GE Profile electric double wall-ovens. Self-clean feature works fine. Have had self-clean electric ovens for at least two decades. They've all worked fine. Just wipe out the white powder with a damp rag when they're finished.

No nasty fumes or burned out electronics. There is a faint odor when the cleaning-cycle reaches highest heat but hardly worth mentioning. A non-issue in my opinion.

The heating elements are certainly removable although I've not yet encountered any reason for doing it.

I don't know what you've been reading but it certainly doesn't match my experience.

Thanks, asolo. That's good news. I'll check out GE Profile.

How often do you use the self clean feature? I clean my current oven about 3 times a year. Do you need to do it more often so things don't get too burned on, or doesn't it matter?

In my experience, doesn't matter. I run a cycle whenever the ovens get to the point where I can't stand it....or whenever my sister can't stand it. Depends on circumstance....different for everyone.

GE Profile by no means unique. I've had several different brands over the decades. They've all worked fine.

Oven cleaners destroy the special catalytic coatings on some self cleaning ovens which help to burn off the grime.

Self cleaning which caused "some" ovens made by a certain maker to blow a safety power removal component seem to be less common now.

When in doubt, try breaking up the self cleaning session into more than one step. Try it over two days at 1.5 hours for each day if one three hour cleaning is called for.

Clarification as I understand it ... I could be wrong ...

Self-cleaning ovens are typically standard porcelain interiors, with no special coatings. The warning against using oven cleaning products is because chemical residue left behind can generate toxic fumes the next time a self-clean cycle is run (temps may reach over 900F) ... not because it damages the finish.

Continuous-cleaning ovens DO have a special porous coating that absorbs and dissipates soil at normal baking/broiling temperatures. Oven cleaning products CAN damage this kind of oven such that the finish no longer "continuous"-cleans. Mild detergent can be used on them.

Agree with dadoes....about the different types of ovens and about AVOIDING oven-cleaning products in either type.