This man discovered an oven feature he was completely unaware of for 40 years

With the wide range of content available on the internet, it’s easy to get swept up in all the different ‘hacks’ we see online. But before we delve into this story, it’s important to know that a hack that works for others might not work for you – or even be safe for you to try.

Still, it’s always fun to watch others discover new home improvements or tricks. Just take this one man, for instance, who discovered something new about his oven – after ’40 years of refusing to clean it’.



Do you read appliance instruction manuals or do you hope for the best using prior knowledge?

Dustin Hadley, who goes by @that40yearguy on TikTok, found out he’d been missing out on a useful feature of his oven for 40 years after he watched another video featuring appliance repair technician Jesse Chavez.


oven.jpg
The man said he was ‘unaware’ of the feature for 40 years. Credit: Liliana Drew/Pexels

In the video, Hadley can be seen struggling to come to terms with the fact that it’s possible to remove the oven door and clean it with ease.

'You’re telling me for 40 years of refusing to clean my oven because I didn’t want to lay across the door, it was that easy to just take it off? No way,' he said in the video as he prepared to try out the hack.



Hadley then tried to remove the door from his oven by unclipping the locks that attach the door to the bottom of the appliance.

Sure enough – the oven door came off easily, rendering Hadley speechless.

‘My oven is going to be sparkling,’ he captioned the video.


oven2.jpg
Hadley managed to remove his oven door with ease. Credit: that40yearguy/TikTok

Over 30.3 million people watched Hadley remove his oven door, with many viewers saying they were also surprised to find out that oven doors can be removed.

‘OMG, it worked on our oven too!’ One shared.

‘Why didn’t I know this last week when I was cleaning my oven STRUGGLING?’ Another admitted.

While someone else said they just ‘had to try’ out this hack because they weren’t aware this was possible.

‘OMG, it works! Life saver,’ they added.



However, (and this is the part we’re also concerned about), there were plenty of people who tried to remove their oven doors but it didn’t end well.

‘I tried this one year ago and got a pretty nice scar on my thumb, something happened with a spring. Be careful,’ one wrote.

‘Now, try getting it back on. It’s a nightmare,’ another claimed.

Another agreed and said when they tried it, they could not put the oven door back in its place. ‘When I thought I had it back on, it fell and the glass shattered,’ they added.

Others shared that they wanted to try it but they saw that their ovens had different mechanisms, and didn’t have the same clips at the bottom of the door.

You can watch Hadley’s video below:



This brings us back to our point above, members. Here at the SDC, we want everyone to be safe when trying out online tips, and not cause damage to your appliances or yourselves. Before taking anything apart, it’s important to read the appliance manual that comes with it first.

It might not even be advisable for your oven to be taken apart without a professional.

One cleaning expert spoke about the dangers of randomly following ‘tips and tricks’ that people share online. In one video, she warned her viewers not to pull apart their washing machines after a clip of a woman removing a part of her washing machine went viral.

She said that this could cause irreparable damage to the appliance, causing you to be out of pocket at the repair shop or be left without a washing machine altogether. More details about this warning can be read here.

In another story, this time with more serious consequences, a woman blended two cleaning solutions that should never be mixed: vinegar and bleach. This causes toxic chlorine gas, which is extremely dangerous when inhaled – it can even become potentially lethal. You can read more about this story (and the repercussions of inhaling toxic gas) here.



That said, we do have a safe-to-follow tip for keeping your entire oven clean! Here’s what you’ll need:
  • Bicarb of soda
  • Water
  • Rubber gloves
  • Damp dishcloth
  • Plastic or silicone spatula
  • Spray bottle
  • White vinegar
Before we begin, you can adjust the ratio of the ingredients as much as you like. Just make sure that when you’re making the paste, it is spreadable. Also, don’t forget to empty your oven of its contents first and set them aside for now.


How to keep your oven clean_ (1).jpg
Here are our tips for keeping your oven clean. Image credit: The Seniors Discount Club

For this hack, we’re starting off with ½ cup of bicarb of soda, and about 3 tablespoons of water and mixing it all in a bowl to get the desired spreadable consistency.

Next, put on your gloves and coat the oven by spreading the paste all over its interior surfaces. Stay away from the heating elements, but make sure you coat the dirtiest nooks and crannies you can find. Let this sit overnight or at least 12 hours.

Once the minimum time has passed, take a damp dishcloth and wipe out as much of the dried baking soda paste as you can. Use the spatula to help scrape off as much of the paste, especially if you have trouble cleaning up those hard-to-reach places.

Afterwards, pour vinegar into a spray bottle and spritz it everywhere you still see the residue in your oven. The vinegar will react with the bicarb of soda and begin to foam.

Finally, wipe down the oven using the damp cloth, adding more water or vinegar as needed. And there you have it, folks! Your oven should be clean again at this point.



For our other oven-cleaning hacks, you can check out this article or this one, or visit our forum for more safe cleaning tips!
Key Takeaways

  • Dustin Hadley went viral on TikTok after he realised his oven door could be removed for easy cleaning.
  • Over 30.3 million people have watched him remove his oven door and many were surprised to find out oven doors can be removed.
  • It is important to read your appliance manual before trying to remove any part.
  • If you're worried about causing damage, it's best to call the professionals before taking a risk.
Have you seen any or tried any ‘cleaning’ hacks yourself? How did it go? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to share them with us in the comments below!
 
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Call it lazy if you will, but with my knees not having to get down and clean an oven. I prefer to leave it to the professionals and OvenU does a great job.
 
Well done to him to eventually discovering that feature. Wonder if he found out about removing the glass panels as well?
I am still looking for a cleaning hack which will show me how to clean the roof of my wall oven when an internal grill element is in the way, every how to clean hack I have ever found only tells me not to get any type of cleaning solution on the element as it will damage it some even say to remove the element before cleaning, yeah looked into that suggestion, not possible with my oven, still clueless and oven roof still not clean.
 
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Reactions: gollywog and Ezzy
I am still looking for a cleaning hack which will show me how to clean the roof of my wall oven when an internal grill element is in the way, every how to clean hack I have ever found only tells me not to get any type of cleaning solution on the element as it will damage it some even say to remove the element before cleaning, yeah looked into that suggestion, not possible with my oven, still clueless and oven roof still not clean.
No easy option that I've found. With both my oven & air fryer, I fill my kitchen sink with warm water & dishwashing liquid. Using a damp, soapy microfibre cloth I wipe the elements/roof of the oven as best I can.
That will remove the grease & prevent smoke. This is the best solution I've found.
With the internal oven for cleaning, I use gumption & my steam cleaner.
With the air fryer I clean with dishwashing/soapy water.
 
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Reactions: Ezzy
My hubby took the oven door in the same way………we end up buying a new stove 🤦🏻🤦🏻
 
I am still looking for a cleaning hack which will show me how to clean the roof of my wall oven when an internal grill element is in the way, every how to clean hack I have ever found only tells me not to get any type of cleaning solution on the element as it will damage it some even say to remove the element before cleaning, yeah looked into that suggestion, not possible with my oven, still clueless and oven roof still not clean.
Perhaps you need to see if a cleaner exists which will sit in a tray in the bottom of the oven & produce fumes to do this job for you. Perhaps a large hardware store would have something.
 
I am still looking for a cleaning hack which will show me how to clean the roof of my wall oven when an internal grill element is in the way, every how to clean hack I have ever found only tells me not to get any type of cleaning solution on the element as it will damage it some even say to remove the element before cleaning, yeah looked into that suggestion, not possible with my oven, still clueless and oven roof still not clean.
Yeah, me too Gaena!!!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Gaena

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