Is It Safe to Run Your Oven's Self-Clean Cycle?

Despite those aforementioned anecdotes, self-clean disasters are the exception, not the rule. Casaregola has seen little evidence that running the self-clean cycle is likely to damage your oven. “I recall a few malfunctions during self-cleaning over the years, but it’s not a common thing,” she says. Data from our surveys confirm that such problems emerge in only 1 percent of the self-cleaning ranges covered in our most recent reliability ratings data. Ignition problems, unrelated to self-cleaning, are far more likely, occurring in 8 percent of gas and pro-style ranges. The same holds true for cooktop chips and scratches, which occur with roughly eight times the frequency of broken self-clean cycles.

Chris Zeisler, technical service supervisor at Repair Clinic, notes that it’s possible that certain parts might break or malfunction during a self-clean cycle, including door latches, electrical components, bake or broil elements, or heating elements in gas ranges, along with gaskets. “The biggest takeaway is that if you’re hosting a big gathering, like Thanksgiving, you want to run the cycle several weeks in advance,” he says.

To test self-cleaning ovens in CR’s labs, we make a proprietary mixture of some of the messiest foods that might soil an oven cavity, including tapioca, cheese, tomato purée, lard, and cherry pie filling. We paint that mixture onto the oven cavity, walls, and door and bake it to make it tougher to remove. Then we run the self-clean cycle, and our pros judge how well it cleans, based largely on how much scrubbing needs to be done afterward. In general, these cycles do a pretty good job. “When the cycle works well, it’s really just incredible how clean the cavity gets,” Casaregola says. 

Those same high temperatures that help your oven clean can produce smoke and fumes. “When you run the cycle, turn on a range hood if you have one and try to open some windows,” Casaregola says. If you have an air purifier, running it at the same time may help as well.

Remember, too, to keep the top of the stove clear. “It can get really hot,” Casaregola says.

The oven door will lock for the entire cycle, which takes about 3 to 5 hours, depending upon the model. Keep that in mind, because if you start the self-clean cycle later in the day, it might be a good night to order a pizza. And keep kids and pets out of the kitchen. 

Self-cleaning cycles are the norm, but you still won’t find them on every model. “Some very inexpensive models don’t have self-cleaning features,” Casaregola says, “and a number of pro-style models also forgo the cycle”—so you’ll have to scrub the interior clean by hand.

You’ll see some models with an “AquaLift” setting, a light-duty steam-clean cycle that’s common in brands owned by Whirlpool (including Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, and Amana). In our tests, these cycles are no match for high-heat self-clean cycles. They generally can work on loosening very light spills or debris on the oven floor, which may be helpful if you’re cleaning up, say, cake-batter splatter immediately after a messy baking session.

Self-cleaning doesn’t mean fully automated. For starters, you’ll need to remove the racks and clean those by hand. Running the self-clean cycle with the racks in place can cause them to discolor and may remove the factory finish that helps them glide smoothly. (But if you run the cycle by accident without taking the racks out, don’t despair—just try rubbing the racks down with oil to help them slide effortlessly again.) Once the cycle is over, expect to grab a sponge, and with some soapy water you should be able to easily wipe away the residual ash.

The options below are all top-tier appliances that ace our self-cleaning tests. For more buying advice, start with our buying guides for ranges. Interested in more models? Check out our comprehensive range ratings.