Melted plastic inside oven - help!!

20 years ago

So it finally happened. I hid a pile of stuff in the oven when last minute guests were on their way over. The next day, turned it on to pre-heat and nearly started a fire. Well . . . to be truthful I did pull out the fire extinguisher and give it a couple of blasts.

SO, now I have a thin layer of plastic melted to the bottom of my oven and plastic melted all over the shelves, any idea how to remove it without starting another fire??

Featured Answer

davidandkasie

20 years ago

scrape it off. the plastic will stick to the inside a little bit, but it usually prys right off with a little encouragement. it helps if you turn on the oven for a few minutes prior to start, not long enough to get hot, but long enough to get real warm. this will soften the plastic so that it lets go easier. if you get it too hot, the plastic will melt again and you do not want that. just warm enough so that it is not uncomfortable to reach inside for several minutes.

if you have a couple of small pieces left in there, they will burn off, but try to get as much as you can. i recommend after scraping that you set the oven to broil for an hour or so with nothing in it so that the next time you cook it does not taste like plastic.

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Comments (9)

whatwasidoing
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for the tip. I took a (new) paint scraper and got most of it off the bottom of the oven. It's amazing how tough the finish is, no scratches. I took steel wool and got most of it off the one rack and the lower burner. I had to cook the oven for a few hours to get rid of the smell.

The second rack, the one the plastic bowl was sitting on, is a mess. I will probably have to heat it a bit to get the inches of plastic removed. If the over were newer, I'd try to get a replacement rack, but the oven dates from 1952, so not much luck there.
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lindac
20 years ago
Also, putting that rack over a fire outside in your grill may burn it off and leave the smell outside.
Linda C
kev56
20 years ago
Ha HA ha! Sorry but I did pretty much the same thing two weeks ago. I was making bread and wanted a warm place for the second rise. The dough goes in a plastic bowl and, well, "I was just gonna leave the oven on for a minute or so." "Hmm, what's that sme... Argh!" Results - bowl gone, bread dough gone, 2 racks out and scraped and held over a gas flame outside to burn off what would not scrape off easily. Warmed up oven as suggested and most of the rest came out. Left oven on high for about 30 minutes and now there is no smell. Oh, my oven is also circa mid 50s.
sweeby
20 years ago
Hah! I remember sterilizing some of my son's bottle nipples once while exH was picking up his parents at the airport. I was frantically tidying up the house when I smelled something awful! The pot had boiled dry and the silicone nipples had melted into the bottom of the absolutely ruined pot. It was smoking up a storm, and caught it just as it burst into flames. I was able to put the fire out in the sink, but the burnt-tire smell! -- OMG
KellyDanford
14 years ago
My hubby left a plastic cutting board in the oven. I didn't know it and preheated the oven. Smelled horrible, plastic icicles hanging from the rack and a puddle of cutting board on the bottom. Read your advice. We reheated the plastic slightly with a heating gun. Our element is so close to the bottom we couldn't turn the oven on. We scraped and used steal wool. Thanks for the good advice. We haven't been able to use it for a while, having been using lower oven only. I am used to two ovens, especially at holiday.
brickeyee
14 years ago
Single edge razor blades and time.

Use a blade holder if you are not careful.
wxw2012
8 years ago
Birds of a feather. I just got off the phone with my Mom. She can get the grates clean. It is the heating element that is not removable. I suggested she use the ice cube method and, then, instead of heating the entire oven to soften the remaining plastic, use her hair dryer. Also, so she does not have to bend over for several minutes, +/-, get a stool/chair, have a seat and have at it. Both hands will be at work and you will not be putting your head into a hot oven (will leave it at that!). My thinking is the heat will be aimed directly at the culprit and she can work longer and more comfortably. Carpe Diem.
Star Wyatt
5 years ago
GET READY WITH A PUTTY KNIFE OR FOOD SCRAPER, A TOWEL, AND A PAIR OF HEAT-RESISTANT POTHOLDER GLOVES (MINE ARE LONG & MADE OF SILICONE WITH THICK LINERS). IF PLASTIC MELTED ON THE RACKS, LEAVE THEM IN THE OVEN. TURN OVEN TO 250 DEGREES (WHEN PLASTIC IS HEATED, IT MELTS AND BECOMES SOFT AND PLIABLE). TURN OVEN OFF. PUT ON YOUR POTHOLDERS AND OPEN THE DOOR AND IMMEDIATELY PULL ONE RACK OUT. THE PLASTIC SHOULD SCRAPE EASILY. GET AN OLD TOWEL SO YOU CAN WORK ON THE RACKS IN FRONT OF THE OPEN DOOR TO PROLONG THE HEAT. DO THE SAME TO THE OTHER RACK. WORK FAST SO MELTED PLASTIC ON THE RACK AND AT THE BOTTOM OF OVEN REMAIN HOT; IF THEY COOL DOWN, PLASTIC WILL BE HARD AGAIN. IF THIS HAPPENS, TURN OVEN ON BROIL FOR 1-2 MINUTES TO SOFTEN PLASTIC AGAIN. TO GET RID OF THE PLASTIC SMELL, SPREAD BAKING SODA ALL OVER BOTTOM OF THE OVEN THEN SPRAY WITH WHITE VINEGAR. LEAVE OVERNIGHT AND WIPE OFF THE NEXT MORNING. ANOTHER WAY IS TO BOIL 2 CUPS OF WATER IN A SMALL POT THEN ADD 2 TABLESPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT. LEAVE POT IN THE OVEN OVERNIGHT. EITHER WAY, PUT RACKS BACK IN OVERNIGHT TOO. I HOPE THESE HELP!