Preheating an oven is a standard part of cooking.
You will want to have the oven warmed up before starting your meal preparation. Unfortunately, it’s possible for the oven to not work the way you want it to.
This can include you dealing with smoke coming out of the oven while preheating.
Smoke coming out of the oven while preheating means the oven has not been cleaned. This causes debris to settle on the heating element, which then burns to create smoke. To fix this issue, turn on the oven’s self-clean feature, open the window, and let it run. If it does not have this feature, rigorously clean the oven on your own.
Do not attempt to use an oven that is smoking while preheating. This is a sign of impending damage that will only get worse with time.
If you want to do it the right way, it’s time to figure out what to do if you see smoke coming out of the oven while preheating.
This guide will offer a step-by-step solution for cleaning an oven that is smoking.
Table of Contents
Best Thermometer for Oven (EDITOR’S CHOICE)
No products found.
How To Fix Smoke Coming Out Of Oven While Preheating
1. Turn On The Self-Clean Feature
If there is smoke coming out of the oven control panel, this can be a sign of an electrical issue. It’s important to pinpoint where the smoke is coming from before moving forward with any type of solution.
Assuming the smoke is coming out of the oven while preheating it, this means the heating element is dirty and needs to be cleaned.
How are you going to do this?
To clean the oven, you have to use the self-clean feature. Most ovens do have this feature and it can be activated easily.
2. Open The Window
When self-cleaning the oven, you will want to air out the room.
This is to get rid of the smoke that is coming from the oven. If you open the window, it will help alleviate some of the smoke and allow the appliance a cleaner environment to clean in.
Smoke coming from an oven vent is unpleasant to deal with. It can be a lot of smoke at once.
By opening the window, you can help keep the air quality reasonable throughout the process. Remember, self-cleaning an oven can take hours at a time.
3. Manually Clean the Oven Before Use
If the gas oven is smoking, this does not mean self-cleaning is enough.
Yes, this is the first step.
You are now going to want to open the oven and begin wiping it down manually. This will help get rid of anything that is left over.
The goal is to ensure you have done your due diligence during the cleaning phase. This is how you can prevent an oven from smoking while preheating.
Is It Normal For An Oven to Smoke?
It is normal for an oven to produce a small amount of smoke. However, if it is a noticeable amount that fills the room, this can be a sign of an electrical problem in the control panel or a dirty heating element. To fix the issue, self-clean the oven, air out the room and make sure to check the oven control panel.
There are limits to how much smoke an oven should produce.
If it is an excessive amount, you will want to look at other options.

Why Does My Electric Oven Smoke So Much?
Your electric oven smokes so much due to a damaged control panel or dirty heating element. When this heating element burns, it will start to produce a noticeable amount of smoke. To fix this issue, self-clean the oven, open a window, and air out the room.
It’s important to routinely clean the oven to make sure it does not smoke a lot.
Otherwise, as it ages, it will get dirtier and that is when things spiral out of control until the appliance dies.
Final Thoughts
These are the reasons smoke is coming out of the oven while preheating.
If smoke is coming out of the oven while preheating, the most common reason is a dirty or malfunctioning heating element. To fix this problem, start by self-cleaning the oven for a few hours, opening a window, and airing out the smoke. Once done, wipe the components inside the oven and then test it again.
This should get rid of the smoke produced by your oven during preheating.
Read More On Kitchens:
- Tips To Repair Cracked Oven Base
- Causes Of Gas Smell From The Oven
- Tips For Repairing An Unreachable Smoke Detector That’s Chirping
- Reasons Electric Oven Smells Like Gas
- Are Ovens Supposed To Be Warm From The Outside?
- Do Oven Burners Work If The Oven Isn’t?
- How To Ventilate An Oven Safely
- Is Setting Up An Oven Liner Wise?
- Reasons Your Oven Takes Long To Preheat
- Why Is The Oven Temperature Off By A Lot?