Oven Cleaner

Yesterday I cleaned my oven. It's the worst job in the world, partly because my typical oven cleaner, Easy Off, isn't. Not to mention that fume-free is total bullshit, and no matter how hard I scrub, there seems to be white streaks that pop up after heating the oven. Does anyone have any better alternatives?

Thanks!

Pie Lady wrote:Yesterday I cleaned my oven. It's the worst job in the world, partly because my typical oven cleaner, Easy Off, isn't. Not to mention that fume-free is total bullshit, and no matter how hard I scrub, there seems to be white streaks that pop up after heating the oven. Does anyone have any better alternatives?

Thanks!

Throw out oven and replace with self-cleaning model.

I think my landlord would notice!

I preheat the oven to 200 degrees and the rub a hot lemon (cut in half) around the oven first and then use the SOS pads. That works for me better than the the easy off.

Pie Lady wrote:Yesterday I cleaned my oven. It's the worst job in the world, partly because my typical oven cleaner, Easy Off, isn't. Not to mention that fume-free is total bullshit, and no matter how hard I scrub, there seems to be white streaks that pop up after heating the oven. Does anyone have any better alternatives?

Thanks!

When you are cleaning your oven, you are attempting to remove carbonized fats. The suggestion of using the lemon and SOS pad is trying to loosen the fats slightly with acetic acid and then using soap and manual friction to scrape the residue off the oven wall surfaces. Oven cleaners work, (basically), by combining with the fats to produce a rough form of lye soap which you then, (allegedly), use less friction to remove the fat and carbon residue. Packed with volatile organic compounds, harmless-looking cans of oven cleaner actually contain hazardous chemicals. While these chemicals work to clean the grease and grime from your oven, they are harmful to your health if not properly handled. Knowing the ingredients in oven cleaner can help you identify the safety of the oven cleaner you choose to use.

Butane: This ingredient does its work by softening up the hard, crusted formations in your oven. An aerosol propellant, butane is an organic solvent that contains carcinogens. The spray effect of aerosol makes chemicals released through these means more harmful because the spray breaks down particles even smaller, which makes the chemicals more easily inhaled. Some adverse health effects of carcinogens include reproductive and neuro-toxicity.

Monoethanolamine: Monoethanolamine (MEA) combines the properties of alcohol and amine, which allow it to mix with water and have a high boiling point, and gives it the scent of ammonia. When used, MEA reacts according to these properties. Wired Magazine writes, "It breaks down the gunk on oven surfaces, neutralizing some fatty acids and turning others into grease-cutting solvents." Highly volatile, this organic compound can cause harmful effects like headaches, nosebleeds and cancer.

Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Etheer: You can find diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DEGBE) in many other products, including brake fluid and hair coloring. This chemical slows down MEA's rate of evaporation, allowing the oven cleaner to keep breaking down the fatty acids and gunk on your oven's surface. In addition, DEGBE further dissolves the particles loosened by MEA.

Sodium Hydroxide: Also known as caustic soda, sodium hydroxide reacts and turns into soap as the butane and MEA in oven cleaner starts to soften and break down the crusted food on the bottom of your oven. The soapy residue then allows you to wipe away the grease and grime stuck to your oven. While helpful for cleaning your oven, sodium hydroxide is a corrosive chemical and can burn skin.

Diethanolamine: Very similar in purpose as MEA, diethanolamine (DEA) also delays the evaporation of the other chemicals, allowing the oven cleaner to work longer at getting rid of fat and grease. According to the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia, DEA "is a skin and respiratory toxicant and a severe eye irritant." You can also find it in a variety of other household cleaning products.

Bottom line... clean the oven more often!

tortminder wrote:

Pie Lady wrote:Yesterday I cleaned my oven. It's the worst job in the world, partly because my typical oven cleaner, Easy Off, isn't. Not to mention that fume-free is total bullshit, and no matter how hard I scrub, there seems to be white streaks that pop up after heating the oven. Does anyone have any better alternatives?

Thanks!

When you are cleaning your oven, you are attempting to remove carbonized fats. The suggestion of using the lemon and SOS pad is trying to loosen the fats slightly with acetic acid and then using soap and manual friction to scrape the residue off the oven wall surfaces. Oven cleaners work, (basically), by combining with the fats to produce a rough form of lye soap which you then, (allegedly), use less friction to remove the fat and carbon residue. Packed with volatile organic compounds, harmless-looking cans of oven cleaner actually contain hazardous chemicals. While these chemicals work to clean the grease and grime from your oven, they are harmful to your health if not properly handled. Knowing the ingredients in oven cleaner can help you identify the safety of the oven cleaner you choose to use.

Butane: This ingredient does its work by softening up the hard, crusted formations in your oven. An aerosol propellant, butane is an organic solvent that contains carcinogens. The spray effect of aerosol makes chemicals released through these means more harmful because the spray breaks down particles even smaller, which makes the chemicals more easily inhaled. Some adverse health effects of carcinogens include reproductive and neuro-toxicity.

Monoethanolamine: Monoethanolamine (MEA) combines the properties of alcohol and amine, which allow it to mix with water and have a high boiling point, and gives it the scent of ammonia. When used, MEA reacts according to these properties. Wired Magazine writes, "It breaks down the gunk on oven surfaces, neutralizing some fatty acids and turning others into grease-cutting solvents." Highly volatile, this organic compound can cause harmful effects like headaches, nosebleeds and cancer.

Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Etheer: You can find diethylene glycol monobutyl ether (DEGBE) in many other products, including brake fluid and hair coloring. This chemical slows down MEA's rate of evaporation, allowing the oven cleaner to keep breaking down the fatty acids and gunk on your oven's surface. In addition, DEGBE further dissolves the particles loosened by MEA.

Sodium Hydroxide: Also known as caustic soda, sodium hydroxide reacts and turns into soap as the butane and MEA in oven cleaner starts to soften and break down the crusted food on the bottom of your oven. The soapy residue then allows you to wipe away the grease and grime stuck to your oven. While helpful for cleaning your oven, sodium hydroxide is a corrosive chemical and can burn skin.

Diethanolamine: Very similar in purpose as MEA, diethanolamine (DEA) also delays the evaporation of the other chemicals, allowing the oven cleaner to work longer at getting rid of fat and grease. According to the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia, DEA "is a skin and respiratory toxicant and a severe eye irritant." You can also find it in a variety of other household cleaning products.

Bottom line... clean the oven more often!

Tortminder,

Do you know how self-cleaning ovens work? I have been hesitant to use mine because of the fumes, and especially because I have pets in the house. Is it just high heat that makes them work? Are the fumes noxious?

sdbond wrote:Tortminder,

Do you know how self-cleaning ovens work? I have been hesitant to use mine because of the fumes, and especially because I have pets in the house. Is it just high heat that makes them work? Are the fumes noxious?

Self cleaning ovens are, (just like a page out of the sixties), a matter of "burn, baby, burn! Once the door interlock is engaged, the oven heats to around 900 degrees F which basically turns the spills in the oven to ash. If you oven is not coated with teflon the heat should not cause any toxic fumes. If it has teflon it can create fumes that are toxic and potentially fatal to pets, especially birds.

So the short answer is while the fumes may be noxious, they are not necessarily toxic.

Hi,

Pizza enthusiasts have been known to break the locking system on their self cleaning ovens. That ultra high temperature is prized for making pizzas.

The last time my oven needed repair, the serviceman advised vacuuming up the debris left from a cleaning cycle. To wash it might strip the covering meant for easy removal. If I have a spill, I will blot the mess up with a dry paper towel while still hot to reduce the need for a cleaning cycle.

When I do start up the cleaning cycle, I close the doors to the kitchen. The initial phases can cause quite a stink. When I had birds, I simply removed them from the area to avoid any issue.

Regards,

tortminder wrote:

sdbond wrote:Tortminder,

Do you know how self-cleaning ovens work? I have been hesitant to use mine because of the fumes, and especially because I have pets in the house. Is it just high heat that makes them work? Are the fumes noxious?

Self cleaning ovens are, (just like a page out of the sixties), a matter of "burn, baby, burn! Once the door interlock is engaged, the oven heats to around 900 degrees F which basically turns the spills in the oven to ash. If you oven is not coated with teflon the heat should not cause any toxic fumes. If it has teflon it can create fumes that are toxic and potentially fatal to pets, especially birds.

So the short answer is while the fumes may be noxious, they are not necessarily toxic.

Thanks, Tortminder!

My oven definitely has a lot to burn, so to speak...

I wasn't concerned so much about our dog, as he weighs 110 pounds, but our cat only weighs about 10 pounds. We don't have any birds in the house.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

Pizza enthusiasts have been known to break the locking system on their self cleaning ovens. That ultra high temperature is prized for making pizzas.

The last time my oven needed repair, the serviceman advised vacuuming up the debris left from a cleaning cycle. To wash it might strip the covering meant for easy removal. If I have a spill, I will blot the mess up with a dry paper towel while still hot to reduce the need for a cleaning cycle.

When I do start up the cleaning cycle, I close the doors to the kitchen. The initial phases can cause quite a stink. When I had birds, I simply removed them from the area to avoid any issue.

Regards,

Good tips, Cathy! I am now psyched to actually have my oven be clean for the first time in, ahem, "a while."

I usually use Bon Ami cleanser on a damp cloth. No fumes. Doesn't scratch like SOS. I reserve the SOS pad for the really tough stuff. And the last time the oven really needed cleaning, just as pairs4life suggested, my landlord replaced it. How lucky was that!

My mom gave me one of these for xmas a year ago and it has saved me a boatload of oven-cleaning time.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HM8B9I/ref=asc_df_B000HM8B9I1857571?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=nextagus0005915-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B000HM8B9I

mrsm wrote:I usually use Bon Ami cleanser on a damp cloth.

I can't wait to tell this to our friend Jim and my mother — it will bring back memories of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

1 T Liquid dish soap
1 T White Vinegar
1 T Hydrogen Peroxide
1 Quart Warm water

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl or a bucket.
Apply the oven cleaning solution with a sponge to the inside of the oven. Let it sit for 1 hour. Scrub with a sponge or green scrubby. Rinse well.