How to Keep Oven Cleaner off the Heating Element in Your Electric Range
You may want to take precautions against getting oven cleaner on the heating elements inside your electric range. Oven cleaners by design are caustic in order to eat away baked-on spills inside the range. The smell of most oven cleaners is already unpleasant without the added odor of baking it if you get cleaner on the elements. The sure-fire way to keep oven cleaner off the range elements is to remove them before cleaning the range. This takes only a few minutes using a screwdriver.
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Shut off the power to the range, unplug the power cord and wait for the appliance to cool completely.
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Open the range door and take out the wire racks to make room for you to work.
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Remove the screws at the two connection points in the back wall of the range for the top and bottom heating elements. Pull gently on each element to disconnect it from the range.
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Place a square of duct tape over the connection sockets for the heating elements to prevent oven cleaner from getting inside.
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Spray oven cleaner inside the range as you normally would in preparation for scrubbing the interior.
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Remove the duct tape to reconnect the range heating elements when you are finished cleaning.
References
Warnings
- Avoid breathing the oven cleaner fumes; they're noxious.
Writer Bio
James Clark began his career in 1985. He has written about electronics, appliance repair and outdoor topics for a variety of publications and websites. He has more than four years of experience in appliance and electrical repairs. Clark holds a bachelor's degree in political science.
Photo Credits
- Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
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