Washington woman turns oven on self-clean mode for the first time. Then she realizes why no one uses it: ‘Self clean shouldn’t exist’
Instead of treating the button like a cursed relic, a Washington woman fired up her oven’s self-clean mode for the very first time. The result? Nowhere near “set it and forget it” but more “welcome to your own personal house fire simulation.” Within seconds, her kitchen had turned into a front-row seat to a full-on flame rave behind the oven door. One look at the inferno and she summed up the nation’s collective fear perfectly: “Self clean shouldn’t exist.”
Diana’s Attempt to Clean
The five-second clip is spreading like wildfire across TikTok. Now at 1.5 million views, Diana’s (@mer__diana) short video is alerting homeowners everywhere. The clip begins with two people in the kitchen peering down into the oven.
The door stays closed, but what happens inside is still clearly visible–and terrifying. A live flame can be seen dancing through the glass, as if taunting the scared homeowners. Diana’s text overlay reads: “POV: you turned on the oven’s self-clean mode for the first time… and now [fire emoji].” People can be heard faintly exclaiming in the background before the video ends.
How Does the Self-Clean Mode Work on an Oven?
Some families have an entire routine, while others have never ventured into ever turning on the function. For those who have never heard of or simply never tried it before, Whirlpool has an educational article containing frequently asked questions and steps on how to use the mode correctly.
“In short, a self-cleaning oven uses either high temperatures or steam to help remove any residue and food leftover from previous baking or roasting…temperatures will reach upward of 800ºF, which helps incinerate any leftover food and stuck-on grime, turning into ash that can be wiped away with a wet cloth.”
A frequent topic from companies is actually not even the fire risks, but breaking a fuse. Since the oven reaches high temperatures not usually used, some people have experienced burning through a fuse in their house or ruining nearby appliances. Posted 13 years ago on the r/LifeProTips subreddit, one user tries to warn others not to use this mode, especially during the holidays. They write, “The self cleaning feature is the most abuse the oven goes through, with temperatures cranked up quite high to burn off the grime that accumulates inside. Because of that, it’s the most frequent time for an electronic control panel or other sensitive part to fail.”
The comments, however, are the ones that bring up the fire risks. One Redditor says, “Not to mention the fires they can cause. It is self clean, not self remove the years worth of sh-t caked on the bottom and sides. That sh-t causes fires people.”
Another says, “I did this once about 5 years ago, 3 days before Thanksgiving. My control panel went out, and then oven would not turn off. It got hotter and hotter, and lit on fire. I had to flip the breaker to get it to turn off.”
@mer__diana ??
♬ Cute mischief, scheming (loop) – The Penguin
Did Everyone Already Know?
It seems Diana’s viewers teeter between already knowing this dangerous game due to their own experiences or by learning through urban folktales (i.e., TikTok). Not surprisingly, some viewers cracked some jokes about the entire bewildering situation.
One of the top comments states, “I did this once. My grandma who can barely walk sprinted into the kitchen and threw salt on it. Apparently salt immediately puts out grease fires.”
Another viewer says, “If there’s one thing I learned on tiktok it’s that we dont use the self clean option on ovens.” While a third one shares, “So I heard from fire departments that the self cleaning oven feature should never be used….”
Lastly, one says, “Like the popcorn button, self clean shouldn’t exist.”
On the other hand, some chip in with comedic relief. One viewer quips, “It’s ok, ovens are made for hot things like fire.”
Another says, “Congrats on the new fireplace!” While a third says, “I thought this was the sims.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Diana via email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
