It’s the chore we all hate, it’s been 6 months and the time has come to clean our ovens. Hours of endless scrubbing and toxic chemicals and we’re finally faced with a sparkling clean oven. Dreaming of a day that ovens clean themselves. Well we’re in luck, those hours of scrubbing are a thing of the past. The days of the self-cleaning ovens have arrived. In this blog we’ll aim to answer the question “Are Self Cleaning ovens worth it?” And what does “Pyrolytic and Catalytic mean?”

Self cleaning ovens have been around for a while now. You have probably seen an advert or overheard a conversation describing just how great they are. Self cleaning ovens certainly have their benefits but are they worth it?

The price of a self cleaning oven is certainly not out of reach. The average cost of a self cleaning oven ranges between £200-400 depending on the brand and warranty. Therefore, the price of a self cleaning oven is certainly a benefit. However, there is a common misconception that self cleaning ovens do exactly what they say on the tin, that is, clean themselves. However, this is not the case unfortunately. This is where the difference between Pyrolytic and Catalytic is discussed. 

What is a Pyrolytic oven and is it worth it? 

A Pyrolytic oven put simply, is an oven with a self cleaning option. This self cleaning option locks the oven doors and produces an extreme heat that reaches around 400 degrees celsius. This is in an attempt to burn any grease that’s accumulated since the last clean. Aiming to turn the grease and grime into carbon. The carbon is then far easier to clean and can be swept and put it into the bin.

However, a self-cleaning oven still requires a manual clean, if not this could become a health and fire risk as the built up carbon has been known to emit carbon monoxide. When using the self clean function on a pyrolytic oven, it is crucial that you have functioning Carbon Monoxide detectors within the property as the odourless gas is fatal to humans.

Other Considerations for a Pyrolytic Oven.

Another consideration to the self cleaning function is the grease and grime that accumulates behind the panels. This build up of grease and grime can negatively affect your oven’s performance over the course of time. This will eventually result in the appliance breaking down. Without appropriate appliance insurance cover, you could be left with the cost of purchasing a brand new oven. 

Rest assured though, to minimise the risk of injury with the extreme heat provided by the self cleaning function, the doors will not unlock until the oven has reached a lesser temperature. This also offers peace of mind for any parents who have children playing in the kitchen and near the appliance. The final consideration with a Pyrolytic oven is the time scale needed for the self cleaning function. A Pyrolytic self clean takes on average 4 hours to complete. This is not factoring in cool-down which can add an extra 30 minutes to the process. So, it’s recommended that this process commences overnight so it’s ready to use when needed. 

Moreover, expect your energy bills to increase after purchasing a Pyrolytic oven. The high temperatures paired with the 4 hour cycle would increase your energy consumption significantly. This would be the final consideration when asking if a Pyrolytic self cleaning oven is worth the investment. 

Is a Catalytic self cleaning oven worth it?

There is a slight difference between a Catalytic and Pyrolytic self cleaning oven. The main difference being a Catalytic oven offers Catalytic lining to the side panels inside the Oven’s cavity. Simply put, these linings are treated with chemicals that ensure no grease or grime sticks to them. Another benefit of a Catalytic oven being they are not required to reach such high temperatures to perform their cleaning cycle. Instead of 400 degrees celsius this is reduced to 200 degrees celsius. If you rarely cook at these temperatures then it is advisable that once a month you run this cycle to ensure the Catalytic linings continue to perform. The benefits of these linings is that they tend to last the lifetime of the oven. A typical self cleaning process for a Catalytic oven takes around 30 minutes to complete. 

However, like a Pyrolytic oven, some manual cleaning is still required. This can be done with a dish cloth and water to clean the residue which has been removed. This however can be quite a daunting task depending on the last time you ran a self cleaning cycle. If this is the case, it is not for the faint hearted and a professional oven clean may be an option for you.

Finally, just because the panels do not allow grease and grime to stick, this does not stop it from infiltrating the panels. A common story Catalytic oven owners tell is the realisation of seeing the grease that has accumulated behind the Catalytic panels. 

The Verdict, are self cleaning ovens worth it?

With all this in consideration, self cleaning ovens do not guarantee a professional clean. Whilst they are more beneficial than standard ovens. The cost of the appliance itself paired with increased energy costs is something to consider when deciding to invest. Not forgetting that self cleaning ovens still require a manual clean to ensure the appliance continues to perform would also be the final consideration.

If you decide that a self cleaning oven would be worth the investment, but don’t want to manually clean the appliance. Then there are professional oven cleaners who are able to clean those hard to reach places for a reasonable price. 

Book a professional clean here.