Here is my review of Oven Clean's oven cleaning system as seen on their video on their website.
The differences between our system and theirs, as seen in this video, are the following (you may need to view it full screen to see the points I am raising here):
1. In the video the Oven Clean franchisee is cleaning a Creda Continental standard double oven. The final shot of the "finished" oven shows that the enamel parts of the oven, and door have been cleaned but the self cleaning sides haven't been removed to clean them and they are brown and on the back black with burnt on carbon; also the fan at the back hasn't been touched either. When I started my oven cleaning business this would have been the way that I would have cleaned this oven and I would have told the client that sorry we don't clean the self cleaning sides or the fan at the back. But after a visit, a few years ago now, to a house where the oven had been recently been cleaned by the local (Bristol) Ovenu franchisee I noticed that the oven and its self cleaning sides were perfectly clean - though for some reason he had missed the glass on the inside of the door. This oven was a Creda just like in the video. Really to ensure that we were getting the same standards of our competitors, in this case Ovenu, I started taking the self cleaning panels off on Creda ovens and putting them in our dip tank in the van. They came out perfectly. I also started cleaning the fan and the area around the back of the fan. Really the worry I had that this would add more time onto the job was incorrect as it didn't. I am happier now as our results now are pristine GLEAMING ovens rather than half a job oven cleaning. See my Range Master cooker cleaning post to see what a CLEAN self cleaning panels should look like!
The only problem with taking the sides off the Creda is getting them back on, you have to do some jiggling to get the holes lined up. But the way to do it is to put the aluminum corner plate back on over the TOP of the side self cleaning panel as by doing this this way you can get the holes lined up - I'll do a video on this in the New Year so you get the idea. I don't as a rule take off the self cleaning panel off the ceiling of the oven as really they are VERY difficult to get back on. If the sides aren't that dirty I just take off the back panel - which means undoing four screws- and the fan and dipping them both. I clean the sides with a micro fibre cloth and degreaser.
2. I noticed that he didn't remove the door of the grill compartment whilst cleaning it. I'd say it is unadvisable to do this as if the oven is older the hinges may have wear on them and just some slight added pressure from leaning on them will cause them to "go" which means you'll have to fork out for a replacement.
3. When he opens up the back of the van and goes to pull out the oven cleaning dip tank unit it is obvious that it hasn't been designed very well (well to me with my Technology Design Degree) as there is no handle to put it out. And when he does pull it out it shows how precariously balanced the tray is as he has to move it back into position to get it lined back up. Also when he does the solution is obviously boiling. Does this mean that the gas is lit and has been burning merrily away in the back of the van? Well yes of course it does - though I have heard that franchises stay with the burner to 'watch' the hot water, which they have brought out of the house, whilst it heats up until it gets to the correct temperature). When the racks have been taken out it doesn't show him throwing the solution away. Really he's got to pick up the hot tray with the solution in and pour it into one of his buckets and then throw it away. I know the solution is washing up liquid (that's why he needs to rub the grill pan rack to get it clean after taking it out of the soulition ) but really some safety googles, with all the hot soapy water splashing around, would have made me happier. Really all these things both individually and together really throw up some big heath and safety issues. For us with five employees at once in a period in the last twelve months we have had to address all our Health and Safety Procedures.
Really all this carrying around of hot water from the house to the tank and then watching it heat up and then throwing it away must add tons of time onto an Oven Clean's franchisees day! Really when I am in 'oven cleaning mode' and I am in a rush to get things done this system would just slow me down so I am glad we use the system we do.
As we use a chasis fitted tank that has been pre heated, is insulated, and stays hot all day we don't have live flames at jobs, we don't carry gas bottles around, we don't have to handle hot trays of water, we use proper safety equipment and procedures. We don't waste time going backwards and forwards with water buckets, which means we can clean four ovens easily in a normal 0900 to 1700 working day.
4. The final finish of the oven looked smeared. Really to get this right you need a dry cloth such as microfibre cloth and you apply pressure and rub over the glass - a perfect result. I am surprised that they let the woman giving the testimonial be filmed in front of a smeared oven - but we all can make mistakes when putting videos together - watch out for my franchise opportunity video I'll try and not make them!
Image by Getty Images via @daylife
