We have all been on an occasion when our oven caught on fire. The cause can be a few too many. The vents are jammed, food crumbs and grease in the oven, and even high heat might have caused your good old roast to be ignited.
This is why we keep a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen. Whenever there is a fire in the oven, you simply don’t panic and use the fire extinguisher. Easy to neutralize any kind of oven fire if it is small.
But the residue that the extinguisher leaves is a huge mess. It’s like a tornado just went through the oven and made it snow. So you have to clean it before you can use it again.
We are going to tell you the easiest way to how to clean fire extinguisher residue from oven. You will be amazed and think to yourself, why didn’t I think of that in the first place.
How to Clean Fire Extinguisher Residue From Oven After a Fire
Although it might sound a lot intimidating about cleaning a fire extinguisher residue, it is not in reality. With simple tools and solutions that are already in your home, you can clean all the residue by yourself.
How to Start Cleaning Your Oven After Using a Fire Extinguisher
There are a few things you will need to clean your oven. Gather the things and let’s go on forward, shall we?
- Face mask and kitchen gloves
- Your home vacuum cleaner.
- An oven cleaning brush.
- Vinegar.
- Rubbing alcohol.
- Water.
- Spunge.
After you have gathered all these, let’s get started with the cleaning.
Step 1: Personal safety is the first thing. Although fire extinguisher residue is harmless, you shouldn’t take any chances. So start by getting geared up with a face mask and kitchen gloves.
Step 2: Get your good old vacuum and start vacuuming the oven. The bigger and crumbly parts will be cleaned with this making your work a lot easier.
Step 3: Time to use the brush. Give a good scrubbing to your oven interior. This way all the lose parts will be dusted out. And give the vacuum another run on the oven.
Step 4: After all the bits that can be picked up are out of the way, it’s time for liquid cleaning. Make a warm water and vinegar solution. The ideal way to go is 60% water and 40% vinegar. Put it in a spray bottle and spray in the oven. Let it sit for a good 30 minutes.
Step 5: Now give it a sponge clean and spray the solution again. By the third or fourth time, your oven will be good as new.
What to Do if Some Parts of Fire Extinguisher Doesn’t Come Off
As fire extinguishers have sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and monoammonium phosphate in them, they live a bad residue in the spot they are used. Especially in metal objects.
And the oven is mainly made out of metal, so it is hard to get rid of those residues. But you can always clean all of it off with some simple homemade solutions.
For sodium bicarbonate and potassium bicarbonate residue, use water and vinegar solution. And for monoammonium phosphate, you have to use baking soda and hot water.
Both of the solutions should be left for 30 minutes to do their work and clean afterward with a sponge. And don’t get frustrated if the residue doesn’t come off on the first go. Usually, it takes 3 times to get those residues off.
When all of those residues are cleaned, use an oven cleaner and put your oven on self-clean. And your oven will be good to use again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a fire extinguisher ruin an oven?
No. Using a fire extinguisher doesn’t ruin your oven. But there are various types of fire extinguishers on the market. Make sure you are using a fire extinguisher that is built for home use. The mixture depends on the intensity of the place that is going to be used. So if you use an industrial-grade fire extinguisher on your oven, the residue will be hard to take off.
Is fire extinguisher residue harmful?
No. Fire extinguisher residue consists of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, and monoammonium phosphate. Which are safe for human interactions. But to be on the safe side and not get an allergic reaction, you should wear a face mask and rubber gloves to clean your oven after using a fire extinguisher on it.
Can an oven be used after a fire?
Yes. If the fire is not intense and didn’t damage any internal part of the oven, and the electrical wires are not compromised, you can use your oven after a fire. But better let a professional check it thoroughly before you start using it.
Conclusion
Fire extinguishers are the best equipment to put out an oven fire. Especially for its mixture of chemicals, they don’t splatter the grease all over your kitchen making it even worse. So instead of using water, you should always use a fire extinguisher on your oven fire. If the fire is not controllable with a fire extinguisher, you should leave the house and call the fire service immediately.
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