There Is a Weird Smell When My Oven Cleans

Odor

• The weird odor you smell during a self cleaning cycle is the smell of food cooking at very high temperatures. You may also notice smoke and, if the oven was very greasy, a small fire may develop in the bottom of the oven. Normally the fire will go out on its own within a few minutes.

Cautions

• Although the fumes are generally not harmful to people, they may cause serious illness or death to birds. Move birds to a closed room far away from the kitchen when cleaning the oven. Open windows and run exhaust fans to draw in fresh air and remove odors and smoke more quickly.

Prevention

• Although there is no way to entirely eliminate the fumes and odors that occur when self-cleaning the oven, a few simple steps can minimize the effect. Run the self-cleaning cycle as soon as the oven becomes soiled, because heavily soiled ovens produce more fumes. Wipe up puddles of grease or food matter when they occur. Acidic foods, such as ketchup or pie filling, can etch the oven floor, resulting in dark stains if the spill is not wiped up as soon as the oven is cool.

Considerations

• The door must remain locked when the self-cleaning cycle is on, and for at least one hour afterward, until the oven cools down. This is for your safety. Do not try to operate the oven until it has cooled down completely. Once the safety latch unlocks, wipe the ashes out with a damp cloth. Clean the area around the door by hand, but do not remove or handle the gaskets.