Can Self-Cleaning Oven Hurt Or Kill You?

An oven’s self-cleaning feature can save you the stress of cleaning it manually after use.

While this is a welcome addition, there are potential risks associated with using this feature.

When considering the dangers of a self-cleaning oven, eyebrows are raised, and questions are asked if using it is worthwhile.

So, can a self-cleaning oven hurt or kill you?

This guide will analyze all you need to know about the dangers of a self-cleaning oven.

Also, you’ll learn about necessary safety precautions to put in place when using a self-cleaning oven.

About Self-Cleaning Oven

A self-cleaning oven is an oven that comes with a self-cleaning feature. There are two major self-cleaning ovens; the gas oven and the electric oven.

Both ovens can self-cleaning, but they use different power sources. One uses gas, while the other uses electricity.

No matter your self-cleaning oven type, the substances produced during the self-cleaning cycle can be hazardous.

Whether this can hurt or kill depend on its intensity.

For instance, an electric self-cleaning oven will burn dirt in the oven and turn them into ashes.

If you inhale fumes from the ashes produced, it can cause difficulty in breathing and other lung or respiratory problems.

So, it is vital to ensure proper ventilation around your kitchen.

This health issue also applies to gas ovens because of the toxic gases produced during the cleaning cycle.

So, you can see that a self-cleaning oven can be harmful, no matter the type.

How The Self-Cleaning Oven Works

The self-cleaning oven works by burning away any dirt in the oven.

This process might be easy for you as you won’t be involved, but you need to understand that it’s a dangerous activity.

When you turn on the self-cleaning feature, the oven heats up to an incredibly high temperature that the heat melts and burns any food substance or item in the oven.

While self-cleaning ovens are well insulated to withstand the cleaning cycle, fumes, and toxic gas emits from the oven during the process.

According to research, a high concentration of poisonous gasses can hurt and even kill a human being. So, there you have it.

It is not enough to own a self-cleaning oven; you need to know how it works.

Understanding how a self-cleaning oven works will give you ideas on how to use it in the best possible ways.

In the next section, we will break down the dangers of a self-cleaning oven.

Can these dangers hurt you? Yes.

Can some of these dangers kill you? Certainly!

The Dangers Of A Self-Cleaning Oven: Can It Kill You?

The dangers of a self-cleaning oven can be detrimental to your health and your pets.

With a self-cleaning oven, you’ll imagine that you can save productive time spent on cleaning the oven manually.

While this sounds intriguing, you’ll soon realize that you can spend more time prepping the self-cleaning oven for use.

Then, there are the potential risks to deal with.

So, here are some of the dangers of a self-cleaning oven.

It Releases Toxic Carbon Monoxide

During the cleaning cycle, self-cleaning ovens can release carbon monoxide. It is a poisonous gas that is highly toxic.

Inhaling this toxic gas can affect your respiratory system after a while. It will cause difficulty in breathing and can even kill you if proper care is not taken.

Also, the toxic carbon monoxide gas released by the self-cleaning oven is dangerous for pets.

It Can Reduce The Oven’s Lifespan

The self-cleaning feature can raise the oven’s temperature very high.

If the oven temperature is always high, the effect can reduce its power over time, taking a considerable number of years out of its lifespan.

It is not to say using the self-cleaning feature will damage your oven.

It Can Ignite a Fire Outbreak In Your Kitchen

The self-cleaning oven can become flammable if you use it during its cleaning life cycle. It can cause a fire outbreak in the kitchen.

Also, running the cleaning cycle too frequently may put too much pressure on the oven, causing it to ignite a fire when you least expect it.

A fire outbreak in your kitchen can cause skin burns or even kill you if you get caught up in it.

It Produces Fumes That May Cause An Asthma Attack

If you’re an asthmatic patient, you will do well to avoid using self-cleaning ovens.

During the self-cleaning cycle, this oven will produce fumes that may cause an asthma attack.

Even if you’re not asthmatic, the fumes released from a self-cleaning oven may cause you to cough repeatedly.

So, exposure to the oven for a long time can cause respiratory issues.

It Produces Carcinogenic Smoke That May Cause Cancer

One of the biggest dangers of a self-cleaning oven is the carcinogenic smoke that comes out of the oven during the self-cleaning cycle.

This smoke may cause cancer if you’re exposed to it.

So, there’s a possibility of contracting cancer with the self-cleaning feature.

If you ever get diagnosed with cancer, it will cause profound health implications that can kill you.

It Makes Conventional Cleaning Tougher Later

If you’re used to using your oven’s self-cleaning feature, there’s a tendency that the surface finish of the oven will become blurry.

It can make conventional cleaning more challenging in the future.

While this is not entirely a danger, it is one you don’t want to face if you have to clean manually.

Self-Cleaning Oven Safety Precautions

There are certain safety precautions to follow when using the self-cleaning feature in your kitchen to prevent the dangers of a self-cleaning oven.

It is imperative.

Every self-cleaning oven comes with manufacturers’ instructions. So, it’s vital to follow these instructions.

Before you set the oven to self-clean, you need to read the instruction manual.

Here are some necessary safety precautions to follow when using a self-cleaning oven:

It is essential to remove all items from the oven before self-cleaning
Open windows to allow proper ventilation during the cleaning life cycle
Ensure you follow the self-cleaning directions provided by the manufacturer
Use the kitchen exhaust fan to dissipate any form of poisonous gas in the air
Asthmatic patients should stay away from the kitchen when the oven is in use
If you must use a self-cleaning oven, ensure you keep pets away from the kitchen
If you choose to use the self-cleaning feature of your oven, never leave it unattended

Taking a few extra precautions when using this oven will keep you and your family safe.