As much as a kitchen hero that a microwave is, putting the wrong thing in there can be extremely dangerous. From small sparks to big explosions, the damages caused can be brutal.
In this article are non-food items you should never put in the microwave.
1. Nothing
I know you don’t expect this, but the first item you should never put in your microwave is nothing. What this means is that you shouldn’t turn on your microwave with nothing inside it.
It is important that the microwaves in the appliance have somewhere to go, and something to absorb. If not, they bounce off each other and instead get absorbed by the microwave itself. This is not safe as it could lead to its combustion or explosion.
2. Metal
Second on this list is metal. This is because metal surfaces reflect microwaves, which increases the heat inside the appliance and could lead to a fire.
Metallic utensils, such as forks, knives, and spoons, are great conductors of electricity because they contain lots of electrons that move about freely. When microwaves hit metal objects, they get reflected, which can cause problems such as sparks, and in more severe cases, fires or explosions.
3. Single-Use Plastics
Single-use plastics are plastic items that are only used once before they are thrown away or recycled. When heated, single-use plastic will release the chemicals BPA and phthalates. These chemicals can be extremely harmful to the body.
However, it is important to note that there are some plastic containers that you can use. These are not single-use, and will always have a “microwave-safe” label.
4. Aluminum Foil
Another item on this list is aluminum foil. It is unsafe to put plain aluminum foil or aluminum containers in a microwave. This is because aluminum reflects microwaves and can cause sparking or fire, potentially damaging your microwave and even causing harm to you or others nearby.
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5. Insulated Travel Mugs
Insulated travel mugs should never be put in the microwave as the majority of these mugs contain metal parts, and this automatically means that they are ruled out of going into the microwave.
6. Paper Bags
Paper bags should not be put in the microwave as they are not equipped to handle the heat of a microwave, and can quickly catch fire. Not only that, they can also release toxins and fumes when heated up.
7. Styrofoam
Styrofoam (polystyrene) is used to refer to disposable takeout containers, packaging peanuts, and disposable coffee cups in countries such as Canada and the United States.
It should not be used in microwaves as when they get heated they tend to melt and release similar chemicals into the air and your food.
However, it should be noted that some polystyrene foam containers have been created to be microwave-safe, but again you will need to look for the label to ascertain this.
8. Cardboard Boxes
It’s also advisable to avoid placing cardboard boxes into your microwave. This is because a cardboard box is a combustible material. This means that it will ignite or catch fire under a particular temperature.
9. Clothing
I know this might not be popular in this part of the world but there are places where this is done. However, it is important to note that this is not safe as wet or damp clothes in an electrical appliance can cause an electrical fire. Even if the clothes are completely dry, hot spots can form and burn through the material, and this can also lead to a fire.
10. Lidless Containers
On a final note, you shouldn’t put a lidless container into your microwave as doing this will lead to having splashes of food items in your microwave and this will guarantee you some minutes or hours of cleaning the mess.
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