Removing the White Silicone Power on My Oven Walls

I received the following email a few days ago from a woman who has silicone powder coating her oven walls after accidentally leaving a silicone mitt in her oven:

Dear Ed,

I have no idea if you can help so all I can do is ASK. Right?

This afternoon I turned my electric oven on to roast a chicken for dinner. I inadvertently left a small silicone hot mitt in the oven the last time I used it. Well...the darned mitt "dissolved" into thick white powder that has coated the entire interior of my oven!!! (Yes, it coated the chicken, too!!!)

Of course, I threw away the chicken and have tried getting the gritty powder off all of the interior surfaces using various methods: I vacuumed the sides with the vac brush attachment; I wiped off what I can reach with wet towels; I used the dryer vent-cleaning brush to try and reach around the elements at top and bottom. The stuff is horrible! It blows like snow and so I wore a mask and goggles in case it is toxic...who really knows?!

My oven interior is extremely hard to access and I am ready to get out the high pressure washer that we use to clean the deck and just go crazy! Of course, I would probably electrocute myself in the process AND flood the kitchen...so, instead, I am asking if you might suggest an alternative. I may have to hire someone to get the oven really clean again...darn it!

NO MORE SILICONE ANYTHING IN MY HOUSE!!!

Thanks,
D.

I've thought about this for a few days now. I've wondered what I might do if I found silicone powder coating my oven.

It occurs to me that ammonia breaks the bonds of many things. That's why ammonia is so effective as a window cleaner. It breaks the bond that holds the dirt on the glass.

If it were me, I might try ammonia first. I'd use a soft bristle brush and I'd scrub the ammonia into the walls of the oven first. Perhaps I would use a toothbrush to scrub the knarly little corners where a soft bristle brush might not reach.

Since this is all an experiment, I'm not sure what I'd do next.

Perhaps I would let the ammonia dry and then try and see if the powder will now vacuum with a vacuum cleaner. However, if I did use I vacuum cleaner I'd use a good model such as a Miele which would presumably keep the silicone in the dirt bag and out of my lungs.

I would not try vacuuming silicone powder with an ordinary vacuum cleaner as may vacuum cleaners filter the air very poorly. Whatever I did, I certainly would not risk getting silicone powder in my lungs!

Perhaps wiping the powder with a damp cloth is a better option as there is no risk of getting silicone powder in the lungs. At least, I hope not.

All of the above is experimental. Since it is an experiment, I might try the ammonia on a small spot on the oven first. There's no point in trying it on the whole oven if it will not work even on a small spot.

My hope would be that since ammonia seems to work on the smooth surface of a glass window that it would work on the smooth surface of an oven wall. You can always hope.

Note that I have not tried any of the above. Therefore, there is some risk in being the first to try it.

However, in general, ammonia is considered to be pretty safe. The one exception that I'm aware of is mixing ammonia and chlorine. I believe that this combination can kill you! Don't do that.

Here are some near-death experiences people have had mixing ammonia and chlorine together:

Chlorine and Ammonia Mixed Together Can Kill You

Make sure the oven is off before trying anything. Since ammonia is wet, it is not a good idea mixing ammonia (which surely has some water in it) with electricity.

I might take the additional precaution of turning off the oven at the circuit breaker if I were to do some really heavy duty cleaning with ammonia

Good luck! Let us know if this works. You can post your results below by hitting the appropriate button. Feedback would be quite welcome.

I have no idea whether or not this will actually work.

Ed Abbott