While an oven can be a source of delicious smells, bad odors that have nothing to do with food are just as common. Why does my Maytag oven smell bad? In a new oven, an odor of burning plastic may occur when its insulation is exposed to heat. Learn what causes common Maytag oven smells and how to get rid of the odor.

While some bad smells quickly dissipate or are easily removed, others require an immediate or specific response. We’ll list the causes of common Maytag oven smells and how to make them safely and effectively disappear.

Is it bad if your oven smells like gas? That depends on how long it lasts and if the oven is on when you smell it. When a gas oven is turned on for the first time, it’s normal for a small amount of gas to be released before it’s ignited. The odor should quickly dissipate and isn’t a cause for concern. 

What do I do if my oven smells like gas and it’s not new? If the smell of gas occurs only when the oven is on, turn it and its gas connection off. Ventilate the area and contact a professional appliance service to evaluate the oven. However, if the oven smells like gas when it’s not in use, there could be a gas leak in your home or oven gas connection. Leave the house immediately and do not return until a utility or repair service has assessed the problem.

When a Maytag oven smells like burning plastic there could be one of several causes. The right response depends on whether or not the oven is new when odor occurs.

If your Maytag oven is new :

If your Maytag oven is not new :

• Electrical malfunction: The oven won’t heat up properly and a burning plastic smell will occur if the plastic coating around the oven’s wiring melts away. Inspect the wiring and contact a professional service to repair any damage.
•  Melting cookware or utensils: Plastic containers or utensils that are mistakenly left inside the oven will quickly melt and burn during cooking. Melted plastic that’s still warm can be scooped away with a wooden spoon. Cooled plastic can be carefully scraped away with a dull knife or scraping tool.
  

Why does my oven smell like rotten eggs? Unfortunately, this odor suggests larger problems. The sulfurous smell of rotten eggs can occur from rodent infestation inside the oven. Pests often seek out warm spots, like the oven’s vents and cavities, to nest. In addition to nesting materials, dirt and droppings, they leave behind urine that smells like rotten eggs. If these signs are present in other areas of your home, like pantry shelves and inside walls, rodent infestation is likely the cause of rotten oven odor.

To remove this bad smell a cleaning product specifically designed for rodent clean-up is required. Running the oven’s self-clean cycle afterward can also help dissipate the odor. However, if the oven’s insulation is affected, the self-clean function’s heat can worsen the problem. In this case, the oven’s insulation should be professionally replaced.

The high heat of an oven’s self-cleaning cycle can have other downsides as well. Charred food remnants that remain behind can have an unpleasant odor. Even if you skip the self-clean cycle, the wrong cleaning solutions can cause bad chemical odors during the oven’s next use. Instead, manual cleaning with ammonia can prevent bad Maytag oven smells.

Here’s how to clean an oven with ammonia :

From how to clean a glass cooktop to eliminating bad Maytag oven smells our experts can care for every range and oven. Contact Reliable Appliance Service for all your cooking appliance needs!