How often should you self-clean an oven?

How often should you self-clean your oven? For most, a thorough self-clean every four to six months is plenty to keep your oven sparkling, says Carolyn Forte, director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Appliances & Cleaning Products Lab.

While steel wool is off limits for the glass and interior of the oven, you can use it for the racks. While they’re in your sink (or bathtub), scrub away the burnt-on char with some steel wool or the abrasive side of a sponge. Once they’re clean, dry them off and put them back into the oven. That’s it!

Steam cleaning is a much quicker, less smelly method of automatically cleaning your oven. Some steam cleaning ovens clean in as little as 20 to 30 minutes, which is more cost-effective than a self-cleaning oven. Because steam cleaning ovens only reach 250 degrees F during cleaning, they don’t get very hot to the touch.

First and foremost, don’t leave your oven unattended during self-cleaning. You should plan to be in your home for the entire duration of the cleaning cycle to keep an eye on it and make sure everything is operating as planned. The next most important rules for oven self-cleaning involve ventilation.

1-2 of 2 Answers. The self cleaning feature is 3 hours long.

For burnt food stuck to the bottom of your oven, steel wool is a much better alternative than toxic oven-cleaning chemicals. After running your oven’s self-cleaning cycle, use steel wool to remove the burnt debris and make your oven shine like new.

If you’re buying an oven, you should confirm whether it has a self-clean feature or not, because the cleaning process is very different for each type. Regardless of what type you have, your oven will need to be cleaned and how often depends on how messy your cooking and baking tends to be.

Set your oven to 450 degrees for 20 to 60 minutes to loosen dirt and grease with the steam. Once your oven is cool, wipe off the condensation and the grease will come with it. If stubborn spots persist, scrub with a paste of baking soda and lemon or vinegar.

Asthma or Respiratory Diseases Anyone in your home who suffers from an upper respiratory disease or asthma should completely avoid the kitchen while running the cleaning cycle on your oven. Opening windows and doors and running the exhaust fan in the kitchen may not be enough to dispel dangerous fumes.