Experts have said you’re putting your home at risk of ‘burning down’ if you clean your air fryer with a common hack that has been posted to and viewed on TikTok countless times.

By this stage, I know more people with an air fryer than without, with the kitchen appliance booming in popularity over the last decade or so.

They’ve been around for a lot longer than that, being invented back in 2006, but have seen a recent boom when it comes to cooking food efficiently, saving pennies on your electricity bill and cutting down the cooking time on a wide range of foods.

Making sure you’re using it properly is essential, though, to avoid having significant problems in your home.

Doctors have also issued guidance when it comes to maintenance of the kitchen device, saying there is a toxic consequence if you don’t do things properly.

And then there’s bacon and why you should avoid it at all costs when it comes to air fryer cooking.

One of the worst things when it comes to the air fryer is cleaning it. The drawers are clunky and if you don’t tackle them quickly after cooking, you can be left with some stubborn grease, fat and gunk in the bottom of it.

Over on TikTok, one cleaning method has gone viral and become a somewhat common method for many air fryer owners.

But doing it this way could set your home on fire, so says experts from consumer advice website Which?.

We’re talking about the viral trend of filling the base of your air fryer with soapy water and turning the machine on for a short period of time.

Andrew Laughlin knows what’s what (Instagram / Which?)

“This right here, it’s the dumbest way to clean your air fryer and burn down your house,” says Andrew Laughlin, a tech expert at Which?.

“That TikTok hack where you try to air fry half a jug of soapy water is a surefire shortcut to a broken air fryer.”

The science behind this says that you’re at a big risk of short-circuiting and overheating the device once the water starts to get incredibly warm.

On the right way to go about it, he said that sadly it’s ‘not as lazy as that hack’, explaining: “But cleaning is sometimes boring and takes a bit of effort.

“Like with salted caramel, little and often is best.

Washing your drawer in the sink is the way to go (Instagram / Which?)

“Cleaning after every use might seem like a bit of a chore but it actually uses the least effort in the long run.

“Unplug it first and let the whole thing cool down, but don’t let it stand too long.

“This gives oils a chance to solidify, bonds to form with the basket, and starches start dehydrating – getting locked into the nooks and crannies of the surfaces.

“Mop up any oil with a paper towel so it doesn’t end up clogging your pipes. Then dunk the basket in warm, soapy water.

“Don’t forget to check the inside of the appliance, as grease and food might be sticking to the walls. Use a damp cloth or a gentle sponge to wipe it away.”

“Every month or so, you should give your air fryer a deeper clean. Go at the heating element with an old toothbrush and a damp cloth. Don’t be too rough and don’t use too much water. Don’t use scourers or scrapers, you’re just going to break something.

“And don’t waste a dishwasher tablet on it either; washing up liquid will do just fine.”

Commenting, one person said: “The reason why I don’t have an air fryer is that it’s another thing to clean.”

A second wrote: “I put mine in the dishwasher.”

On the ‘hack’ to fill your air fryer with soapy water, some weren’t convinced. One wrote: “Disagree. Have been using the washing up liquid method for ages and not had an issue. Use it like a pre-rinse to get any stubborn crap out.”

A woman has revealed the heartbreaking reason she has been pretending to be her dead twin for years.

I know, it sounds like this is about to be some kind of fraud court case report or a Jeremy Kyle-like tale but I assure you, it’s really not. It’s honestly pretty sad and you can really see where she’s coming from.

TikTok user Annie Niu recently went viral when she shared an emotional video with the in-post caption: “POV: You finally told your family that your twin sister passed away five years ago, and they took down every single family photo that had her in it (which is pretty much every photo in their home).”

Her TikTok video racked up millions of views (Instagram/@niu.annie)

Obviously, this sent people into an absolute spin as she added that she’d previously counted ‘17 photos’ the last time she was there.

So, with plenty of social media users asking for an explanation, Niu followed up with another video to give a little more context to this sad tale.

Her closest family members of course knew about her twin’s death but she said it was her ‘dad’s decision’ not to tell her grandparents and extended family.

“This past July, my grandma passed away and on her death bed, my dad told her that my sister passed away and that she’s waiting for her on the other side,” Niu said.

She explained that she thinks her dad didn’t ‘want to withhold this information but he also didn’t want to cause any heartbreak’, adding that her family are elderly.

Annie says it was her dad’s decision (Instagram/@niu.annie)

But after her grandma was told, most people except her grandpa ‘all knew’.

“My aunts, apparently, have made the decision to take down every single photo that contained my sister,” Niu said. “So imagine my surprise when I took my kids to go visit my grandpa and I look on the walls and none of our photos are there.”

In previous videos and comments, she added that she had even pretended to be her twin on the phone to her grandparents to save them from the heartbreaking truth.

And other users provided the context that in some cultures it’s believed that keeping images up of people after they have passed prevents them from moving on – hence the sudden removal of images of her sister.

In the comments, users felt sorry for her as they called it ‘really traumatic’ as some could understand why her family weren’t told.

“I’m so sorry you have to go through this,” many echoed as others related with their own similar sad experiences.

If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.

A woman thinks she is experiencing her own version of The Truman Show after ‘spotting her actual apartment’ on the telly.

New York comedian Stephanie D’Agostini (also known as Stef Dag) got seriously freaked out after realising that a TV crew may have once filmed inside of her flat.

When tuning into Couples Therapy, a Paramount+ reality series, the stand-up noticed some eerie similarities between the characters’ apartment and her own.

New York comedian Stef Dag made a shocking realisation while watching TV (Instagram/@stefdagz)

Taking to Instagram and TikTok, Stef shared a video to explain what was going on.

Appearing to be a little shook up in the clip, she said: “One of the couples from the show literally lived in my unit, in my building.”

Pointing at the screen, she added: “OK, this is the apartment.”

To further prove her point, Stef showed that the sticker on the electrical box in her home was the exact same as the one in the episode.

She noticed some eerie similarities between the characters’ apartment and her own (Instagram/@stefdagz)

“Do we see that sticker? I mean…,” she added.

Also included in the show was three circular tiles near the shower, along with her fridge, which was in the same position.

A stunned-looking Stef said: “Don’t tell me we don’t live in The Truman Show.

“This is a glitch, there’s actually a glitch happening in The Matrix right now.”

For those unaware, The Truman Show came out in 1998 and was a comedy film starring Jim Carrey.

It follows a normal dude named Truman Burbank, who is completely unaware that his entire life is a staged reality TV show.

Well, Stef’s observations certainly divided the crowd, as one person commented: “Imagine how the person who put that sticker there years ago feels…they’re like ‘broooo my sticker is still there look!'”

“When you go to work the landlord records an episode for the show,” a second joked.

While a third penned: “I would react the same way when someone sent me clips of Law and Order or if I saw it somewhere of my apartment/complex in Manhattan.”

“They’re actually filming in your house when you’re gone,” a fourth quipped.

Although others also pointed out that the show could have been filmed in any apartment in her complex.

“It’s APARTMENT unit. All your neighbours have literally same unit with same stuff inside,” someone else said.

“Probably filmed in the same building. Most apartments building rooms are mirrored,” another added.

Surveys have claimed Generation Z employees are the most difficult to manage but honestly, they just want to work smarter, not harder.

The ‘Lazy Girl Job’ boom lends itself to this idea, as well as quiet quitting and the rise in career-minded people opting for jobs purely based on the flexibility they afford.

And while most Gen Z – aged 12 to 27 – are happy to punch in and go home as quickly as possible, others are willing to go the extra mile to be out from under the thumbs of their millennial and boomer bosses.

Gen Z workers have been discussing their office policies (Getty stock image)

One company that features a specific team made up of young business-minded employees is Manchester-based Socially Speaking Media.

Having previously worked with Netflix and Grace Beverley’s Shreddy, the award-winning social media agency has opened up about how its practices suit its Gen Z staff.

In a video posted to TikTok in July, the boss of Socially Speaking Media appeared in a video with her associate.

In the clip, captioned ‘Controversial ways I run my Gen-Z team’, the woman discussed one of the main rules she’s opted to implement.

“A few months ago, I posted a TikTok that got so much hate on it, and it was basically explaining rules to work in a Gen Z office.

“The biggest ones that seemed to get the most hate was when I was saying I have a ‘If the work gets done’ policy,” she explained.

The Gen Z boss discussed her ‘get it done’ rule (TikTok/@sociallyspeakingmedia)

“Basically do what you want as long as the work gets done.

“You want to work from home, watch a film while you work – I personally think I’d rather have that if I was working for someone else because that’s what works best for me.”

The woman reasoned that some days, her staff can be ‘really tired’, so she understands why they would want to work from home.

“I can see why people get annoyed about it when people take the mick with it,” she confessed.

After laying out the controversial policy, the woman turned to her associate to question whether or not the outlined flexibility makes her feel like a valued company asset.

“If I want a day where I listen to music or a podcast and that’s going to make me motivated to do more work, [then] that’s obviously better than [being] sat in the office in silence or no one talking,” the woman replied.

Interestingly, Socially Speaking Media isn’t the only business catering to its Gen Z employees.

Australian PR boss Jessy Marshall has recently spoken about how she allows her younger staff to go home early if they’ve completed all of their work.

“[Gen Z] are much better at saying they feel pushed or exhausted or they don’t feel like themselves and need to take time out,” she told news.com.au.

“They are good at setting boundaries but they are also very good at making sure they work in their allocated time.”

“On Fridays, I say to the girls, ‘once your work is done, log off’ where we can we log off early, particularly on Fridays, so they can give themselves an extra-long weekend.”

Marshall went on to claim that she was ‘really proud’ of the work her six Gen Z staff do for her Sydney-based company.

She added that she understands their ‘output is smarter than hustle culture’.