I’ve never done this before!

~ Coco

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OK, many of you will laugh at me. I’m cleaning my oven – the ‘self clean’ thingie.

Backstory: Back in early November, I had a medical emergency at home, the ambulance came, and I told them I thought my oven was on (I was making toast).

What a great EMT team. They turned off my oven, locked up my house, got my wallet and keys, and took me off.

Four days in the hospital and, then home. After a few days I went to make toast, and what a horrible oven disaster, soot and so on everywhere.

Finally I’m getting it all cleaned up.

But I’m so nervous! I’ve never used the self-clean on my oven before. Eighteen years, and, because I really don’t cook, I just never needed to do it.

Two hours to go! and I hope the result is stupendous.

Ciao! Coco

23 thoughts on “I’ve never done this before!”

  1. An easy way to clean the oven racks is to line a bath tub with dryer sheets, put the racks on top and fill with enough water to cover. Let soak overnight and all the gunk will rub right off.
    I always use the self cleaning feature when I can open doors and windows to vent the house. (in the warmer months for me).
    I enjoy your blog so much! Glad you areok.

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  2. I’ve been so surprised lately by this very topic among my friends who are also afraid to use their self clean. I’ve been using mine for at least 25 years and never thought anything of it at all !! I do hope your health emergency wasn’t life threatening and that you are OK .

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  3. I had to laugh. Someone at work and I were just discussing how we had never used our self cleaning functions. My oven is 15 years old. I don’t cook much either but the window needs cleaning. So I love that tip. I hope you are doing well. I enjoy your blog. Jean

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  4. Self-cleaning is a nice feature to have, that’s for sure. =) Just be careful of any fumes: my husband is on strict orders to never use the self-cleaning function when I am home, as the fumes make me horribly sick. I’m glad you are back at home and that your EMTs were good enough to turn the oven off for you!

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  5. If the inside of the window is still very dirty, spread some of the white stuff used to clean flat glass stove tops on it and let it sit for a bit. Then use a razor blade-type glass scraper to just scrape the gunk off. Finish up with some Windex. A appliance tech gave me this tip and it miraculously cleaned baked-on roasting and broiling grease right off. Best wishes for continued good health!

    Kathy

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  6. Wish I had a self cleaning oven to worry about. Still do mine the old fashioned way….stinky oven cleaner. Mine is 32 years old and starting to have minor problems so I am at the beginning stages of thinking about replacing soon. I want one with the grill on top and had not even thought about self cleaning, until now.
    FYI, I set my toaster in the microwave or oven (cold) when not in use to seal off from attracting critters. I have always used my microwave, oven and dishwasher to store and/or hide things. Not enough things to make it inconvenient to use the appliance though.
    Wow, did not mean to give my life story! Hope the cleaning went well.

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  7. Coco, I recently did the self-clean thing with my oven. Like you, I don’t cook/bake much so the oven was fairly clean after several years. One thing I learned: It doesn’t clean the glass oven door or the racks. The racks have to be removed from the oven during the cleaning process. Personally, I think a self-cleaning oven should clean everything that belongs in the oven and is used for cooking. The oven box itself cleaned up very well, but I still have to do the racks (not very dirty) and the inside of the door (very dirty).

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    1. You’re right – those racks have to come out. Mine were not bad, used Brasso and a Big Daddy to get them clean. Strangely, it did clean my glass, except right around the edges. In the end, it’s much better than cleaning the whole thing by hand!

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  11. Most importantly, I hope your health issue has resolved or at least stable. YES, it is very anxiety producing the first time you clean your oven like this. It was so long ago that it is a dim memory, but I remember the anxiety. Rest assured, when you open that oven door, there will be just a bit of ash in the bottom and most of the grease and soot will be gone. Enjoy your clean oven.

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    1. Thank you, Becky. Ah – I seem to be in hospital every few months, but I’m feeling well and looking forward to the holidays. the oven – just about 30 minutes to go!

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