Maybe the most common feature consumers look for while shopping for ranges is the self cleaning function. Would you rather put the range in self cleaning mode and come back hours later to a clean range? Or, would you rather get on your hands and knees and scrub away with chemicals until it is cleaned? Obviously, self cleaning is much more convenient and easily accomplished, but it does have its cons.
- Self cleaning ranges heat up to extreme temperatures, sometimes as high as 1000 degrees Fahrenheit! This extreme temperature causes the excess food to burn up and off of the oven. The most common issues caused by the high temperature is three fold:
- The energy needed to accomplish this task (3-4 hours at high temps) is rather high.
- Because the range will be at such a high temperature for so long, often times components on the range can be affected and stop working resulting in service being needed. This is the key reason why we recommend using self cleaning when the range will not be in high demand (i.e. don’t self clean the day before you know you’ll be using it for 12 hours straight in preperation for Thanksgiving)
- Even though the range is insulated, often times many parts are very hot to the touch, especially the glass door/window on the oven, creating a hazard for especially children
We are not necessarily suggesting you don’t use self clean, but more just wanting to equip you with information that many people are unaware of.
Another method of cleaning becoming more popular, because it eliminates most of the issues self cleaning presents, is “Steam Clean”. Steam cleaning is done at a much lower temperature and still does a great job cleaning. The main drawback would be that it requires a little work on the users part, in that you would need to pour water on the bottom of the oven and wipe down the oven once your done. ALWAYS READ YOUR OWNERS MANUAL AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS WHEN CLEANING! While there is still plenty to know in regards to these functions and other methods of cleaning your oven, hopefully this info can better equip you to do what works best with your range in your kitchen.
