I found that in a hard water area, the sodium hypochlorite in bleach combined with calcium in the water to saturate the pot with calcium chloride or something similar, which is poisonous to plants. It killed the roots wherever they touched the pot. I may not be exactly right about the chemistry, but I could see the results. Cleaning the pots in the self cleaning oven is harmless and efficient. The oven doesn't care in the least.
It's the sodium that matters, calcium is kind of important for cell walls and membranes, for example. Chloride is also important in many processes, for example photosynthesis.
Carl "It's all on the web, as well as scientific literature" Gustafson
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