Can You Leave A Self Cleaning Oven Unattended? Don’t Ignore it!

The self-cleaning cycle of your oven can be a great time-saver, but you may have heard that it’s unsafe to leave the house while your oven is running through this cycle. Is it really unsafe, or can you leave a self-cleaning oven unattended? 

In this article, we’ll discuss whether or not it’s safe to walk away from a self-cleaning oven. And, if there are any steps you can take if you want to do so. Let’s continue reading!

Can You Leave Your Self Cleaning Oven Unattended?

It is not recommended to leave the house while your self-cleaning oven is running. The oven will be extremely hot, and it can reach temperatures of up to 500°F or higher. Besides, the oven door will be locked shut during the cleaning cycle, which means that you can’t open it if something goes wrong while you’re out of the house.

Your self-cleaning oven may also emit toxic fumes and smoke while on its preset cleaning cycle. So, even if you were home during this time, you should still keep windows open for ventilation purposes. This can help prevent poisoning from inhaling harmful gasses like carbon monoxide or hydrogen cyanide, which is a byproduct of burning metal.

Not to mention, leaving the oven unattended is a risky practice that can cause fires. Food can catch on fire inside the oven if it is left in while the self-cleaning cycle begins. And, if you forget to shut off your appliance before leaving it alone, there’s a chance that it could burn down your home or apartment building. If you are concerned about fire hazards and still want to leave a self-cleaning oven unattended, disable the self-clean mode and remove food from the oven. To do this effectively, follow the below process:

First, disable the self-clean mode. Turn off the power switch on your oven and wait for it to cool down before removing anything inside of it. It can take several hours for an electric range or cooktop and about 30 minutes for a gas range. Once the oven has cooled down, wipe down any spills or splatters that may have occurred during cooking with mild dish soap and hot water, then return food items to their original positions in the appliance. Lastly, turn on your oven again after cleaning it thoroughly so you can use this feature as intended later on.

Things To Avoid When Cleaning A Self Cleaning Oven?

When you’re cleaning a self cleaning electric oven, you should never use ammonia, solvents, or cleaning chemicals. They can damage the surface of the kitchen appliance and may cause a fire. You should also avoid using harsh abrasives such as steel wool, oven cleaners, and sprays. These products can remove the protective coating on your electric range hood, which will make it more difficult to clean later on.

The same goes for oven wipes. These are designed for use on gas cooktops only because they contain petroleum distillates that can damage electric ranges if used incorrectly. While it’s perfectly safe to leave your self-cleaning oven unattended for a short time (like, say, while you run out to get milk), it is advisable not to leave for more than that. Because, the self cleaning cycle can take up to three hours, and a lot can happen within this period.

In addition, there are certain items that you should never put in a self-cleaning oven. In most cases, paper or cardboard products like pizza boxes and paper bags can catch fire during the high temperatures of the self cleaning cycle. 

As well as being potentially dangerous and damaging your oven, this may result in voiding your warranty too! Not to mention, you shouldn’t put any item made of rubber or plastic too. These materials may melt under high heat and ruin your appliance if left inside too long without supervision. 

To add more, small metal objects such as rings or earrings will burn if they come into contact with flames during cooking. So, always avoid putting all these things in a self-cleaning oven.

Can You Use Any Oven Cleaner On A Self Cleaning Oven?

We don’t think it is okay to use an oven cleaner on a self cleaning oven. Because the self-cleaning feature is designed to heat up the oven to 500 degrees and then allow the heat and steam to do the cleaning. This is why you should never use any type of liquid or spray on the oven walls while it’s in self cleaning mode. It will simply melt off any residual buildup that may be left behind after cleaning.

Also, if you have a glass top range or another type of stove top where you can see through to the burners, you’ll have a hard time seeing if there’s some food stuck to them after using your self-cleaning cycle. 

Because, they will get very hot and steamy during this process. When there is some type of residue left over after using your self-cleaning cycle, it’s best to just use baking soda and water in order to clean up your stovetop grates and racks before putting them back into service again.

Wrapping Up

It may not seem like it, but your self-cleaning oven is a pretty dangerous appliance if you leave it unattended. It’s best to just stay in the house while it runs, and check on it occasionally. If you’re really worried about fire hazards or the smell of ammonia, then just disable the mode and remove food from inside before turning on your self cleaning cycle.