Preventing Kitchen Fires Starts By Avoiding This Towel Storage Mistake

Kitchen fires seem like unfortunate things that just happen. You leave the oven running, your skillet gets a little too hot, or something flammable bubbles over — these are all obvious causes of kitchen fires. But the reality is that kitchen fire risk can come from less overt sources as well. Case in point? The towels hanging on the handle of your oven.

At first, this seems like a great placement for tea, bread, and general kitchen towels, as you can grab them to pull stuff out of the oven or dry dishes. But when you hang your towels on the door, you are inviting opportunities for disaster. If you have your oven turned on, there is heat radiating from it onto the metal handle, the door, and the towel. The dry cotton towel can act as a tinderbox, or it can smolder slowly, meaning you only realize it once it's too late. This isn't exclusive to kitchen towels either; be sure to store any oven mitts, aprons, and paper towels away from the stove.

There is a long list of safety tips that every home chef should follow to prevent fires. For one, keep the kitchen free of clutter. Not only is a clutter-free kitchen better for your mental health, but it also means that you're not at risk of tripping over things or dropping hot food all over your countertop, yourself, or an open flame. Also, consider air fryer placement, as these can be a known source of kitchen fires (as can toasters, microwaves, deep-fat fryers, or other appliances with heating units). Avoid blocking the vents and clean appliances regularly to reduce the risk of fire. 

It's also a good idea to know in advance how to extinguish a grease fire, should the need arise. Keeping an appropriate, serviced fire extinguisher in an easily accessible place (not shoved back in your kitchen cabinet), and reading up on how to use it will help you mitigate flames and keep you and your home safe.