Whirlpool gold series oven aqualift self clean

I have a Kitchenaid gas range with Aqualift Technology, which we all know by now does not work. It doesn't superheat the water and nothing comes off the sides or back of the oven. We wanted to do something for the good of the ecology and the sales pitch sounded good. Boy were we wrong. I only had enough energy to clean the inside of the window today, but it took about 2 hours. I put the oven door flat, put paper towels on it, and soaked the paper towels with All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner. Then I put wet dishcloths on top of that so it wouldn't dry out. I still had to use a green scrubbing pad, a magic sponge, and then a metal scraper to get the baked-on grease off the door. I'm short and cannot reach all the way back into the oven. With my old stove, gas top and electric oven, the door was easily removable so I could get in close to the oven to clean it which only required wiping with a damp cloth after the electric self-clean mode. It was so much easier. Needless to say, I hate this stove/oven and will never buy another one. My next will be what I had before, gas top and electric oven as they are the easiest to clean and the cleaning mode actually burns off all of the cooked on food.

At this point, I am going to buy a countertop Air Fryer so I no longer have to use the oven except for really large baking trays, or the 18 lb turkey at Thanksgiving.

Just thought I would add a note on alternatives- in particular smooth cooktop ranges. We had GE profile ceramic cooktop range and it stained within the first 6 weeks. I always made sure any messes were totally cleaned up before cooking on it to avoid anything getting burned into the ceramic top. It made no difference and the cooktop stained just from splatter oil while cooking and the occasional boil over of mostly water.

I researched all the different brands of cooktops and saw similar complaints with other brands- although some did not have quite so many complaints. We decided to go with Frigidaire with induction cooktop. We bought the cheapest induction range. It does have convection, roast, and air-fry settings. It is amazing how the top no longer stains and looks like new two years later. It also has self-cleaning, but I only used it twice because I am always scared an oven might go out on me due to the extended high heat. The range has a satisfaction rate over 90% from customer comments on Home Depot. TBH, it is the best appliance we have ever had. I found a really low price on the internet and got it price matched locally.

Anyway, I hope everyone here finds some sort of resolution. I found this post when I was researching ranges before we bought the induction range. It is really helpful of everyone to post comments here so others know what to avoid. So, I thought I would share our experience.

This is the worst self cleaning system I've ever used. I followed the instructions and do not let the oven get dirty. I used the oven to bake over Thanksgiving and there was spillage. I ran the Aqualift procedure 4 times with no results. I then was told by a rep on a chat line at Maytag to use Affresh. This isn't working either, so now I have a very stained oven.

To make things worse, I bought new Whirlpool appliances for our condo with the same cleaning system. What a mistake.

Do you have any other suggestions to getting my oven clean? This is ridiculous.

A self-cleaning oven is a must-have feature for any busy home, I mean who wants to spend hours scrubbing and scrapping burnt food from your oven? But traditional self-cleaning ovens aren’t for everyone. If used incorrectly, self-clean’s high heat can damage your oven, the fumes smell unpleasant and may harm small pets, and the cleaning cycle can take a long time.

Enters Aqualift. Whirlpool introduced AquaLift self-cleaning technology to the Whirlpool, Maytag, Kitchen Aid, and JennAir families to make cleaning your oven easier than ever before.

AquaLift can perform a cleaning cycle in less than an hour. It releases no harmful fumes, and at 200 degrees Fahrenheit you won’t damage your appliance with frequent cleaning cycles.

Sounds great, right? But does it clean better? Let’s break it down.

Traditional Self Cleaning

Traditional self-cleaning ovens use extremely high heat of up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit (427 degree Celsius) to burn the baked on food soil in your oven cavity to a fine ash. To begin, simply remove the racks from your oven, set the self-clean cycle and hit start. Be sure to remove any small pets to a well-ventilated area as the fumes may be harmful. Once the cycle is complete, simply wipe down your oven with a damp cloth to remove the burnt waste.

Easy enough, but be prepared to wait up to 4 hours for the cleaning cycle to complete. And though the fumes aren’t harmful to human beings, they can smell unpleasant.

Judges say? Self-clean may be slow and steady, but it definitely works.

Whirlpool Aqualift Self-Clean

Whirlpool developed AquaLift as a faster, safer alternative to traditional self-cleaning ovens. The AquaLift system uses heat and water in combination with a patented porcelain coated oven interior to remove baked on food soil.

So how does it work? Remove the racks and use the Whirlpool supplied AquaLift accessories to wipe and remove the loose soil. Pour 2 cups of distilled water in the bottom of an electric oven, or 1.75 cups of distilled water in a gas oven, and close the door. Select the Clean feature and press start. The heat will create steam to lift the soil off of the porcelain coated interior and at the end of the 40-minute AquaLift cleaning cycle, the oven will beep to tell you it’s finished. Simply wipe down the oven with your sponge, and use the plastic scraper to lift any left over waste.

That said, AquaLift functions more as an improved manual clean than a true self-clean. Be prepared to use the Whirlpool provided tools to remove any excess water or waste deposits after the AquaLift cycle finishes. You may even want to run the AquaLift cycle a second time if there’s a particularly stubborn piece of dirt. But don’t worry, because it uses lower temperatures for less time you won’t damage your oven.

And what do the judges say? The lower heat is easier on your oven, it doesn’t produce any harmful fumes or unpleasant odours and it’s much faster than traditional self-cleaning. If you’re willing to use a little bit of elbow grease than Whirlpool’s AquaLift could be the perfect addition to your kitchen.

Now that you’ve got a clean sense of traditional self-cleaning vs. Whirlpool’s AquaLift, head over and shop our BrandSource store for all of your Whirlpool Family Oven needs.

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