For your oven to function optimally and avoid having to hire oven repair professionals now and then, you should properly maintain your unit. How do you go about it?
Deep clean your appliance at least twice a year.
Of course, you should clean your appliance when you are done cooking at the end of the day, but this isn’t enough—you still need to clean your appliance thoroughly.
When cleaning, ensure that the unit has thoroughly cooled down. If cleaning it by hand using a wet piece of cloth, unplug it from the power to protect yourself from getting electrocuted. You will even be safer if you switch off the circuit breaker’s power.
Many people remove the knobs from their appliances so that they can properly clean them, but you shouldn’t do this. This is because the chemicals you use when cleaning can get behind the knobs and damage the wiring. You don’t want this to happen to your appliance, do you?
Use a wet cloth with a gentle store-bought vinegar or baking soda solution for the best results. You should wipe the solutions down the insides of the stove, then let the hard-to-clean areas soak before you scrub using a towel.
Always let the oven dry before you use it.
To have an easier time doing the annual cleanings, make it a habit to wipe down the stove and burners at least once a week or after every messy meal. You should never leave a thick food residue on the bottom of the oven as it can smoke or even cause a fire.
Regularly inspect the oven gasket.
Before you do the cleaning, check the rubber gasket around the insides of the oven door for tears, holes, or general wear. If the strip has any issues, replace it before you use the oven again.
When buying the gasket, don’t buy just any other—buy a high-quality one that will withstand the test of time.
Be cautious when using the self-cleaning feature.
Most ovens have a self-cleaning feature that sends the temperatures soaring to 500 degrees or even more to break up difficult debris.
Oven manufacturers recommend you use this feature when you have had messy baking, for example, when you have had a catastrophic lasagna overflow. It’s also recommended that you use this feature when your oven hasn’t received any attention in a long time.
While this feature is great and makes removing even the most problematic debris easy, you should use it sparingly to avoid damaging your oven. This means you shouldn’t use it every time your oven gets dirty—reserve it only for the necessary times.
Even when using the feature, ensure that you follow the instructions in the owner’s manual. As you are cleaning, never leave the oven unattended, as the high temperatures can easily get out of control, and when no one is attending to the stove, it can be catastrophic.
Replace the broken parts
If you regularly use your oven, some parts are bound to break. The most common parts that do are the burners. Most homeowners ignore them when they do, but you shouldn’t.
When you spot a deep red spot on the coil when baking, don’t ignore it, as it’s a matter of time before it goes off. Instead, you should turn off the oven and contact a repair professional to replace it.
Like the other parts, replace the burners with high-quality ones that will last a long time. Don’t cheap out on them, as the costs of replacing them can quickly add up.
Avoid messy dishes
To avoid having to clean and scrub the oven, avoid cooking messy dishes. When you do, place the recipes, such as pies and casseroles, on top of the baking sheet, preventing overflowing food from dripping down and staining the appliance.
As you are using the sheets, appliance repair Springfield advice you take care not to place them on the vents as this can prevent the heat from blowing. There is also the risk of the burners getting damaged.
