The Oven Smokes After Cleaning With Easy-Off

About Easy-Off Oven Cleaner

• Easy-Off oven cleaner contains a number of ingredients that allow it to foam for easy application and to dissolve burned-on food materials. Butane, a powerful petroleum-based solvent, provides the power for dissolving this charred food by loosening the carbon atoms. Monoethanolamine helps to break down the fatty acids in the material and turn some of them into grease-cutting solvents. Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether is added to delay the evaporation of monoethanolamine so it can work longer and dissolve all of the material, according to "Wired" magazine writer Patrick D’Justo. Sodium hydroxide, a strong base chemical, eats through the rest of the burnt material that the other chemicals have softened. All of these chemicals are hazardous to use. Wear gloves when applying Easy-Off, and make sure that the room is properly ventilated. Avoid breathing in the fumes from this product.

Oven Smoking Problems

• Oven smoke generally comes from the baked-on foods that continue to cook after they have hardened. This cooking can produce a strong, unpleasant-smelling smoke that can fill the house and leave a bad odor for some time after the oven is turned off. Cleaners can also leave behind residues that create smoke.

Incomplete Cleaning

• Most ovens have a variety of crevices and corners where food can stick. Sauces that boil over, grease splatter and burnt food particles can lodge in these areas and create problems even after the use of an oven cleaner. Because these areas can be located on the underside of rack holders or other hard-to-see areas, they may remain dirty and continue to cause problems. Spray the oven with Easy-Off a second time, paying particular attention to these underside areas, corner areas and seams in the door of the oven.

Incomplete Rinsing

• Unless they're completely rinsed from the oven interior, these strong chemicals can continue to evaporate when the oven is turned on for normal use. Rinse the Easy-Off oven cleaner from the oven thoroughly, reaching into all corners, the undersides of rack holders and along the door interior. Use a 50-50 percent solution of vinegar and water to remove all chemical residue, according to the Easy-Off website. Next, turn on the oven and allow it to warm for 15 minutes to evaporate odor residues before use.

Preventing Oven Smoking Problems

• To prevent oven smoking and accompanying odors, clean up spills as soon as they occur. Use oven cleaner to remove burnt-on foods and grease regularly to prevent heavy buildup. Rinse oven cleaners from all oven surfaces thoroughly before using the oven after cleaning.