The biggest mistake people make with self-cleaning ovens is letting them get too greasy/dirty before using the cleaning cycle. I made that mistake once with my first self-cleaning oven—an electric 1985 Whirlpool. There were several little fires going on inside and of course the thing was belching smoke into the house. I shut it off immediately and waited nervously for it to play out—can’t do much when the oven door is locked. So, lesson learned there!
Gas ovens give off a tremendous amount of heat during the cleaning cycle. My 2002 Frigidaire heated the whole upper level of the house when I ran the cycle during the winter. The drawer at the bottom was a food warmer, so never stored anything in it. This is when I had both gas and electric ranges sitting next to each other. I tended to use the electric oven for things that would splatter—meatloaf, bacon, meatballs, etc.—because it gave off less heat/fewer fumes during cleaning.
I have no fear of the self-clean cycle—currently own a 2017 electric double-oven GE purchased when I moved to the apartment—and use it as soon as one of the ovens gets lightly dirty. It smells less during cleaning if the oven isn’t too dirty, which makes it easier on the neighbors, as well. Only three of the eight apartments here have a self-cleaning oven.
