I have a self cleaning oven that is over 9 years old and I have never cleaned it. I'm afraid that if I try to clean it now that it will either smoke so much that my smoke alarm will go off or the oven might even start on fire. Am I better off just buying a new stove or should I try to clean it while having a fire extinguisher nearby?

Do you mean you actually have a self cleaning oven that locks and you set and time it to clean ? There is a difference, some say self cleaning and they don't actually have that feature.

The best oven clean you can have is the one that cleans itself. Y ou don't have to worry about smoke or over heating.

But... as you say. Just how BAD is the oven before I say you can do it?

Do you mean you actually have a self cleaning oven that locks and you set and time it to clean ? There is a difference, some say self cleaning and they dont actually have that feature.

The best oven clean you can have is the one that cleans itself. Y ou dont have to worry about smoke or over heating.

But......as you say. Just how BAD is the oven before I say you can do it?


Yes, I actually have a self cleaning oven that locks and I set the time to clean it. I did clean it once in the first year that I had it and it filled my apartment with smoke even though the windows were open and I had fans running. I never did it again and now I'm afraid I might smoke up the entire building or even start a fire. It doesn't look all that bad, really. I don't cook a lot. Do you think I should try it?

That never happened to me and sometimes mine was really bad because I had a catering business, so you can imagne how much it got used.

Try it again. Get out your manual and set it to the letter. Smoke shouldn't happen, but those ovens do get super hot, but not to touch, they are that well insulated.

I only wish I had one now, it is a real b***ch using that oven cleaner with gloves on and waiting to clean it, then the wiping off and the cleaning up... yuck. Good luck !