Self-Cleaning Ovens

There are things in life that lock you in, things you can't reverse. These are the things you must be sure of before you lock yourself in. I thought I was aware of these issues in life - you know, things like cutting your hair or getting a tattoo or putting your wool sweater in the washer. I had never considered the self cleaning cycle on my oven however.

This morning I got the brilliant idea that I would clean the oven. I've never owned a self cleaning oven before and so I was excited to see how well it worked even though the oven wasn't really dirty. I wasn't planning on using the oven to make lunch and so I thought it would be a good time to try it out. It was simple I selected "clean cycle" and then pushed "start" Ta-Da!

The oven was cleaning it's self so I decided to paint my toenails (I kinda felt like I had a maid and so I could pamper myself) Well, about 1 foot into the painting I started to smell a horrible smell. I've heard of gas leaks and other kinds of leaks (of which I'm clueless) that can kill a person in their home if they don't get air. I didn't know what the smell was but it smelled burnt and a little chemical so I turned all the heaters off and opened all the windows. Then I started my sniffing. I walked through the house sniffing around heaters and appliances only to end up in the kitchen and remember that the oven was busy cleaning it's self. That was the smell, and it was getting stronger.

I don't think it could hurt me but I could hardly stand being in the house and the cycle still had 2 1/2 hours left. So, now my attempts to "multi-task" with the oven are ended. I had to leave the house and everything I was going to get done this morning. I only hope that when I return home the smell will be somewhat gone and the house will warm up fast from all the windows being left open.

Next time I decide to clean the oven I'll contemplate it like I contemplate cutting my hair, knowing that it could completely alter my day.