are now stories emerging regarding safety.

Just after Christmas 2011, a home in Meridian, Idaho, USA was the victim of a faulty self cleaning oven which had disastrous consequences. The oven was switched to self cleaning mode, but the action had actually sparked a fire. Consequently, more than $25,000 (£16,000) of damage was caused from the smoke and fire. Thankfully no one was injured, but the fire-fighters at the scene did explain that this kind of situation happens more often than people would care to think.

Self cleaning ovens work by using extremely high temperatures to reduce the grime and spillages contained within the oven to ash. This way, the oven doesn’t allow a build up of dirt, but rather lets you simply clean the ash away, once it has been incinerated. However this is where safety issues can sometimes arise.

Some believe that buying a self cleaning oven will put an end to using the marigolds, scrubbing brushes and cleaning products. Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly true. Spillages, grease and grime can build up on the surfaces and contained within the oven itself. Whilst the high temperatures will remove most of the dirt build up, it will never be entirely spotless. The oven can only do so much, and will never be a complete alternative to cleaning the oven yourself, or having oven cleaning professionals to do the job.

Regarding the safety of your oven, the story from Idaho perfectly illustrates the risk of using such a device. Self cleaning ovens do have their benefits, and many people in the UK and around the world will continue to buy them, but there are some safety tips that you should consider if you do decide on purchasing this type of oven.

First of all, regardless of the fact that your oven is self cleaning, you should still ensure that it is kept reasonably clean. Any food spillages or debris can have an adverse effect when your oven is self cleaning and cause excess smoke.

Before switching on your oven to self clean mode, locate where the circuit breaker for the oven is. This maybe a switch above the hobs or located elsewhere in the kitchen. This is useful to know, because when an oven is switched to self cleaning mode, it is then locked within that mode and the only way to stop it is by cutting the power.

Always stay in the house once you’ve switched on the self cleaning mode. This is true of other appliances, but for the sheer fact that a self cleaning oven operates at extremely high temperatures, it heightens the safety precautions you should take.

What Is a Self Cleaning Oven?

Posted on 8 August, 2011 in Oven Cleaning, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

A self cleaning oven is exactly that, an oven that cleans itself. It supposedly ‘cleans’ your oven, without you having to do anything except switch on the self clean button. The way it ‘cleans’ is by using an incredibly high temperature (approximately 1200 degrees Celsius) to burn off the leftovers stuck inside of the oven. This turns into dust which can then be swept away once the oven has finished ‘cleaning’ itself.

All sounds too good to be true doesn’t it? Well self cleaning ovens have proven to be quite popular over the last couple of years, and there’s a good reason for this. We live busy lives, some of us don’t have the time to spend cleaning for hours and the thought of buying an oven that cleans itself is understandably appealing. But before you get ahead of yourself, there’s something you need to know about ‘self cleaning’ ovens.

It’s not that the process of burning left over’s into dust and sweeping them away doesn’t work, it does. However here at Ovenu we argue this doesn’t constitute as cleaning your oven, which needs a thorough clean all over, for you and your family’s health and safety.

In addition, for self cleaning ovens to be completely effective, they must be cleaned once a week. This means having your oven heat up to approximately 1200 degrees Celsius once a week for around 3 – 4 hours at a time. Can you imagine how much electricity will be used in this process? So not only are self cleaning ovens time consuming, they’re also very expensive, and at the end of it, you don’t have a thoroughly clean oven.

Whether you have a self cleaning oven or an ordinary oven, its best to make sure your oven is thoroughly cleaned. As we’ve said, self cleaning ovens are great at burning off existing food, but this isn’t a thorough clean and you need to make sure you clean all areas of the oven. So that’s the shelves, the door, the handles, even the hood and behind the fan cover.

The problem here is that if you have a self cleaning oven, and want to give it a better clean, you shouldn’t really just do it yourself or trust any cowboy oven cleaners. You need to make sure the right chemicals are used on self cleaning ovens, otherwise you’ll cause more harm than good.

So what do we mean by the right chemicals? Well most well known oven cleaners contain what’s known as caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). This particular chemical can be very hazardous, it can damage the seals, the trim, the chrome, the surfaces, as well as the heating elements. Doing the job yourself or choosing an unknown oven cleaning company may cost you a lot more in the long run.

This is where Ovenu are here to help, when looking to give your self-cleaning oven a thorough clean, be sure to choose a reputable company, with professional and highly experienced technicians who only use products that are completely free of sodium hydroxide.

4 Best Ways to Clean Your Oven

Posted on 11 July, 2011 in Cleaning Tips, Oven Cleaning, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

Don’t you just hate it when you look inside your oven and are met with the ugly sight of food bits, grease and grime? You have a think about the last time it was cleaned and realise that it’s been way too long. You say to yourself, ‘never again’ and commit yourself to cleaning the oven so that grease, burned food and odours become a thing of the past.

So what’s the best way to make sure this doesn’t happen and that you don’t spend days on end trying to get your oven back to its once normal state? What are the best ways to clean your oven?

1. Clean after usage

First of all, for anyone cooking a particularly messy or large meal where fat will splatter and foods will spill, it’s wise to give the oven a clean after usage. Whilst this may not be needed for cooking the odd pizza, it should definitely be considered if the food you’re cooking is particularly smelly and messy.

It’s also good practice to make sure the oven is clear of any food spills. This is because foods that are left inside the oven can cause severe problems the next time it’s used, such as smoking and ineffective cooking. Excessive smoking will affect the way your food is being cooked, not to mention give it burned taste.

2. Clean every two to twelve weeks

Whilst it may not be practical to clean your oven every time after it has been used, it’s important to not let years pass without the inside of your oven seeing a cloth. The amount you clean your oven really depends on your individual circumstances, such as how often you use your oven and the types of food that you’re cooking.

In this case it’s good to get into the habit of just spending an hour every two to twelve weeks to give the inside of your oven a thorough clean. This will remove any food spills, and grease which can cause ineffective cooking, as well as remove any odours which can give the foods you’re cooking a bad taste.

3. Purchase a self cleaning oven

The invention of the self cleaning oven is a godsend for anyone who wants their oven cleaned from time to time, allowing them to enjoy their spare time as they see fit without spending hours and even days scrubbing off food residues and grime every few months.

Whilst this method is excellent at reducing dirt and grime into ash, it still requires a certain degree of cleaning from the individual. The build up may be less extensive, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need some form of attention.

4. Use an Oven valeting service

So if you’re not able to clean your oven as often as possible, and can’t face the prospect of a day scrubbing off grim and grease, what’s the next best thing? That’s easy; it’s using an Oven Valeting Service.

Just like the way your car gets valeted, your oven can receive a meticulous clean, not just to make sure it’s aesthetically pleasing, but also so that it’s hygienic and functions to its optimum. In today’s busy and hectic world, we don’t all have time to be as domesticated as we want. So you don’t have the arduous task yourself, this is the perfect solution and probably the best way clean your oven, by professionals who know exactly what they’re doing.

Should I clean a Self Cleaning Oven?

Posted on 21 June, 2011 in Cleaning Tips, Self Cleaning Oven by Rik Hellewell

As with many modern innovations, the self cleaning oven is designed to make a regular task that little bit easier. No doubt you will be all too aware that your oven often acts as a magnet for dirt and grime. This residue is built up over many months and dozens of cooked meals, often creating an unsightly appearance and stubbornly resisting any meet attempts of removal. However, the self cleaning oven is supposed to bring an end to all this.

Essentially, they work by not allowing the dirt to build up, with many using extremely high temperatures to simply reduce it to ash – therefore making it easier to clean away. Most also have a surface on which the residue simply can’t stick, funnelling it away elsewhere to be dealt with more easily.

All of this sounds perfect. Your cleaning duties in the kitchen are reduced and you never need to worry about your oven again. Except this isn’t entirely true.

A self cleaning oven will certainly have nowhere near the same level of build up as you might expect in a conventional model, but this doesn’t mean that it is going to be entirely spotless. Spills, splatters and grime can still slowly tarnish the surface of your cooker. In fact it’s almost unavoidable, unless of course you are will to carry out a comprehensive clean every time you use it.

So the simple answer to the question posed in the title is that yes, you should certainly still continue to clean a self cleaning over. It might sound a little ridiculous, maybe even a touch unnecessary, but unfortunately it is essential.

The self cleaning design can only do so much itself. At some stage you will have to manually intervene, particularly if you want to bring your oven back up to a showroom appearance. Fortunately this should be nowhere near as frequently or vigorous an activity as you might otherwise expect; but nonetheless, it will need to be done.

If you look at your oven as the centrepiece of a kitchen, then it’s almost unthinkable that you would allow it to deteriorate into a state in which it was clogged with grease. You need to take good care of it and keep it looking presentable, if not entirely impeccable. You can do this yourself, or you could choose to take advantage of a professional oven valeting service; the choice really is yours.

The important thing to remember though is regardless of whether your oven is supposed to be ‘self cleaning’ or not, is that you still need to properly maintain your appliances. This means giving your cooker a good clean at regular intervals and removing any stubborn stains and built up residue.

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