GE Oven Steam Clean Not Working? Here’s Why (+ How To Fix)

Spill-overs from cookware in the oven are a common occurrence that creates a mess to be cleaned. If you have one of those GE ranges with steam clean, you can easily clean minor food spills in less time and at lower temperatures than the self-clean cycle. However, if the steam clean feature fails when you need to clean your oven, you’ll lose out on the benefits of the quicker cleaning option.

There are 3 specific situations when your GE oven steam clean feature will not work:

• The oven is hot (not yet at room temperature after a cooking cycle).
• The controls are not correctly set.
• The oven door is open.

You can resolve these issues quite easily. Read the rest of the article to understand more about these easy-to-fix causes.

Oven Is Hot

You will not be able to set a Steam Clean cycle soon after a cooking cycle because the steam clean cycle can only be selected when the oven is cool at room temperature. If this is not the case, the oven will not respond to pressing the Steam Clean pad

How to Fix

This issue is one of the easiest fixes on the list. If your oven is too hot to use the Steam Clean function, simply allow the oven to cool off before trying to use the feature. After the oven has completely cooled off, you will need to reset the controls and then the feature should work.

Oven Controls Are Not Set Properly

Your oven controls need to be set to steam clean before the cleaning cycle can function. If this is not done or the controls-setting process is not completed in all the steps, the oven will not steam clean.

How to Fix

To fix this issue, you’ll just need to set the Steam Clean cycle. Follow the instructions in the “Using Steam Clean” section of your Owner’s Manual. Generally, you should follow the steps below:

1. Ensure the oven is at room temperature.
2. Wipe off any excess spills from the oven. You don’t need to remove the racks since the heat is not too high and won’t destroy them.
3. Pour a cup of water onto the oven floor. The water will create the steam needed to clean the oven.
4. Close the oven door. Ensure the door is not open during the entire steam cleaning cycle.
5. Press the Steam Clean Pad. If your oven doesn’t have this option, double-press the Clean pad.
6. Once you see “00:30” appear on the display, you can now press the Start button.
7. The Steam Clean cycle takes half an hour. Once complete, use a soft sponge to clean the moisture-soaked food soils on the oven floor, door, and walls. 

If any stubborn spills are hard to wipe, you can use a non-abrasive cleaner. GE Appliances recommends Bar Keepers Friend. You can purchase this superior oven cleanser and polish from Amazon.com. The cleaner contains degreaser elements that save you the time to scrub off stains, leaving your oven sparkling like new. 

This video by GE Appliances on YouTube will give you a visual demonstration of the Steam Clean setup:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8z_J-yT08G8%3Frel%3D0

Alternatively, you can also consider a home remedy using vinegar and baking soda. 

Note that the GE-recommended cleaning method for Manual Clean Ovens can also be used with Steam clean ranges. 

You simply leave a half-cup of ammonia in a shallow container inside a cold oven overnight. The ammonia helps loosen food soils on your oven and can save you the energy used during a steam clean cycle. 

The Oven Door Is Open

The last reason why the Steam Clean cycle may not be working is that the oven door is not properly closed. If you leave your GE oven door open while trying to start a Steam Clean cycle, the oven will not initiate the cleaning process.

How to Fix

To fix this issue, you must ensure the door is closed before following the Steam Clean setting process outlined above. If your oven door is having trouble latching and staying closed, you may need to look into getting that part repaired before using the Steam Clean feature.