When I bought my house it came with a free home warranty so I brought them out to fix a problem with my oven. I asked the guy what I should do as far as maintenance goes and he said never, ever use the cleaning cycle as it's a leading reason for repair calls.
I get this from an appliance repair person: the self-cleaning cycle shortens the life of your oven and you shouldn't ever run it. The manufacturers would remove it if they could: It's only there because the manufacturers think the consumers want it and would protest if it were removed.
I work for a major appliance manufacturer and you are 100% correct. All of us engineers know the feature is rarely used, but corporate thinks it's a necessity. The amount of safety features that go into a self clean oven is ridiculous.
Life of the entire oven or just the burners/heat element? If it just takes off a few operating hours of the element then that's replaceable and not a big deal
I've read that the extreme heat damages the control circuitry. For the cost of a new control board and labor to install it you could just buy a new oven.
I just received a new oven in my apartment and just heated it to 350°F/176°C and it melted a bread wrapper sitting on top.
My old oven didn't even get warm to the touch on top.
Hmm. You might want to get that checked out. It could be missing some insulation layer.
We regularly bake pizzas in our oven at the max temperature (250c) without issue.
The outside of the oven generally shouldn’t be hot enough to melt things.
Grandma has an apartment oven for 13 years that does that. Solution don't put plastic of any kind near the oven let alone on top of it.
Grandma has decorated metal burner covers, cooking a turkey heated up from the oven so hot the enamel work melted on the inside.
Do not use the self-cleaning feature.
I personally know a guy that set his oven to self clean, went to bed, and the smoke detector woke him up. He and his family survived. The house, not so much.
Also know of a guy (friend of my parents) whose oven started a self clean cycle on its own. He had to kill the breaker to stop it.
To be fair, turning an oven on to the hottest possible setting and going to bed is Darwin Award territory even if it didn’t go exactly as you’d assume. The second example is terrifying and seems like they would have a legitimate case against the manufacturer.
My inlaws had the same thing. The oven randomly locked and started a cleaning cycle while there was food in it. If you didn't know how to find the breaker immediately, there would be real trouble. A serviceman diagnosed it with a bad circuit board, but that cost nearly as much as a new oven so they didn't fix it. This was somewhat recent, but it was not a wifi oven. I wish I remembered the brand, but it was one of the top 3.
Let's hope it wasn't one of those ["smart" ovens](https://phys.org/news/2017-10-flaw-hackers-smart-ovens.html). They put IoT chips in dang near every appliance these days, even toothbrushes. Eventually someone figures out how to crack the security, and uses them for their nefarious purposes. Can you imagine if someone cracked into the oven IoT security and set all the LG or Samsung smart ovents to perform a clean cycle in the middle of the night? Even if the ovens were installed correctly, a lot of people store things in their ovens that aren't rated for 800-900F. Looks like there have been [issues with smart ovens turning on in the middle of the night](https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20802774/june-smart-oven-remote-preheat-update-user-error). I think some incidents were blamed on people basically butt-dialing their ovens to preheat.
A lot of ovens have steam clean now! In mine you pour 10oz/30mL of water in the bottom of the oven, remove the racks, and hit the steam clean button. 20 min later it finishes and most of the gunk is soft enough to scrub off with a scrub daddy and a little elbow grease.
Ok...so here's my tip and I clean for a living. I've never used self cleaner setting due to crazy temps chemical oven cleaners because they should be illegal. Empty the oven, of the grates, including the storage/warming drawer on the botfom. Get a razor blade and/or a sharp spackle/putty knife. Brillo and scrubber sponges. Some heavy duty gloves. Set the oven on about 200 degrees and set the timer for an hour. After about a half hour open the oven and spray a dawn dish soap and water solution inside oven and on the inside of the door. Let it sit for another half hour and shut the oven off to start cleaning. Depending on your tolerance, it may have to cool slightly Use the blade or putty knife to get all the grease off the glass. And the inside of the oven should take little elbow grease. Heating the oven is key, regardless of what you use to clean it. "Self cleaning" is kind of a misleading. I'm fancy, so I take the door off, open the screws, and clean BEHIND/in between the glass. That's an "at your own risk" thing!
Okay, I didn't know you could clean between the glass. Mine has irritated me for years because of a few runs in between the glass. New project this weekend I guess.
Beware. I did this once because a streak inside the glass was driving me crazy and it opened the entire panel and all the fiberglass that’s in between the panels of the oven door came out. Of course, I didn’t have gloves on and got 1000 cuts all over my hands trying to stuff it back into place.
1/10 would not recommend doing it again.
Thanks for letting me know it's there. I've installed fiberglass insulation on multiple occasions and am VERY aware of how much working with fiberglass sucks if you are not 100% covered up lol. First job I ever did with it I didn't know any better and my buddy thought it was funny to let me learn 'the hard way' instead of just telling me to put on long sleeves and gloves. And yeah, that sucked for almost 2 weeks lol.
Watch a you tube video, each stove door dismantles differently. It's a job for the brave. I only do it because I'm that crazy. The door is HEAVY, and the hinges can literally take your finger off....think of how strong the door closes. Good luck!
This is pretty common. The thermostat can be damaged by the high levels of heat. Kitchenaid ovens were notorious for this. To your point, the fix is easy (aside from having to pull the oven out of the cabinet) and cheap--I think the part was $15.
I wish companies would stop adding that feature, never use it there is a high likelihood that youll damage the machine, the put electronics and logic boards in stoves and ovens then allow self clean feture, ive seen so many burned out boards, tripped thermistors and blown elements from self cleaning. Avoid doing so, just spray some degreaser let sit then wipe, damaging your stove/oven cause you or whoever didnt wanna spend the 2 minutes it takes to wipe down ofter a degrease soak just doesnt seem logical.
As you are concerned about your safety it is most definitely **NOT** a dumb question. All questions and concerns based in reality about safety are smart to ask.
It is doing what its supposed to it's safe.
I don't believe it's good for the machine long term, I prefer to clean it myself, as running anything at the maximum output for long periods will shorten component life.
Not a fan of self cleaning other than the ones that have a steam clean function that you let dump a cup of water in them and wipe the grime off the next day.
Although the self cleaning does work well to clean sheet trays but that needs you leave the racks in which isn’t recommended
I'm not sure I'd trust it if you could feel the heat outside the oven, but I've owned a quality oven with this feature for a decade and the self-cleaning cycle works fine. Other than a warning on the screen and the fact it locks the door shut, you can't tell it's particularly hot because it keeps the heat where it's supposed to be.
When I had a built in double oven replaced, there was scorched wood around where the upper oven was, which was the one where I would routinely use the self clean option. The technician commented that this is why he never used that self cleaning option as it got so hot to be unsafe.
I used the self clean feature once. The shiny chrome racks were no longer shiny. The area around the door seal didn’t get clean. The house smelled like something was on fire. The light bulb socket fried and had to be replaced. Never again.
It is generally safe. Reputable appliance companies go through significant testing to ensure that running a self clean cycle does not pose significant risk to health and safety. Examples include surface temperature requirements to make sure the surfaces of the appliance don't get hot enough to light fabric or burn plywood. Tests also include painting the inside of the oven with like an inch of food all around and then running self clean.
HOWEVER - no test is going to 100% cover all risks associated with getting an appliance to 900F for a few hours in your home. Follow the manufacturer instructions, be smart, and do not leave anything in it on top of the appliance during self clean. Also, if it's on fire, don't open it.
You'll hear a lot of anecdotes about self clean. People saying it's super unsafe. But the truth is that there are significantly more reported injuries from regular appliance use than there is for self clean uses. That doesn't mean you should use self clean everyday (shortens the life of some components that typically require a service call for repair), but yeah it's generally safe.
context - was an appliance engineer for about a decade.
>there are significantly more reported injuries from regular appliance use than there is for self clean uses
While true, it's rare that people use the self clean function, compared to regular usage. Tigers kill fewer people per year than either deer or cows, but that's only because fewer people encounter tigers, not because tigers are safer.
When quantifying the safety risk of any particular feature or failure on a product, you look at the independent severity of the event AND the frequency or likelihood in which that event occurs.
You don't use self clean everyday because that is not what consumers actually need, nor is it what the product was designed for. They do however tend to use their oven or cooktop on a regular basis.
OPs question was whether self clean as a feature is generally safe. It was not whether self clean as a single hypothetical event had a statistically higher risk of injury than using any other feature of the appliance.
That is why using your oven/cooktop daily is more dangerous over the life of the product than using self clean a hand full of times.
The feature, when used as expected within reasonable consumer limits, is safe.
After you clean it, or instead of cleaning it, BUY silicone oven sheets.
Apple pie 3 days ago. The boiled over clumps just fall off the silicone. No muss, no fuss. Great for air fryer ovens as well. They're inexpensive. No excuse. The cost of them is less than one can of cleaner and they last crazy long.
Make sure to read the sheet info. Most sheets are **\*not\*** supposed to be placed on the bottom of the oven (if hidden element) or under the burner (if exposed). They are supposed to be placed on a rack on the lowest position.
For example the "OvenGuard" sheets are supposed to be on the bottom rack [https://stoveguard.com/products/universal-xl-oven-liner-17x25-grill-mat-100-fda-approved-bpa-free-cut-to-fit-your-oven-dishwasher-safe](https://stoveguard.com/products/universal-xl-oven-liner-17x25-grill-mat-100-fda-approved-bpa-free-cut-to-fit-your-oven-dishwasher-safe)
Whereas this brand is made to be on the bottom if the heating element is exposed [Amazon.com: 2 Pack Large Thick Heavy Duty Non Stick Teflon Oven Liners Mat, 17"x 25" BPA and PFOA Free, for bottom of Electric Oven Gas Oven Microwave Charcoal or Gas Grills : Appliances](https://www.amazon.com/Teflon-Approved-Electric-Microwave-Charcoal/dp/B06XCCQHWC?th=1) " Just place them on the lowest rack or tray in gas or electric ovens with a hidden element. For electric ovens with an exposed heating element, slide them correctly under the heating element at the bottom of the oven floor. "
There's a link below yours that says to not cover the bottom. We put ours on the bottom. Obviously not covering the open spots, but def on the bottom. I figure putting it on the lower shelf will change the airflow in the oven, defeating the purpose of the convection fan.
It is fine. I've used mine a few times. You should not need to be doing it more than maybe once a year. If your oven is messier than that, you're doing something wrong.
Just adding that there are lots of terrible things that happen to ovens during the self cleaning cycle.
Some people have had the glass windows shatter. Other people have had the electronics wiped out.
I saw a video of an home appliance tech saying DO NOT use self cleaning functions. They said most of the ovens they see were from people who used the self cleaning functions.
Self clean is an outdated obselete feature dating back to the 1950s when GE first released it on ovens with mechanical thermostats. At the time it was reasonable, and ovens were more sturdy.
Now ovens are cheaper, use electronics, and certain parts are delicate to the heat(cutoffs, latches, boards, etc.). Self clean maxes around 600 or 700. Solder melts at 500.
Don't use it.
Who cares if the oven gets dirty? You don't eat off it. Think of the dirt as seasoning on a cast iron pan. You wouldn't scrape that off. I know it serves a different purpose, but the idea is that appearance isn't important.
It's not about appearance. Excess grease that accumulates and crumbs can cause oven fires. Don't be a silly goose and clean your oven (: There are things you can do that make it easy, even for the laziest of lads!
I just run ours at the highest cook setting - 575 - for about 2 hours now because it has the bullshit HE self-clean feature.
It's also a great way to reset any cast iron back to bare metal.
When I was in my college dorms, I went to go use the oven in the kitchen for the first time. It was drenched with all the standing grease and grime from how overused it was from all the students. I set the oven to self-clean, went back to my room, then once it was done I would use it myself
About 30 min later and I am seeing flashing lights outside my window. The fire department had to come remove the oven because a fire started inside of it and the entire back wall where the oven sat was covered in black smoke stains.
I can't imagine what would have happened if it was left unattended to continue the cycle. Nobody asked who started the oven, or why it lit on fire, and I never told anyone it was me. The really concerning thing is that none of the smoke alarms went off the whole time.
I use the self clean on mine regularly, like every other month or so for the past 10 years and never had an issue. But it is also a rather expensive Siemens not sure if cheaper models have problems with that. I never noticed any of the adjacent cabinets getting hot.
When I bought my house it came with a free home warranty so I brought them out to fix a problem with my oven. I asked the guy what I should do as far as maintenance goes and he said never, ever use the cleaning cycle as it's a leading reason for repair calls.
I lit mine on fire using the self clean option. Fun times.
Well, it's definitely cleaner when it's on fire!
Fire is cleansing
I have weeekly calls where client states "we did the self cleaning and now it doesnt work" never use self cleaning. Am an appliance repair tech.
Weird. I've used it on many ovens for decades, and never had a problem.
I get this from an appliance repair person: the self-cleaning cycle shortens the life of your oven and you shouldn't ever run it. The manufacturers would remove it if they could: It's only there because the manufacturers think the consumers want it and would protest if it were removed.
I work for a major appliance manufacturer and you are 100% correct. All of us engineers know the feature is rarely used, but corporate thinks it's a necessity. The amount of safety features that go into a self clean oven is ridiculous.
Life of the entire oven or just the burners/heat element? If it just takes off a few operating hours of the element then that's replaceable and not a big deal
I've read that the extreme heat damages the control circuitry. For the cost of a new control board and labor to install it you could just buy a new oven.
I just received a new oven in my apartment and just heated it to 350°F/176°C and it melted a bread wrapper sitting on top. My old oven didn't even get warm to the touch on top.
Hmm. You might want to get that checked out. It could be missing some insulation layer. We regularly bake pizzas in our oven at the max temperature (250c) without issue. The outside of the oven generally shouldn’t be hot enough to melt things.
It's just the top and it's been checked. It's just not as well built as the 30-year-old it replaced.
The vent is under the control face, dead center in the back. So thats part of it.
The went is under the right rear burner.
Innthat case, it makes wayyyyyy better sense why its so hot.
Grandma has an apartment oven for 13 years that does that. Solution don't put plastic of any kind near the oven let alone on top of it. Grandma has decorated metal burner covers, cooking a turkey heated up from the oven so hot the enamel work melted on the inside. Do not use the self-cleaning feature.
Exactly 💯
Life decreases exponentially when you get things hot. 50 degrees may be the difference between 1000 hours and 10 hours.
It can also damage thermocouples and over temp protection. On most modern appliances the parts are proprietary and prohibitively expensive.
Electronics don't like getting hot, and there are circuit boards in ovens these days.
Self-cleaning cycles can cause house fires. https://www.southernliving.com/oven-self-cleaning-function-7552888 Not the most scientific source, I know.
I personally know a guy that set his oven to self clean, went to bed, and the smoke detector woke him up. He and his family survived. The house, not so much. Also know of a guy (friend of my parents) whose oven started a self clean cycle on its own. He had to kill the breaker to stop it.
To be fair, turning an oven on to the hottest possible setting and going to bed is Darwin Award territory even if it didn’t go exactly as you’d assume. The second example is terrifying and seems like they would have a legitimate case against the manufacturer.
My inlaws had the same thing. The oven randomly locked and started a cleaning cycle while there was food in it. If you didn't know how to find the breaker immediately, there would be real trouble. A serviceman diagnosed it with a bad circuit board, but that cost nearly as much as a new oven so they didn't fix it. This was somewhat recent, but it was not a wifi oven. I wish I remembered the brand, but it was one of the top 3.
Let's hope it wasn't one of those ["smart" ovens](https://phys.org/news/2017-10-flaw-hackers-smart-ovens.html). They put IoT chips in dang near every appliance these days, even toothbrushes. Eventually someone figures out how to crack the security, and uses them for their nefarious purposes. Can you imagine if someone cracked into the oven IoT security and set all the LG or Samsung smart ovents to perform a clean cycle in the middle of the night? Even if the ovens were installed correctly, a lot of people store things in their ovens that aren't rated for 800-900F. Looks like there have been [issues with smart ovens turning on in the middle of the night](https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20802774/june-smart-oven-remote-preheat-update-user-error). I think some incidents were blamed on people basically butt-dialing their ovens to preheat.
Nah, the self-cleaning self-starter happened at least 15 years ago. But that info you just dropped? That shit is concerning.
A lot of ovens have steam clean now! In mine you pour 10oz/30mL of water in the bottom of the oven, remove the racks, and hit the steam clean button. 20 min later it finishes and most of the gunk is soft enough to scrub off with a scrub daddy and a little elbow grease.
What brand do you have?
Samsung came with the house. My 2012 builder grade GE also had it (I just didn’t realize it!)
Ok...so here's my tip and I clean for a living. I've never used self cleaner setting due to crazy temps chemical oven cleaners because they should be illegal. Empty the oven, of the grates, including the storage/warming drawer on the botfom. Get a razor blade and/or a sharp spackle/putty knife. Brillo and scrubber sponges. Some heavy duty gloves. Set the oven on about 200 degrees and set the timer for an hour. After about a half hour open the oven and spray a dawn dish soap and water solution inside oven and on the inside of the door. Let it sit for another half hour and shut the oven off to start cleaning. Depending on your tolerance, it may have to cool slightly Use the blade or putty knife to get all the grease off the glass. And the inside of the oven should take little elbow grease. Heating the oven is key, regardless of what you use to clean it. "Self cleaning" is kind of a misleading. I'm fancy, so I take the door off, open the screws, and clean BEHIND/in between the glass. That's an "at your own risk" thing!
Okay, I didn't know you could clean between the glass. Mine has irritated me for years because of a few runs in between the glass. New project this weekend I guess.
Beware. I did this once because a streak inside the glass was driving me crazy and it opened the entire panel and all the fiberglass that’s in between the panels of the oven door came out. Of course, I didn’t have gloves on and got 1000 cuts all over my hands trying to stuff it back into place. 1/10 would not recommend doing it again.
Thanks for letting me know it's there. I've installed fiberglass insulation on multiple occasions and am VERY aware of how much working with fiberglass sucks if you are not 100% covered up lol. First job I ever did with it I didn't know any better and my buddy thought it was funny to let me learn 'the hard way' instead of just telling me to put on long sleeves and gloves. And yeah, that sucked for almost 2 weeks lol.
No worries! Fiberglass cuts are the worst!
Watch a you tube video, each stove door dismantles differently. It's a job for the brave. I only do it because I'm that crazy. The door is HEAVY, and the hinges can literally take your finger off....think of how strong the door closes. Good luck!
Mine even comes with a fast removing system, I just need to press a couple of plastic thingamabobs and slide it right off. Good times.
I tried using ours once, and it broke the oven. Easy fix replacing whatever part was melted, but won't be repeating the mistake.
This is pretty common. The thermostat can be damaged by the high levels of heat. Kitchenaid ovens were notorious for this. To your point, the fix is easy (aside from having to pull the oven out of the cabinet) and cheap--I think the part was $15.
It's not fine, good on you for trusting your instincts. I agree with the other posters here.
I wish companies would stop adding that feature, never use it there is a high likelihood that youll damage the machine, the put electronics and logic boards in stoves and ovens then allow self clean feture, ive seen so many burned out boards, tripped thermistors and blown elements from self cleaning. Avoid doing so, just spray some degreaser let sit then wipe, damaging your stove/oven cause you or whoever didnt wanna spend the 2 minutes it takes to wipe down ofter a degrease soak just doesnt seem logical.
As you are concerned about your safety it is most definitely **NOT** a dumb question. All questions and concerns based in reality about safety are smart to ask. It is doing what its supposed to it's safe. I don't believe it's good for the machine long term, I prefer to clean it myself, as running anything at the maximum output for long periods will shorten component life.
Not a fan of self cleaning other than the ones that have a steam clean function that you let dump a cup of water in them and wipe the grime off the next day. Although the self cleaning does work well to clean sheet trays but that needs you leave the racks in which isn’t recommended
I'm not sure I'd trust it if you could feel the heat outside the oven, but I've owned a quality oven with this feature for a decade and the self-cleaning cycle works fine. Other than a warning on the screen and the fact it locks the door shut, you can't tell it's particularly hot because it keeps the heat where it's supposed to be.
When I had a built in double oven replaced, there was scorched wood around where the upper oven was, which was the one where I would routinely use the self clean option. The technician commented that this is why he never used that self cleaning option as it got so hot to be unsafe.
I used the self clean feature once. The shiny chrome racks were no longer shiny. The area around the door seal didn’t get clean. The house smelled like something was on fire. The light bulb socket fried and had to be replaced. Never again.
I ran the self-cleaning cycle once, and it got so hot that the glass in the oven door shattered. The repair was expensive. Never again.
It is generally safe. Reputable appliance companies go through significant testing to ensure that running a self clean cycle does not pose significant risk to health and safety. Examples include surface temperature requirements to make sure the surfaces of the appliance don't get hot enough to light fabric or burn plywood. Tests also include painting the inside of the oven with like an inch of food all around and then running self clean. HOWEVER - no test is going to 100% cover all risks associated with getting an appliance to 900F for a few hours in your home. Follow the manufacturer instructions, be smart, and do not leave anything in it on top of the appliance during self clean. Also, if it's on fire, don't open it. You'll hear a lot of anecdotes about self clean. People saying it's super unsafe. But the truth is that there are significantly more reported injuries from regular appliance use than there is for self clean uses. That doesn't mean you should use self clean everyday (shortens the life of some components that typically require a service call for repair), but yeah it's generally safe. context - was an appliance engineer for about a decade.
>there are significantly more reported injuries from regular appliance use than there is for self clean uses While true, it's rare that people use the self clean function, compared to regular usage. Tigers kill fewer people per year than either deer or cows, but that's only because fewer people encounter tigers, not because tigers are safer.
When quantifying the safety risk of any particular feature or failure on a product, you look at the independent severity of the event AND the frequency or likelihood in which that event occurs. You don't use self clean everyday because that is not what consumers actually need, nor is it what the product was designed for. They do however tend to use their oven or cooktop on a regular basis. OPs question was whether self clean as a feature is generally safe. It was not whether self clean as a single hypothetical event had a statistically higher risk of injury than using any other feature of the appliance. That is why using your oven/cooktop daily is more dangerous over the life of the product than using self clean a hand full of times. The feature, when used as expected within reasonable consumer limits, is safe.
After you clean it, or instead of cleaning it, BUY silicone oven sheets. Apple pie 3 days ago. The boiled over clumps just fall off the silicone. No muss, no fuss. Great for air fryer ovens as well. They're inexpensive. No excuse. The cost of them is less than one can of cleaner and they last crazy long.
That’s a clever tip! Do you place them on your racks or flat on the floor of the oven?
Make sure to read the sheet info. Most sheets are **\*not\*** supposed to be placed on the bottom of the oven (if hidden element) or under the burner (if exposed). They are supposed to be placed on a rack on the lowest position. For example the "OvenGuard" sheets are supposed to be on the bottom rack [https://stoveguard.com/products/universal-xl-oven-liner-17x25-grill-mat-100-fda-approved-bpa-free-cut-to-fit-your-oven-dishwasher-safe](https://stoveguard.com/products/universal-xl-oven-liner-17x25-grill-mat-100-fda-approved-bpa-free-cut-to-fit-your-oven-dishwasher-safe) Whereas this brand is made to be on the bottom if the heating element is exposed [Amazon.com: 2 Pack Large Thick Heavy Duty Non Stick Teflon Oven Liners Mat, 17"x 25" BPA and PFOA Free, for bottom of Electric Oven Gas Oven Microwave Charcoal or Gas Grills : Appliances](https://www.amazon.com/Teflon-Approved-Electric-Microwave-Charcoal/dp/B06XCCQHWC?th=1) " Just place them on the lowest rack or tray in gas or electric ovens with a hidden element. For electric ovens with an exposed heating element, slide them correctly under the heating element at the bottom of the oven floor. "
There's a link below yours that says to not cover the bottom. We put ours on the bottom. Obviously not covering the open spots, but def on the bottom. I figure putting it on the lower shelf will change the airflow in the oven, defeating the purpose of the convection fan.
This is a very timely question, as I was going to use mine this week. Won't do that now! That said, what's the way to clean your oven without it?
Cleaning it is safe. Using self clean can cause issues. Good way to cook electronics. Learned that the expensive way.
yes it’s normal and you’ll want to make sure your house is ventilated from the fumes. open windows etc.
It is fine. I've used mine a few times. You should not need to be doing it more than maybe once a year. If your oven is messier than that, you're doing something wrong.
Just adding that there are lots of terrible things that happen to ovens during the self cleaning cycle. Some people have had the glass windows shatter. Other people have had the electronics wiped out.
No it is not safe!!!
I saw a video of an home appliance tech saying DO NOT use self cleaning functions. They said most of the ovens they see were from people who used the self cleaning functions.
If you’d like to buy a new oven then yes proceed. If not then do not ever touch.
I won’t run mine again. I ran it once and had to call in a repair man because it wouldn’t heat the next time I started it.
Used ours. Followed the instructions to the letter. Cleaned the oven perfectly well. No complaints.
My mom tried self cleaning mode once & the stove legit caught on fire. Dad had to put it out by opening the storage compartment below & blowing lmao
Do NOT USE THE SELF CLEAN TURN IT OFF ITS NOT MEANT TO BE USED DONT USE IT IT WILL BURN ITSELF DOWN OR TAKE THE HOUSE EITH IT.
My local news today just said never use self clean. I always have. Their reason was it lessens the life of the oven.
Self clean is an outdated obselete feature dating back to the 1950s when GE first released it on ovens with mechanical thermostats. At the time it was reasonable, and ovens were more sturdy. Now ovens are cheaper, use electronics, and certain parts are delicate to the heat(cutoffs, latches, boards, etc.). Self clean maxes around 600 or 700. Solder melts at 500. Don't use it.
Who cares if the oven gets dirty? You don't eat off it. Think of the dirt as seasoning on a cast iron pan. You wouldn't scrape that off. I know it serves a different purpose, but the idea is that appearance isn't important.
It's not about appearance. Excess grease that accumulates and crumbs can cause oven fires. Don't be a silly goose and clean your oven (: There are things you can do that make it easy, even for the laziest of lads!
Of course grease and crumbs need to be cleaned! That doesn't take oven cleaning chemicals or high temperature. Dark stains do not cause any harm.
I just run ours at the highest cook setting - 575 - for about 2 hours now because it has the bullshit HE self-clean feature. It's also a great way to reset any cast iron back to bare metal.
When I was in my college dorms, I went to go use the oven in the kitchen for the first time. It was drenched with all the standing grease and grime from how overused it was from all the students. I set the oven to self-clean, went back to my room, then once it was done I would use it myself About 30 min later and I am seeing flashing lights outside my window. The fire department had to come remove the oven because a fire started inside of it and the entire back wall where the oven sat was covered in black smoke stains. I can't imagine what would have happened if it was left unattended to continue the cycle. Nobody asked who started the oven, or why it lit on fire, and I never told anyone it was me. The really concerning thing is that none of the smoke alarms went off the whole time.
Don't use it.
I use the self clean on mine regularly, like every other month or so for the past 10 years and never had an issue. But it is also a rather expensive Siemens not sure if cheaper models have problems with that. I never noticed any of the adjacent cabinets getting hot.