How Long Is A Self Cleaning Oven Cycle

Keeping your oven clean is one way to make it last longer. Some electric oven comes with a self-cleaning feature making it even easier for you to clean it. So how long is a self-cleaning oven cycle usually take? Let's find out.

How Self Cleaning Oven Works

How long is a self-cleaning oven cycle will depend on the oven and its brand. But usually, the entire cycle will take a minimum of 1 hour and 30 minutes up to a maximum of 5 hours. Some ovens also come with different cleaning settings, just like short cleaning and long cleaning cycle for heavy deep cleaning.

Self-cleaning ovens don't need you to use a cleaning agent. It uses a great amount of heat to remove heavy stains and residues inside the oven by turning them into ashes. The temperature for cleaning could reach up to 800F. This extreme heat even cleans the part of the oven that's difficult to reach if you clean it manually.

After the cleaning cycle, you will have to allow the oven to cool down before opening it. Clean the inside of the oven by wiping it with a clean cloth to remove the dirt ashes. Then your oven is ready to use again.

Benefits Of Getting A Self Cleaning Oven

The self-cleaning oven is great for the following reasons.

1. You don't have to clean it - Well, because it is self-cleaning, you don't have to do the scrubbing or the tedious process of removing stuck food residues. Although you still have to wipe off the dirt after the cleaning cycle.
2. Saves your time - you can do other more important tasks as the self-cleaning oven will do the cleaning job for you.
3. Saves money - Saves money in the sense that you don't have to buy cleansers sponges and other cleaning material.
4. Energy-efficient - Self-cleaning ovens are designed to be well insulated to withstand the heat required for the cleaning process.
5. No cleaning fumes - since you will not be using cleansers, you can do away with harmful fumes that come with cleansers. 

Downside Of Self-Cleaning Oven

Just like any other thing, a self-cleaning oven has its downside too.

1. There might be a possibility of minor fire - Since self-cleaning oven uses extreme heat, it creates a lot of smoke and charred scent. There were instances of minor fire reported during the self-cleaning cycle caused by fat or oil residue inside the oven. If this happens, immediately turn off the oven, allow it to cool, and proceed in cleaning the oven manually.
2. High electricity consumption - Since your oven will run for more than an hour producing high heat, it will eat up in your energy consumption. So it might not be saving you money after all.
3. Damage other parts of the oven - Although the oven is made to withstand extreme heat if some parts are exposed to it more frequently, there's a possibility of damaging them faster than it should be compared to cleaning it manually. These parts could be the thermostat, thermal fuse, lock mechanism, and the electronic boards.

Conclusion

Given the pros and cons of the self-cleaning oven, it up to you if getting one would be worth it for you.