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Difficulty cleaning blue porcelain Wolf oven interior?

eastcoastmom
14 years ago

Just got a brand new 48" Wolf range -love it, but I'm concerned about cleaning the blue interior and wondering if there is something I should be doing differently. I followed the instructions for before first use (500 degrees on convection roast for an hour after rinsing out with mld soap and drying with a cloth). That is supposed to get rid of any left over oil from manufacturing. The first dish I made in the oven was a simple chicken dish I've made countless times before. There was some spillover and I immediately wiped off what I could afterwards, but not all of it would come off. I didn't think anything much of it and decided it would be a good time to do a test drive of the self clean feature. Put it through once and most, but not all of the oil stains disappeared. Near the door, there were still several areas of baked on black stain, that try as I might would not budge. Also some of the spillover got onto the stainless steel strips on the back of the door - these would not come off either.

I put the oven through a second self clean and these areas still remained.

Are these blue interiors really hard to keep clean? Does it sound like something is wrong with the self-clean? Anything I could try to use on this? Manual says mild abrasive only - do they mean something like soft scrub? Anything else I could use? These dark spots are like a layer of baked on grease that is crazy glued on.

My old Thermador oven self cleaned perfectly every time and when a lot more left on the inside than this. It seems as if all the remaining stains are nearest to the door. Could it be it's not getting hot enough over there? Anyone have any idea what may be going on? I will definitely call the store and Wolf to get some insight. Meanwhile, I think this is s..l..o..w..l..y.. coming off, but if this is what it's going to be like to keep clean it'll be quite a challenge. I do think something is wrong here, though.

Comments (34)

  • weissman
    14 years ago

    Sounds like my all-gas DCS self-cleaning range - the area on the bottom near the door doesn't get hot enough to fully self-clean - DCS advised me to use COLD Easyoff on that area and a BLUE scotchbrite scrubby and it worked - I'd call Wolf before using Easyoff, though, and see what they say.

  • john_com
    14 years ago

    Do not use SoftScrub. Cold EasyOff will work well, just let it sit a while. As W said use a blue 3m scrubber. If the burned spots remain you can use a razor blade held FLAT against the surface with some Formula 409 as a lubricant. All this recommended by Wolf.

    I have the DF Wolf and am underimpressed with the self clean. I just wipe clean after a messy dish and use the cold easyOff as needed.

  • mavia_2000
    14 years ago

    I didn't need to hear this. My new oven has a spill burned on the bottom and I tried to wipe it up with not much luck. I tried some baking soda but it didn't touch it.

  • eastcoastmom
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, everyone - very helpful

    Called Wolf - they said to use a degreaser like Fantastic or 409 on a Scotch-Brite and if that didn't work the Cold Easyoff (she did say Softscrub is fine to use). I have gotten almost everything out (but still not all). There is also apparently a scraping razor that is included with the ovens that you can use carefully. The rep told me that close to the door does not get quite as hot and may need some touching up and something about breaking it in, but still felt my experience wasn't normal. I'm also going to have service come out to make sure the oven is heating up properly on the clean cycle.

  • markbr
    14 years ago

    I'm a recent new owner of a Wolf DF 30" and I had a greasy pizza leak on to the bottom, it actually flamed up for 30 seconds but I'm sure that isn't really a big deal since that can occur during a self clean.

    Anyhow I ran the self clean rather then trying to scrub the spot, there is still a spot visible where it burned, although I haven't really tried scrubbing it yet.

    I would rather first use the cold easy off, but I called Canadian Support and they said the Wolf Manual no longer mentions that it is OK to use Easy off cold, so they could no longer recommend I try that.

    Was just wondering if the USA counterpart is saying the same thing, or if there should be any concern at all using the cold easy off, I don't want to do anything to discolour the porcelain.

    As well what do I need to do to get the window as perfectly clear as it was before the self clean, It was amazing at first, I've never seen an oven window so clear, but after the self clean it doesn't have that same clarity..how do I restore that?

    Thanks!

  • cookingkaren
    14 years ago

    Just curious, as I am considering the DF vs the all gas right now and one reason is the self-cleaning aspect. If any of you had it to do over again, would you have gone with all gas (no self-cleaning) or are you happy enough with the other points of difference (stays cooler, true convection, temp read outs, etc.) and would repurchase the dual fuel again?

  • eastcoastmom
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    My Wolf duel fuel range with sealed burners and separate Wolf wall oven are over two years old now, and I thought I should check back in case anyone is overly concerned about my original post. I'm happy to say that my initial issues, while a big concern to me at the time, don't seem to have amounted to anything significant. Ironically, I now find the oven ridiculously easy to care for and it still looks like new. The cooktop is a breeze, just some 409 and everything wipes off. Areas near the front of the oven occasionally do need a spot cleaning. Some 409 or a paste of baking powder work fine and takes just a few seconds. Overall, except for the areas right near the door, which don't get dirty all that often to begin with, the self clean works extremely well, even when it's gotten very dirty.

    An earlier poster is correct that they no longer recommend using the cold Easy Off for stubborn spots. I think it does work well, but my guess is they no longer recommend because it needs to be completely and totally rinsed off after use. My guess is that if it's not, it can damage the finish. But for whatever reason, I haven't had any more experiences like the one in my OP. Maybe it really did have to "break in."

  • dtimberld
    11 years ago

    I thought I would weigh in here, even though the posts are fairly old. I have a wolf 36" all gas range, and have so much trouble cleaning the oven that I would love to turn back time and get the dual fuel so I'd have a self-cleaning feature. My range is almost 7 years old. Overall, I love it. At the time I purchased it, a friend of mine was saying that she did not like how her electric oven cooks, and wished she had not listened to all of the dual-fuel hype. I knew I disliked how my mother's electric oven cooked, so I went with all-gas (which I preferred the look of, anyway - nicer knobs!).

    Well, over time, the occasional spillover in the oven has actually pitted the enamel in places, and it can never look good inside the oven. I'm not filming a cooking show here, so it's not the end of the world, but it does frustrate me. In addition to the pitting, there are so many nooks and crannies, it's just impossible to get the whole thing clean. At this point, because the job is so overwhelming, I probably only tackle it twice a year (and I actually don't want my cleaning person to do it for fear she'll just get frustrated and try to go at it with brillo or something super-aggressive and ruin the whole thing). The only advice I can give for those with a new all-gas is to clean it frequently to avoid the pitting I've experienced. I find it frustrating that Wolf in general says "clean up spills as soon as they happen, but don't clean while the surface is hot." Hmm. That's a little contradictory.

    It took me a while to discover that the best thing (for the range top and the oven) is a true degreaser - i buy Krud Kutter from the cleaning supplies area of Lowe's. They probably have similar at home depot. It's in a spray bottle like a windex or fantastic would be in. Great for the range hood, too - but for that, spray on your cloth and then wipe so you won't get it on the cabinets. I wish I'd discovered it sooner, because I think a quick wipe down with this after you roast a chicken or anything that has all-over grease spatter would have prevented some of the permanent damage to my enamel.

  • a2gemini
    11 years ago

    Anyone keep their pizza stone in the the oven. I used to do that with my old oven and it kept the bottom much cleaner. (on the lowest rack, not the bottom of the oven)
    I just cleaned my Wolf electric for the first time and it came out pretty good - there might be a few light spots...
    So, I put the stone back in the oven and we will see how it works.

  • Foosh.Cat
    10 years ago

    I wish I would have been wiser and I hope someone reads this post before making the same stupid mistake I did. I have a new LG electric oven with a blue interior. It was fairly expensive for an LG - dual convection, front panel controls, actual metal knobs. I needed an electric unit and liked the fact that this one had a front control panel and knobs, dual convection and was a slide in. I've unfortunately damaged the blue interior by using Bar Keepers Friend. The packaging said it was OK for porcelain and I was too dense to test a spot first or consult the owner's manual. Perhaps the interior isn't porcelain? Anyway, the abrasive was too aggressive and the bottom of the oven is now hazy. I've gone over it a few times withe cooktop polish and it seems a bit better, but not like it was. Big bummer, but at least I wasn't this stupid with an expensive Wolf. The way appliances are these days I'll probably only have the thing 5-6 years anyway. I was deathly afraid to use the self clean because I'd read about other self cleaning ovens self destructing after use of the self clean mode. Not to mention, I've been kind of getting a run around on warranty with our LG fridge. "No authorized service providers in your area" - we are 5 miles from a decent sized city (population about 190,000).

  • whitersox
    10 years ago

    wolf sent me a pdf file with updated cleaning instructions. i have a 6 month old df range w/blue interior and have been having trouble cleaning the interior; my complaints are much the same as others have posted here. i tried attaching the file they sent to me but couldn't get it to work since it is in pdf form. you could try calling or emailing customer service. cs2em@subzero.com and asking for the wolf cleaning reference for your particular range.
    i haven't yet tried the recommendations so nothing to report. the cleaning reference paper does list recommended cleaning products and gives specific cleaning instructions for the different parts of the range.

    foosh.cat... barkeepers friend is one of the accepted cleaning products, though i am not clear where one is to use it. my oven liner was pitting and was just replaced, so i am treading lightly here in the cleaning dept.

  • Loey
    8 years ago

    I just self-cleaned my Wolf oven and there are black spots all over. It smells strongly like a fire. I am putting it through a second clean cycle and hope that helps. I agree with others in this post. self clean is terrible and should work for the price of this oven!

  • opaone
    8 years ago

    We have several friends who are professional Chef's (Blue Hill in NYC, etc). They NEVER allow any kind of cleaner near an oven. They generally never clean them at all as any kind of cleaner remains for weeks or months and causes undesirable flavors in food and the buildup actually helps protect food from undesirable stuff from the oven walls. Following their advice we've not cleaned our ovens (Wolf 36" all gas range, Meile electric wall ovens) since they were installed 12 years ago.

    May not look so good on the inside but produce wonderful food.

  • charon70
    8 years ago

    Cotswolds......Your comment is interesting!! I never heard of not ever cleaning the stove. Just so I am clear....you don't even wipe the inside of the stove after cooking?

  • xedos
    8 years ago

    I'm with cotswolds , these are tools ; and while trophies for some, the majority get used. That means they only look new and pristine on day one. It's all downhill from there for the OCD neat if crowd - so why fight it?

    Now , I'm not advocating leaving those olives and cheese that fell off of the pizza to char and smoke up the kitchen. But, if the glass isn't camera lens clear or the porcelain shiny , I don't sweat it.

    Do you with operating room ovens have no scratches in your sink bowls and did you get every bit of gunk off of your cooktop too? Even in the burner assembly which are darn near impossible to clean ?

  • opaone
    8 years ago

    @charon70, stove or oven? Stovetops should be cleaned and especially the burner rings on a gas unit (and thoroughly dried). Ovens are a different story and often best to just leave them be. We'll certainly wipe spills with a wet rag but never any type of soap, detergent, or oven cleaner nor do we ever use self-clean though all of our ovens have it.

  • PRO
    Neptune Power Washing
    8 years ago

    These chefs who do not clean their ovens - How do their restaurants pass a health inspection? I have work is several food facilities and the inspectors do look at ovens and a restaurant can be shut down if ovens are too dirty, along with other parts of the kitchen.

  • xedos
    8 years ago

    They wipe them out. They don't try to make them look like the just came out of the box .

  • charon70
    8 years ago

    cotswolda....I was asking about the oven. I am not a chef by any means but I am the type of the person that would try to keep my oven looking brand new :-)

  • btnik
    6 years ago

    I don't need the interior of our Wolf 36" df range oven to look brand new. I'd just like to be able to see through the window again. The self-clean cycle cleaned the inside oven walls ok, except for the black crust near the door (as reported above). But the self-clean did very little to clear the window, and I'm afraid to use anything on the inside glass, out of concern that it may have some kind of special coating. I, too, feel that for the price, and considering how beautifully the range works in every other way, that they could have figured this out.

  • hvtech42
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    The whole reason self cleaning works is specially coated porcelain on the oven cavity surface. It's typical for self cleaning to do a poor job on the door with any oven brand, it doesn't really have anything to do with Wolf. The technology just wasn't meant to clean the door glass. The original self cleaning ovens even had shades to cover the window while running the cycle.

  • wekick
    6 years ago

    I would not even use the self clean. The blue porcelain on my Wolf DF failed after about the fourth time I used it. The porcelain chipped off with a rust colored layer showing which I think is the substrate. It is over the middle which I think is over the heating element. This is a known issue. I still use it occasionally with a covered dish and no convection but it is not usable otherwise. Luckily I have a wall oven.

  • btnik
    6 years ago

    hvtech42, well, what you wrote makes sense and certainly conforms to my experience. I am still wondering what it may take to clean the glass. There are times when we would like to see inside without opening the oven door. I tried baking soda paste, and that helped, but a lot of baked-on grime remains.

    Can anyone recommend a better method for cleaning the inside of the glass? The Wolf use and care manual doesn't offer much guidance.


  • MJ Adams
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I am having the same problem with an LG/purple enamel interior after Thanksgiving dinner for a group of 10. I served dinner and later tried to remove the burned on spots after the oven cooled and after 4 days and using the Easy Clean function twice daily, most of it is gone but there are still black spots all over the sides and bottom. Customer service told me to try the baking soda and vinegar, then oil, letting each sit 3-5 min. That didn't work. Next, I was told to try heating the oven on a low temp, spray a degreaser and then use a Scotch-Brite non-scratch pad. I did but it wasn't very helpful. I asked customer service how to avoid this again and was told that I should put cookie sheets on the racks under the food next time. I bought this because I was told by the salesperson that the Easy Clean steam function would take care of any cooked on food. It doesn't. This enamel should not be sold with this function.

  • venmar
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    btnik, try plain ammonia on a paper towel or cloth, maybe let sit a few minutes. It worked to cleanup a few residual spots on my Electrolux oven window which by the way was essentially clean aside from those spots/drip streak remains. I too wondered about window coating- but I am guessing the heat reflective coating must be on the back side of the glass, not the side exposed to the oven cavity. I did not notice any change after using the ammonia except that the glass is now clean. Does your Wolf range have adjustable self-clean time? Try a longer cycle? Mine defaults to 3 hrs. but I wonder if 4hrs. would leave it almost spotless.

  • MJ Adams
    6 years ago

    No, unfortunately, my LG only has the Easy Clean function and I could kick myself because the salesperson assured me that it would clean up quickly whatever the spill. Plus I went online and read review after review and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch so I did my homework and still made the wrong decision. As an aside, I have asthma and I used to have to leave the house when using the high heat self-clean for my old oven so I thought this was a win/win situation. Nope! I will give your ammonia on paper towels trick a try. Thank you for your help.

  • Carolyn K
    5 years ago

    I clean my Wolf oven glass with a magic eraser. Works like, well, magic :) It may take some scrubbing, but a follow up quick polish with a microfiber cloth gets it to shine clear again.


  • PRO
    WoodStream Art
    4 years ago

    I am furious at the blatant false advertising. I bought the LG range with the blue porcelain oven. The only two logos on the range are LG and easy clean. In reality it is impossible to get and keep it clean. An independent review had a 1.2 rating so I know it is not just me. Yet they continue to sell this range. As long as we consumers keep buying the LG products, the could care less if the quality is good. I will of course never buy another LG product, Plan to share this on social media. Please do the same. Maybe you can keep someone else from making the same mistake. Easy clean should mean easy clean!

  • magictractor
    4 years ago

    Liquid barkeeper’s friend cleaned the glass of the inside of my Wolfe oven door.

  • HU-741885775
    3 years ago

    My new LG Blue enamel interior is terrible to keep clean. I do a lot of baking but still want my oven to look good and am willing to put in the work. However no matter how much work, it still remains blackened and cloudy looking. The self-clean is stupid and the company should be held accountable. I have other LG products and they don't live up to the sales pitch either. My previous GE oven worked much better and kept the heat where the LG heats the kitchen first. I will not consider any LG appliance in the future.

  • Nancy Trapani
    3 years ago

    I use a homemade degreaser in my LG oven. It does a good job of getting rid of those black spots, but it has caused a hazy film on the interior

  • HU-477951576
    2 years ago

    I have a double Wolf wall oven. The electronic board went out. v expensive repair. Repairman said never use the self clean. Temps over 700 degrees self venting is too hot. There were scorch marks on the interior cabinet walls when he pulled the oven out. I cook a lot so the oven gets dirty. It used to be pristine w the self clean. Not now.

  • PRO
    Neptune Power Washing
    2 years ago

    I wonder if any manufacturer has made an oven that is red or orange on the inside? It would seem to make more sense than blue (which suggests cold). Should we maybe just switch to manual clean ovens? It seems like self cleaning causes damage, so maybe go back to easy off?