If You Have a Towel Hanging on Your Oven Door, Move It ASAP

Let’s be real for a second: How many of you have a hand towel hanging off your oven’s handle? I’m sure there are a lot of hands raised — and mine was one of them, until recently. I used to do it out of habit; it’s convenient and, sure, it looks cute. But once I chatted with firefighter Nicholai Allen, founder of Safe Soss, and learned about the risks involved, that habit was immediately extinguished (yeah, I’ll see myself out). 

“It’s a great example of how everyday habits can create hidden risk,” Allen says. “A kitchen towel is a combustible material, and fire safety guidance consistently says to keep anything that can burn away from cooking appliances. Hanging a towel on the oven handle may feel harmless, but it places fabric directly in a heat zone where conditions can change quickly.”

Even when your oven isn’t actively on, residual heat post-use escapes through vents, door seams, and surrounding surfaces. Over time, a towel can dry out, warm up, and sometimes brush against hotter spots (or your cooktop if it’s a gas stove). And if there’s any grease on it? That’s even riskier.

You might think, “Mine’s electric, it’s fine,” or “My old gas range couldn’t cause a serious fire if it tried.” But all ovens carry some level of risk, Allen says. Older models may have hotter exteriors or worn seals, and gas stoves bring open flames into the mix. “But regardless of the oven type, storing towels on the oven door is not considered a safe practice,” Allen adds. 

Safety organizations agree with Allen. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists cooking as the leading cause of home fires in the U.S., and it’s clear about what should stay away from heat sources: towels, pot holders, and paper products (basically, anything that can burn). The advice is simple: Keep the cooking zone clear (yes, that includes your Miffy hand towel). 

So, where should your hand towels live? Allen recommends keeping them nearby, but out of harm’s way. Hooks, wall bars, or a drawer away from your oven all work.

I personally decided to clear out a nearby drawer and put my kitchen towels, oven mitts, and pot holders all in one spot. It’s easy for me to access, and I’m not messing around with fire safety. Win-win. 

And while we’re having fire safety lessons, Allen also suggests having a fire blanket with hand pockets within arm’s reach. It’s a practical safety move that makes a big difference if something goes wrong (and knowing my experimentation in the kitchen, there’s always a chance).

Goodbye to the hand towel hanging off my oven (and hopefully yours, too). It’s been a great run, but safety first! On the plus side, it gives me one fewer thing to worry about while cooking. Sometimes the habits we think are harmless are the ones that sneak up on us. In this case? Letting go is definitely the right move.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: If You Have a Towel Hanging on Your Oven Door, Move It ASAP