We've lived in our current rental home for nearly three years. It has taken nearly that amount of time to clean the oven. I turned on the self-cleaning mechanism once, but immediately felt the toxicity of the fumes. Self-cleaning ovens use high heat (900-1,000 degrees Fahrenheit) to burn off dirt, spills, and residue, turning them to ash. The burning process emits dangerous vapors. According to the California EPA's study of residential cooking activities:
The self-cleaning cycle of the gas stove produced the highest pollutant levels by far -- the maximum level of PM10 was over 3,600 micrograms per cubic meter over several hours.
Because our June momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge will focus on cleaning the kitchen naturally, I knew I had to take the plunge. Here is what our oven looked like after three years of spills:
I followed this recipe offered by Karyn Siegel-Maier in her book The Naturally Clean Home:
I followed these instructions, and two hours later my oven looked like this:
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The self-cleaning cycle of the gas stove produced the highest pollutant levels by far -- the maximum level of PM10 was over 3,600 micrograms per cubic meter over several hours.
Because our June momsAWARE Natural Year Challenge will focus on cleaning the kitchen naturally, I knew I had to take the plunge. Here is what our oven looked like after three years of spills:
I followed this recipe offered by Karyn Siegel-Maier in her book The Naturally Clean Home:
- 1/2 c. sea salt
- 1/4 c. washing soda
- 2 c. baking soda
I followed these instructions, and two hours later my oven looked like this:
No harmful vapors . . . just a clean oven ready for our next meal!
