Is Your Kenmore Stove Ready for Christmas and New Year’s Eve?

As the holidays dawn upon us, it’s time to make sure that your Kenmore stove and other kitchen appliances are in good working order so that you don’t end up in the middle of cooking Christmas dinner and your stove gives out on you. 

Fortunately, there are many simple maintenance tips that you can perform at home that will help keep your Kenmore stove in good working order for the holidays.

Kenmore Stove Maintenance Tips

Whether you like it or not, our home appliances take a beating, especially during the holidays. 

That’s why it’s crucial to take the time to regularly clean and maintain your appliance, keeping it in good shape for when you need it most!

Stove-Top Cleaning Tips

To properly clean your stovetop, it’s important only ever to use non-abrasive, oven-safe cleaning products. 

Alternatively, you can mix a paste of baking soda and a bit of vinegar to scrub and buff the top of your stove gently. This is especially useful and practical when cleaning glass top stoves and appliances, where you really don’t want to scratch your glass surface. 

Oven Cleaning Tips

The oven is one spot in the kitchen that often gets overlooked during your regular kitchen cleanings. That’s why, especially before that big Christmas feast rolls around, it’s important to clean your oven from top to bottom. 

If you’re lucky enough to have a unit with a self-cleaning cycle, make sure to run this at least 2 or 3 days before having guests over. While self-cleaning ovens are extremely convenient, they can sometimes produce burnt odours, which your guests may find offensive. 

In other words, it’s best to either run your self-cleaning cycle a few days before, or after all your guests have left. 

Or, if your model doesn’t have a self-cleaning cycle, you can use the same mixture of baking soda and vinegar that we mentioned above to clean the inside of your oven. 

Coat the mixture onto your surfaces, gently buff and scrub it in. Allow it to dry. 

Then, you can use a wet sponge or cloth to wipe your oven’s walls clean. The baking soda will absorb any burned-on odours, and the vinegar will helps ensure the surface is sanitized and cleaned.

Common Kenmore Stove Problems

While Kenmore appliances are some of the most reliable on the market, they can still run into the occasional breakdown, which can leave you in a bind, especially if you have a house full of hungry Christmas guests. 

Below, we’ve outlined several common stove problems and how to troubleshoot them on your own.

Kenmore Oven Won’t Turn On At All

The first most common issue we see is an oven that won’t turn on or start at all. 

And while this issue can leave you panicked, especially when the turkey was supposed to be in the oven an hour ago, it usually has one of two potential problems as a cause. 

The first potential problem is an oven that has been unplugged accidentally. 

In many cases, either during cleaning or simply moving the unit around, homeowners will unplug their oven or stovetop and not notice. 

Alternately, the second cause is a tripped circuit breaker at your home’s main electrical panel. 

While resetting the breaker will usually fix your problem, if the breaker continues to trip, you’ll need to contact a professional appliance technician to help you diagnose the problem.

Knobs Are Stuck or Not Turning Properly

The control knobs are your unit are the parts that get touched and used the most often. Think about: every time you turn the appliance on, you’ll use these control knobs. 

Therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that these components are prone to wearing out, getting stuck, or simply not turning properly. Often, the number/setting may also become worn off from regular use. 

As long as the knob shaft is still intact, replacing the knob should be as simple as gently pulling the old ones off and then slide the new ones on. On the other hand, if the knob has broken off at the shaft, you may need a professional appliance tech to help you repair the damaged part. 

Kenmore Gas Burners Fail to Light

A gas burner that won’t light can be especially worrisome during the holidays; however, this pesky problem is usually caused by a dirty burner preventing the flow of gas. 

When food particles and grease accumulate on the burner cap, it can prevent an adequate gas flow, resulting in an uneven flame or a burner that won’t ignite.

Kenmore Ignitor Won’t Spark

Alternatively, a burner that won’t light may be caused by a weak or faulty spark module. 

When you turn on your stovetop or oven, you should hear a clicking sound, which indicates that the unit is sparking and trying to ignite the gas. 

However, if you can’t get the burner to ignite, and you can’t hear any clicking sound when you turn the stove or oven on, you likely have a faulty spark module that will need to be replaced.