It always starts with good intentions, right? You’re in the middle of cooking—maybe the kitchen’s a mess, maybe the sauce is bubbling over—and without thinking, you toss your tea towel onto the oven door handle. It’s right there, after all. Easy to grab again when you need it.
I used to do it all the time. Didn’t really think twice about it, to be honest. But then I started hearing more stories… and one of them stuck with me.
That harmless habit isn’t as harmless as it looks
Picture this: oven on, heating up for a tray of roasted veggies or a pie. You’re distracted, moving between tasks, and that towel you draped earlier is slowly warming up too.
The door gets hot, and the towel? Well, fabric + heat isn’t exactly a safe combo. It might not catch fire right away, but it’s not impossible. And if you step out of the room or take a call and forget about it—that’s all it takes.
A friend of mine left a damp towel hanging there while making cookies. Just stepped away to fold laundry. Came back and the kitchen smelled like burnt fabric. The towel was singed, half-stuck to the handle, and the air was thick with smoke. No fire, thankfully—but it could’ve gone another way.
It’s easy to think, “That won’t happen to me,” until it almost does.
And then there’s the way it messes with your oven
This one surprised me when I first heard it. Turns out, draping a towel over the oven door can actually mess with how your oven works.
Keeping the towel somewhere else is easy. Takes maybe five minutes to rearrange how your kitchen flows, and suddenly you’ve dodged a dozen possible problems.
Your kitchen should feel like a safe space—where you can cook without worrying something’s going to catch fire or spill or knock a kid over. This is one of those quiet changes that helps with that.
While you’re at it, here’s something else to keep in mind: don’t ever set your Crockpot on the stovetop. Even if it’s off. Seems harmless, but it can turn into a nightmare real fast. Just something to think about while you’re setting things up for dinner.
