Appliances, to be fair, are inanimate objects. So you might think it’s OK to be less than gentle, on occasion, when using them. But this can damage them over time! And yes, we’re talking to you, elbow-door-closers. “When you’re taking something out of the microwave, it’s really tempting to use an elbow to slam the door shut,” Bedford explains. “There are actually some quite delicate mechanisms in most microwave doors, as it’s obviously important they secure properly to keep the energy on the inside.” And aggressively slamming the door won’t just shorten the life of your microwave – it can also be dangerous. If the door gets damaged, it might no longer be sufficient to keep all the energy in, and that would be a safety issue. Treating them rough like this is definitely one of the ways you’re shortening the life of your appliances.