Ever run your self-cleaning oven and instantly regretted it? That strong chemical self clean oven smell can linger for days and permeate your whole house.
But there are natural solutions to eliminate that nasty odor without resorting to harsh cleaners.
No need to decide between a spotless oven and a home with fresh air. You can revitalize the atmosphere, diminish odors, and promptly resume baking by following a few uncomplicated steps.
Who knew a few common household items were all you needed to make that self-clean smell disappear? Give these DIY methods a shot.
Why Does My Oven Smell During Self-Clean?
Ever wonder why your oven smells weird during the self-cleaning cycle?
It’s because of all the built-up grime and grease burning off at extremely high temperatures.
Not exactly pleasant, but at least it means your oven’s getting squeaky clean, right?
The self-cleaning feature on ovens uses pyrolysis, a fancy way of saying it burns everything off.
It heats your oven to around 900 degrees Fahrenheit. It is way hotter than you’d ever actually cook at. All the stuck-on messes, grease splatters, and baked-on spills get incinerated into ash.
Unfortunately, this process also produces some pretty foul odors.
The smell comes from the gasses released as all that stuff breaks down in the intense heat. It’s usually caused by grease, oil, and burnt food particles.
As a result, the stench can stick around for hours after the cleaning cycle ends too.
Here are a few tips to help get rid of that nasty self-cleaning oven smell:
Run the exhaust fan over your stove on high and open some windows for ventilation. This will help dissipate the smell faster.
Place bowls of coffee grounds, activated charcoal, baking soda, or white vinegar in your oven and around the counter. These natural odor absorbers can help neutralize the smell.
Once the oven has cooled, wipe it down with equal parts water, white vinegar, and baking soda.
If the smell persists, try running another short self-cleaning cycle. This can burn off any remaining residue causing the odor.
As a last resort, you may need to air your kitchen for a day or two. The smell should eventually fade on its own.
The stench may be awful but look on the bright side – at least you’ll have a sparkling-clean oven.
Natural Ways to Eliminate Self-Clean Oven Smells
The smell from a self-cleaning oven cycle can linger for days.
Rather than masking the odor with fragrances, try these natural solutions to eliminate the smell at its source.
Baking soda is a natural odor absorber
Place open containers of baking soda in the oven overnight after the cleaning cycle.
This will help absorb and eliminate the smells. Replace the baking soda after a few days.
Coffee grounds also work great at absorbing and removing odors
Fill a few shallow containers with used coffee grounds and place them in the oven with the door closed. The coffee grounds will absorb the smells.
Essential oils have natural deodorizing properties
Put a few drops of lemon, lavender, or orange essential oil on cotton balls and place them around the oven. The essential oils will overpower the burnt smells with their fresh scents.
To deal with stubborn odors, create a homemade oven deodorizer spray. What you will need.
Cup of water
Tablespoon of baking soda
10-15 drops of essential oil.
Apply the spray inside the oven, and afterward, wipe it down using a damp cloth. Essential oils and baking soda help eliminate odors and refresh your oven.
How to Prevent Self-Clean Oven Smells in the Future
Self-cleaning ovens are convenient, but that burnt-on food smell during the cleaning cycle can linger for days.
Here are some natural solutions to help prevent self-clean oven smells in the future:
Ventilate the kitchen
Run an exhaust fan to pull the smelly air out of the room. Open some windows if possible.
The more you can ventilate and circulate the air, the faster the odor will clear.
Set out natural odor absorbers
Place bowls of coffee grounds, activated charcoal, baking soda, or vinegar around the kitchen and near the oven.
These substances are great at absorbing and neutralizing smells. Replace or refresh them every few days until the odor is gone.
Clean the oven seal and door
Wipe down the rubber seal around the oven door, the door itself, and the area where it closes.
Built-up grease and grime here can make smells worse during the self-clean cycle.
Avoid heavily seasoned or fatty foods
What you cook in the oven can contribute to the smells during cleaning.
Avoid very greasy, fatty, or heavily spiced foods, especially toward the end of the self-cleaning oven’s recommended cleaning interval.
Run another empty self-clean cycle
If odors persist after trying other solutions, you may need to run another self-clean cycle.
Ensure your oven is empty to burn off any residue causing the smells. Be sure to ventilate well during and after.
Consider the oven-cleaning alternatives in the market
For your next deep cleaning, you could try oven cleaning wipes, DIY oven cleaning sprays (water, baking soda, and vinegar), or a professional oven cleaning service.
Additionally, this could be a good time to look into commercial products like Easy off oven cleaner. These methods don’t produce the same harsh fumes as a self-cleaning oven cycle.
Regular maintenance and natural freshening techniques allow you to enjoy your self-cleaning oven without worrying about nasty smells wafting through your home.
Try a few of these tips, and your oven will be fresh as a daisy in no time!
Conclusion
You’ve made it to the end and now have some natural solutions to help tackle your home’s nasty self-clean oven smell.
Baking soda, activated charcoal, coffee grounds, and essential oils are easily accessible.
Additionally, these can environmentally absorb and eliminate odors. And now that you know how to handle the smell, you can run that self-clean cycle for a sparkling clean oven.