What Do Odd Smells Coming From My Oven Mean?

An oven is generally a pretty smell-free appliance. As such, if you are experiencing smells coming from it, strong enough to make you take note, then there is an issue. Luckily, there is only a small handful of smells that can manifest, so tracking down the issue is pretty simple.

Burnt Food Smell

This smell is easy, and usually not much of an issue. Burnt food smell simply means that your oven is dirty and needs cleaned. What is happening is that during regular use, food particles are just getting burned up and creating that smell. You can easily get rid of the smell by cleaning the oven as well as prevent them longer by cleaning up any spills inside the oven.

Chemical Smell

This smell often happens after cleaning. You clean your oven with a chemical cleaner, then suddenly it smells of chemicals for a while. In these cases, you will want to avoid cooking food inside the appliance until you can wipe down the inside to remove any residue.

This smell can also be a sign of a more serious problem, like the wiring getting too hot. However, if this is the case, you will notice that the appliance begins to be a little spotting on the display.

Gas Smell

This is one smell you never want to smell in your oven. When you start your gas oven, and open the door, you can expect to smell a bit of gas being released as it ignites. However, once the oven is lit or has been turned off, that smell should dissipate quickly. If you smell gas when your oven is turned off, you will want to take immediate action. Shut off the gas to your home, air it out, and call a professional technician. The usual issue with gas ovens is that owners clean too roughly around the igniters and it causes a minor gas leak.