# Self Cleaning Ovens Question
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 11, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438 "2012-10-11T17:45:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/1 "2012-10-11T17:45:48Z")
I have a new oven that has a self cleaning feature on it. Having never done that before, in 3 hours and 7 minutes it will be done. and I’m wodering what I should expect to see when I open the door? I’m curious.
---
### Author:  [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/2 "2012-10-11T18:01:10Z")
Light grey ash here and there. Mop it out with a damp sponge once everything’s cool.
Sure beats Easy-Off!
---
### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/3 "2012-10-11T19:17:57Z")
Make sure a window is open and your bedroom door is closed. If you don’t run the cleaner very often, it can get stinky.
ETA: Take out the utility light, too. It get so hot in there, it will break the filaments.
---
### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/4 "2012-10-11T19:28:24Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> \ETA: Take out the utility light, too. It get so hot in there, it will break the filaments.
No, there’s no reason to do this. The light is protected by high-temperaure glass. Also, the temperature of the filament when it is operating is WAY higher…
---
### Author:  [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/5 "2012-10-11T19:32:24Z")
The self-clean cycle may be done in three hours, but you will need to wait for the oven to cool down to a reasonable temperature before it will unlock and let you open it.
---
### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/6 "2012-10-11T19:43:25Z")
> [@Rocketeer](#):
>
> Light grey ash here and there. Mop it out with a damp sponge once everything’s cool.
>
> Sure beats Easy-Off!
Cool! Easy-Off always gives me a headache. That’s why I always had my husband do the oven. 😃
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#):
>
> Make sure a window is open and your bedroom door is closed. If you don’t run the cleaner very often, it can get stinky.
>
> ETA: Take out the utility light, too. It get so hot in there, it will break the filaments.
Yeah. Found THAT out a little while ago - whooooheee I’m glad it’s nice outside - at least I know now to NEVER do this in the winter!
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> No, there’s no reason to do this. The light is protected by high-temperaure glass. Also, the temperature of the filament when it is operating is WAY higher…
Glad to hear that because husband started this experiment before we read to take out the light.
> [@GilaB](#):
>
> The self-clean cycle may be done in three hours, but you will need to wait for the oven to cool down to a reasonable temperature before it will unlock and let you open it.
Also good to know - I would have thought it was broken. And I can’t BELIEVE how it heated up the house!! How hot do those things GET anyway?
And thanks, y’all!!
---
### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/7 "2012-10-11T20:40:26Z")
The display on my oven now is reading “Cool” - I am WAY too excited about this!! 😃
---
### Author:  [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/8 "2012-10-11T20:55:28Z")
> [@beowulff](#):
>
> No, there’s no reason to do this. The light is protected by high-temperaure glass. Also, the temperature of the filament when it is operating is WAY higher…
That’s what I thought, too, but every time I forget to remove the lamp, it gets burnt out.
> [@](#):
>
> Found THAT out a little while ago - whooooheee I’m glad it’s nice outside - at least I know now to NEVER do this in the winter!
You should be fine if you do it every couple of months. If you leave the racks in, just run some cooking oil on them, and they’ll slide in and out more easily.
---
### Author:  [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/9 "2012-10-11T20:58:53Z")
Thanks, everyone - it is done! And my husband is going to vacuum out the ashes - it worked really really well!!
Unfortunately, it must have gotten really super super hot because there are some scorch marks on the oven door, but husband says they look like they can be cleaned up - maybe a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser would work. The landlady got it for us just before last Christmas and this is the first time we tried it - I just don’t want to have damaged it - but he says they’ll come off. And I trust him. Kind of.
This was far too much fun for a Thursday afternoon!!! And since I’m still working, he gets to clean the rest of it out! 😃
Thanks for everyone’s responses - appreciate it!
---
### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/10 "2012-10-11T21:50:29Z")
> [@Missy2U](#):
>
> The display on my oven now is reading “Cool” - I am WAY too excited about this!! 😃
so will you be making some overfilled berry pies just to dirty up the oven again?
---
### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/11 "2012-10-12T02:04:15Z")
It’s too late for the OP, but the manual for my oven says to remove the oven racks before running the cleaning cycle, because they can get discolored due to the extreme heat.
---
### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/12 "2012-10-12T13:12:29Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#):
>
> It’s too late for the OP, but the manual for my oven says to remove the oven racks before running the cleaning cycle, because they can get discolored due to the extreme heat.
My manual says the same thing. I leave the racks in, and they did, in fact, lose their shiny luster. Thankfully no one permitted in my house gives a damn what color the oven racks are.
---
### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/13 "2012-10-12T13:54:01Z")
Yeah, the thing about removing the racks is that now I have to clean them and the whole point of this is to not clean stuff.
---
### Author:  [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/14 "2012-10-12T14:41:26Z")
Aren’t there 2 types of self-cleaning ovens? I think one is catalytic, it uses a lower temperature. The other one just uses brute high temperature (at least 400C)
---
### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/15 "2012-10-12T16:08:37Z")
Wow, 400°C for three hours. I wonder how much that costs.
---
### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/16 "2012-10-12T16:24:09Z")
What I want to know is, if electric ovens can get up to 400C for the cleaning cycle, why can’t they get that hot for cooking pizza?
---
### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/17 "2012-10-12T16:43:58Z")
Because that’s too hot. 230-250°C is hot enough for pizza.
---
### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/18 "2012-10-12T17:07:18Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> What I want to know is, if electric ovens can get up to 400C for the cleaning cycle, why can’t they get that hot for cooking pizza?
In the amount of time it would take to pre-heat to that level, you could probably have cooked it at a lower temperature already. And of course, operator error would lead to more damaging burns. How fast would skin sizzle off with a half-second of contact at that temperature?
It’s just not necessary for a consumer oven to get that hot. In a professional kitchen with trained employees, why not?
---
### Author:  [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/19 "2012-10-12T17:16:21Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> What I want to know is, if electric ovens can get up to 400C for the cleaning cycle, why can’t they get that hot for cooking pizza?
should that be an alternate method for crispy crust’?
---
### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [October 12, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438/20 "2012-10-12T17:31:47Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#):
>
> Because that’s too hot. 230-250°C is hot enough for pizza.
Professional pizza ovens get up to 700F (370C) or even hotter, depending on oven type. [Cite](http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/commercial-pizza-oven-types/c27404.aspx). Pizzas will cook at 250C (which is the hottest my oven goes to), but I’m sure you’d get better results with a pizza stone in a really hot oven.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/self-cleaning-ovens-question/637438.md?page=2)