Help! Plastic totally melted in the oven...

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Forum -> Household Management -> Kosher Kitchen

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BadTichelDay

Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:12 am

Pre-Shabbat desaster: While I was heating the oven up for baking challot, my toddler son must have put a plastic item into the oven. He does that sometimes, but normally when the oven is cold. This time I noticed smoke and an acrid smell coming out of the oven and when I opened the door, there was a big bubbling pool of liquid plastic on the oven floor and some more hanging like dripping icicles down from the grid. No idea what it was, totally unrecognizable, but strongly smelling of burnt plastic. How can I clean that sticky poisonous goo out?
The oven is an Israeli model, not self cleaning, with turbo air flow.
I'm worried mainly for health reasons (as in, burnt plastic releases carcinogenic substances).
Any ideas? Wipe it out while it's hot? Wait until it cools and try to peel it off? Anything else?

amother

Gray

Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:30 am

Heat oven on low until plastic is melted but not smoking, turn off oven, scrape. Repeat as necessary.

On a separate note, please, please, please find a way to supervise your toddler when your oven is on. If he had tried to put his toy in a few minutes later when the over was already hot you would have had a much bigger disaster (chas v'shalom).

amother

Apricot

Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:30 am

Take the food out, turn the oven off, let it cool and the plastic harden again. Then turn the oven on for a few minutes and let the plastic get to the stage where it's just warm and pliable and you'll easily be able to remove it.

momX4

Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:35 am

Get an oven lock.

Realise how lucky you are. I was at a friends house when this happened and no one noticed until the kitchen turned black from heavy smoke. The fire department had to be called. Bh the fire was contained to the oven.

BadTichelDay

Fri, Sep 01 2017, 8:44 am

Thanks all. In the meantime, I've let it cool down and was able to peel off the majority of the lump from the oven floor. But the whole inside of the oven has a greasy, plastic smelling film on it, from the fumes, I guess. Will probably try oven cleaner and scraping after Shabbat. And try to get an oven lock.

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