Do you line your oven with foil? Rae does. She always has, and her parents always have. It’s such a normal thing to do with an oven, it didn’t occur to Rae not to do it. She lined her oven with foil, then popped a frozen pizza in there on the first night after it was delivered. The foil melted the interior oven surface, and now Samsung tells Rae and her husband that they’ve voided the warranty.

Less than two weeks ago, I purchased for my new home a high efficiency washer and dryer, refrigerator, and electric range from Lowe’s in [redacted]. All of these major appliances are made by Samsung. I purchased an extended 4 year warranty for the washer, dryer, and range. Upon delivery, the installation people were very clear about telling me how to properly clean and use the washer and dryer, flush the water system on the refrigerator, and to be sure to use glass ceramic cleaner for the range and stove top.

That evening to make dinner, I put foil in the bottom of the oven, as I have done with every other oven I have ever owned and had seen my parents do for years. I heated the oven and popped in a frozen pizza. Twelve minutes later, I opened the door, only to find that several spots of the foil had melted to the bottom of the oven. Never having seen this, I got the instruction book for the range and saw, a few pages in in regular print, that we are not to put foil on to the bottom of the oven.

I called Samsung, told them my problem and asked for information on how to clean the foil off. They told me that I had just voided my warranty and that they knew of nothing to clean it. I called Lowe’s and was told that they didn’t know of a way to clean it, and that I had voided my extended warranty. Looking on the internet I saw that I was not the first person to line their new ovens with foil, as this is a very common practice and has been for years.

Following some tips, I tried cleaning the foil with the glass ceramic cleaner provided with the range and a study plastic spatula. This was only slightly effective. I used the steam clean option for the oven twice and had no luck. I haven’t had any success in removing what’s left of the foil, even with trying to pick it clean with my fingernails.

I have not used my oven since and am heartbroken over this occurrence. This is a house that we had just bought a few days prior to purchasing all of these appliances. The Samsung representative was not polite, to say the least, and offered no suggestions or alternatives.

I had never heard of not being able to line one’s oven with foil. This was stated in the instruction booklet, but not in a prominent location where one would be sure to see it. Also, the Lowe’s delivery / installation people should have informed me that I could not line the oven, as they were explicit in their other instructions, nor did the sales associate who sold me all of the products inform me. Since this is a huge detail, it should be clearly detailed in both the written instructions and also verbally.

Is it a huge detail? I grew up with and have always had self-cleaning ovens until my current apartment, and I’ve never lined the bottom with foil. Is that a natural assumption for most people, as it is for Rae?

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