Self-cleaning oven vs your dog
Should pet owners hand-wash or use the self-clean feature?
There’s something about owning property that makes you look at everything with new eyes. As a renter, I couldn’t have cared less about the refrigerator brand, the stove features or how to take care of laminate floors. If something went wrong, I called the landlord or the property manager. In the past few years, as a homeowner, I’m dissecting everything I encounter and doing way more do-it-yourself projects in three years than I ever did in the other 30-plus. Now add a pet into the mix, and things I used to enjoy are looking a little sketchy, one of which is self-cleaning ovens.
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Without fail, there are two things I’m no-nonsense about when it comes to maintenance: cleaning my stove and refrigerator every three months, and Sweeper Sundays (when I clean, mop, dust and remove all pet hair from every single inch of my condo). Pre-pet adoption (when I was dog boarding), all of this was a breeze. It’d take me 20–30 minutes to clean up, and I’d find somewhere to go for a few hours so I didn’t smell the stove cleaner. Dog boarding is usually a few days to a week, and they weren’t here long enough to really leave crazy clumps of hair.
Now? I use at least two pieces of cleaning cloths to clean up hair, even with a smooth-haired dog. Her fur is sneaky. She looks smooth, and you don’t know she’s shedding until you do a onceover of the couch or dark clothes.
As for the stove, my dog enjoys being home far more than hanging out in dog parks or anyone else’s home. After two to three hours, she’s over anywhere we are and wants to drink from her bowl, eat from her dish, play with her toys, sit in her crate and rest in her bed.
While I used to shrug and just drop her off to be the homebody puppy she is, self-cleaning appliances complicate that idea. The last thing I’m going to do is leave my dog home alone while the oven is on, even with the windows open. So the self-cleaning stove became problematic. While it saves time, I’m more cognizant of the smell of the fumes. In turn, I’m now watching my dog’s reaction to something I’d pretty much ignored for the past few years.
Are self-cleaning ovens safe for pets?
Depending on the site, you’re either a horrible person for having a self-cleaning oven turned on around your pet or everybody else is overreacting. There seems to be no in-between. And if you have a tropical bird, you’re going straight to hell for using that self-cleaning feature. Do not pass “Go.” Do not collect $200.
Recommended Read: “Dirty dog, clean house ~ Keeping your home smelling and looking clean with your new dog”
Sites like Compact Appliance and SFGate focus on how harmful polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) toxicosis (i.e. stove fumes) is, especially to birds. The fumes not only affect their respiratory system but also their flight muscles. Both encourage keeping pets outside or taking them elsewhere, which sounds like a great idea if you don’t have a puppy who will start walking backwards and stare longingly at your car when she’s ready to return home.
On the other hand, Molly Maid and Mental Floss assure pet owners that house pets are generally OK to stay home around self-cleaning ovens, minus tropical birds. Turn on the vent above the stove, open the windows and all should be fine. (I have further complicated the issue by decorating for Halloween, and now the decor is completely covering my kitchen window.)