# Cleaned the Gene's glass chamber



## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

Bad weather inspired a long overdue cleaning of the glass chamber on the 13-year-old Gene. Managed to get rid of the baked-on oil stains and pretty pleased with the result:

View attachment 61555


For anyone inspired to do the same - To clean the chamber I removed the separator assembly (pulls out with pliers), removed the blade rubber cushion, put the metal a bag. Added some Oven Pride gel to cover everything and let it sit and do the magic. After a while I rubbed my finger on it through the bag and you can see it's already starting to work (this is maybe after half an hour):









I also put the Oven Pride in the glass chamber and left it to soak. Every now and then I turned the chamber over to make sure everything is covered with the gel, and used my finger to spread it around (probably would be prudent to use a glove, but I couldn't be bothered. I am still alive and have my finger). Most of the stains got removed within an hour or two, but I wanted to give it time to do as much as possible, so left it in for 6-7 hours. At the end I rinsed and washed off the chemicals, then put it in the dishwasher to finish off. It came out like this:









And a small video to show the inside, which also had black baked on stains on most of the top and bottom metal parts:


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

Be super careful, Oven Prides active ingredient is NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide 12%) commonly known a Caustic Soda. be super careful about leaving this to work as per their instructions, it's well known that Borosilicate Glass (high temperature glass) is very susceptible to etching by Caustic Soda.

I'm sure I either did an article or posted about this a long time ago...put the cleaner on for 10 minutes, then use a toothbrush to start manually cleaning off the grime from glass and metal separator, plus top and bottom (which you have removed from chamber). Don't leave the cleaner on for extended periods.


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

I did do a post, back in 2015...with all the warnings.

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/24682-gene-cafe-to-clean-or-not-to-clean/?tab=comments&do=embed&comment=339217&embedComment=339217&embedDo=findComment#comment-339217


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

I just used Puly Caffe in a bucket and then just rinse it all off and dry/get last bits off with a paper towel.


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

DavecUK said:


> Be super careful, Oven Prides active ingredient is NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide 12%) commonly known a Caustic Soda. be super careful about leaving this to work as per their instructions, it's well known that Borosilicate Glass (high temperature glass) is very susceptible to etching by Caustic Soda.


 Thanks for the warning, but too late for me - it's already done...

It looks very clean, and it isn't the first time I did it, so hopefully it will be okay.



Rob1 said:


> I just used Puly Caffe in a bucket and then just rinse it all off and dry/get last bits off with a paper towel.


 At the state mine was in, I don't think Puly would shift the burn-on stains. Anyway, it's clean now so will try to enjoy it as it is and maybe not let it get so dirty again.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Mine was just as bad if not worse to be honest. I only cleaned it because I couldn't see into the drum.


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

Rob1 said:


> Mine was just as bad if not worse to be honest. I only cleaned it because I couldn't see into the drum.


 I did mine the same way a few years ago and it was fine, so I hope it will be okay. Did a roast this afternoon and it completed normally, only the chamber was clean.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

DavecUK said:


> Oven Prides active ingredient is NaOH (Sodium Hydroxide 12%)


 I have 'oven mate' and it says "contains potassium hydroxide 10-30%"

it also says it "works brilliantly on &#8230; Pyrex dishes."

so maybe "oven mate" is safer?

I know oven pride is a different product, just saying about oven mate, and not sure if it's a similar side effect or not.


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> I have 'oven mate' and it says "contains potassium hydroxide 10-30%"
> 
> it also says it "works brilliantly on &#8230; Pyrex dishes."
> 
> ...


 I have and use both Oven Mate and Oven Pride. They have a very different consistency: Mate is thick and will stay where you apply it (e.g. the sides of the oven), while Pride is thin liquid consistency (it will run, and won't stay where you apply it, as it is made to be used in a bag on oven racks).

From my own user experience they work in a very similar way (apart for the consistency of course). Both are as effective as each other, and neither have the horrible smell that some strong oven cleaners have.

The active ingredients are different: Oven Mate is potassium hydroxide 10-30%, while Oven Pride is 5-<12% Sodium Hydroxide. I don't know enough chemistry to know the difference, but this is from the first result I got on google search:

Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) are almost interchangeable. They are the most chemically similar of the hydroxides. They are both a white, strong alkaline, corrosive solid or powder. Sodium Hydroxide is more commonly known as lye or caustic soda where Potassium Hydroxide is known as potash.

On the box, Oven Mate recommends using it on glass. Oven Pride, however, says it should only be used in the supplied bag and on stainless steal and enamel surfaces. The warning could be because Oven Pride is runny and can go where you don't want it if you are not careful, or because the manufacturer wants to cover himself from mishaps that can happen, or because it is dangerous to use on anything other than stainless and enamel surfaces - I don't know. It is definitely strong stuff, and should be used with caution, that's for sure.

I can't endorse using anything against the instructions, so I don't recommend using any product on the Gene or anywhere else, especially not against the instructions on the produce. I can say that I recklessly used Oven Pride on the Gene glass chamber, a few years ago and again this last weekend. The chamber came out as seen in the photos and videos I uploaded, and I am not aware of any adverse effects. I didn't used any abrasive pads on the glass, as this wasn't needed. After the chemicals attacked the stains, it was enough to rub with a finger or fingernail to get the dirt off. Anything anyone else does is their own responsibility, and I take absolutely no responsibility to whatever anyone else does. ☠


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

I also applied the Doram treatment to mine. It had severe burn marks, speckles and the glass was very dark and burnt.

and this is now&#8230;

Very pleased!

Thanks @Doram!


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## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

MediumRoastSteam said:


> I also applied the Doram treatment to mine. It had severe burn marks, speckles and the glass was very dark and burnt.
> 
> and this is now&#8230;
> 
> ...


 Brilliant, looks ace! 💪


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## Matagalpa (Mar 9, 2021)

Is there a need to clean the metal parts of the drum if the glass is clear enough to see through? I haven't done any thorough cleaning of the drum in the 12 years since I bought the roaster and other than looks I don't see any downsides. The roaster works as well as the day I bought it.


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## MediumRoastSteam (Jul 7, 2015)

Matagalpa said:


> Is there a need to clean the metal parts of the drum if


 I don't think so. I think the only purpose of cleaning is actual visibility, I think. In the sense that, I don't think people with proper roasters, like commercial ones, would ever clean he drum?

saying that, if you clean the glass&#8230; might as well clean everything else. 😊


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## Matagalpa (Mar 9, 2021)

The glass is already clean. Wiping it probably does more to my well being than to the glass. It's really hard to tell if there's much benefit in this, but in any case it looks good.

The metal parts on the other hand are basically black from years of use. They'll need thorough cleaning to make any difference and there's no doubt that just wiping them makes no change, so I don't bother anymore.


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