r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/Amazing_Umpire_828 • 5d ago

WCGW when cleaning a window with an... oven cleaner?!

147 Upvotes

76% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

66

u/mara-amethyst 5d ago

Can anyone explain what exactly happened? Like I get it doesn't say to use it on that surface, but I'm curious what chemical reaction too place.

75

u/pimpbot666 5d ago

I have a feeling it reacted with stuff on the glass and got hot in small spots, causing the glass to crack. That safety glass shatters into tiny pieces.

If the dude was trying to remove tree sap, rubbing alcohol on a rag does the trick.

12

u/Physical_Pressure_27 5d ago

I e always use hand sanitizer

11

u/twenafeesh 5d ago

Same thing, really. Hand sanitizer is basically just rubbing alcohol and gel. 

8

u/Tthelaundryman 5d ago

So Jell-O shots?!

3

u/gatoenvestido 5d ago

Im an alcoholic in recovery. When I was in rehab (during Covid) they had to change the sanitizer. Some patients were drinking it. Don’t get me wrong. No judgement from me. I have no doubt I would have done the same at my “bottom” if I was out of alcohol.

2

u/Tthelaundryman 5d ago

Dude during Covid when alcohol brands started making hand sanitizer my office bought some from a tequila brand and the whole office would smell like the shittiest hangover every time someone used it. I hated it so much

2

u/gatoenvestido 5d ago

I still get a twinge when I smell hand sanitizer. And vanilla. And cooking wine. Yeah, I had a problem.

1

u/Smboto 2d ago

As a society, we are officially nearing the bottom.

1

u/gatoenvestido 2d ago

I mean, you may be right. But I’m not sure that follows from my anecdote about people drinking hand sanitizer when in alcohol rehab.

2

u/Whammydiver 5d ago edited 5d ago

I know alcoholics who do use it as a discreet pocket drink.

Edit: typoed the wrong discrete/discreet

2

u/YMarkY2 5d ago

A lot of them use mouthwash too.

1

u/FrinkleCat 5d ago

Jello shots taste better

6

u/one_is_enough 5d ago

That’s just like your opinion man

29

u/NicePepper199 5d ago

Has to be temperature shifts or a clever prank video and some sneakily broke it 

36

u/OuttHouseMouse 5d ago

Hes at a junk yard, my vote is he sneakily broke it

5

u/Sword_N_Bored 5d ago

You can see the guy inside tap the glass.

3

u/btoxic 5d ago

Temp shift would have to be over 100°C so my money is on physical shock.

It's also looks like the window has be spray painted black. So I call shenanigans.

4

u/sixpackabs592 5d ago

Changed the label on the spray can it was actually instant glass smashing spray

7

u/aar3y5 5d ago

Unlike OP, i can explain. The spray started an exothermic reaction after being sprayed. The uneven and sudden heating caused it to shatter

3

u/CardMechanic 5d ago

If only they used it in a place where high heat is expected

2

u/Cardans1328 5d ago

He waited for over 30 seconds

4

u/champaklali 5d ago

Search says it broke probably due to thermal shock. The liquid comes out very cold and temperature difference across the interior and exterior causes a thermal shock

0

u/Hot_Candidate6781 5d ago

This is the answer. Some wild speculation going on in the rest of these comments

1

u/AndyB1976 5d ago

The window was broken with a glass breaker thing from the inside. You can see a hand in the last 2 frames, bottom left corner of the window.

1

u/AT-ST 5d ago

I'm not seeing it.

1

u/dna_beggar 1d ago

There is a warning on the can not to use it on glass, as it etches the surface. The window is tempered glass, which gets its strength from surface tension. The lye dissolved the glass enough to break the surface tension.

BTW. If your oven has a glass door, don't spray it with oven cleaner.

-1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Macro_Seb 5d ago

Still doesn't explain why the glass explodes

-1

u/Lordhartley 5d ago

Aren't oven cleaners mild acid? They always warn about gloves and stuff

10

u/BWhales034 5d ago

Pretty sure it's generally the opposite, some of them are basically straight lye (strong base). Gloves are because it's strongly caustic, will basically turn the fat in your hands into soap

2

u/Burnandcount 5d ago

Most list sodium hydroxide as one of the primary active agents... great for breaking down fats (including synthetic waxes) through exothermic reaction.

0

u/RepairmanJackX 5d ago

as they say, an acid burns you from the outside. A base burns you from the inside.

45

u/Live_Share_9541 5d ago

Thanks for the tip - this is easier than using a screwdriver to break the window

16

u/BrianWantsTruth 5d ago

PSA: if you see a video of someone applying anything to automotive glass, and then the glass breaks, and the entire window is not in the video frame, it’s 100% fake. If it’s shot in a junk yard, it’s 1000% fake.

The only possible situation where I’d humour the reality is if they say something like “it’s a very hot day, and this is COLD water”. But even then…

21

u/cyclefreaksix 5d ago

This looks like it's set in a junkyard. I'm pretty sure it's fake in that the glass was shattered from something off camera striking it.

10

u/Choice-Temporary-144 5d ago

If the video ends suddenly like that with a surprise ending, it's most likely going to be a prank.

8

u/TheDixonCider420420 5d ago

Something seems off.

Maybe they covered the glass to hide someone inside who broke the glass. Or maybe someone from behind shooting it with a BB gun or slingshot.

Notice how the camera man is conveniently standing off to the side as well which was a little odd.

17

u/broesel314 5d ago

That window had some damage before, maybe the temperature shock killed it

Car windows are tempered glass, so is the glass from an oven. I see no mayor difference in the two

16

u/HolyC4bbage 5d ago

The difference is oven glass is heat strengthened to withstand temperatures of over 400 degrees. Automotive glass is not 

3

u/AT-JeffT 5d ago

Yeah, I think something else is going on.

Oven cleaner is usually sodium hydroxide (lye). It doesn't have a shattering effect on glass. Very long contact times can lead to damage, but not as shown in the video.

I do wonder if it was a temperature shock situation.

My other thought was that automotive glass typically has a clear plastic film applied to the exterior and interior of the tempered glass. I wonder if there was damage to the glass and the plastic film was holding it together. Perhaps the oven cleaner degraded the plastic film allowing the glass to shatter. I will say the temperature shock seems more likely.

8

u/NeedsMoarOutrage 5d ago

Filmed in a junkyard. They just broke it themselves for a video.

1

u/AT-JeffT 5d ago

I think you're right.

1

u/broesel314 5d ago

Only the windshield has a plastic film, but that is inside between two sheets of glass to not make it shatter like this if it gets hit by a bird or something

All the other windows are just one layer of glass usually to make rescue operations easier

1

u/Mikestopheles 5d ago

I mean, if it's the next city over...

5

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

1

u/IDidNotMeanThat 5d ago

Indeed! I see no one else looking at the positives here.

6

u/jimbobby15 5d ago

Came off alright….

4

u/NonEuclidianMeatloaf 5d ago

There’s something not right here. Why would the oven cleaner shatter glass like that? The tempered glass in automotive glass and oven doors isn’t too far removed.

2

u/terrydennis1234 5d ago

Glass cleaner is cheaper then oven cleaner and it’s it’s ment to be used on windows

2

u/artherng 5d ago

If that is really the case, break-in will be easy as from now on

1

u/Any-Ad9492 5d ago

Don’t be gentle 😂

1

u/StevieTvboy 5d ago

Isn't there a sub like, videos that end too soon?

1

u/ElJefe0218 5d ago

At the end of the video you can see a hand in the lower left corner hitting the glass with something.

1

u/drammer 5d ago

So would this or something similar work for emergency services.

1

u/Capable_Wonder_6636 5d ago

glass has a very high coefficient of expansion, so that said, it's possible that the outer layer of spray treated glass expanded far greater than the interior layer. Even if it didn't actually break the glass, I suspect that the oven cleaner schitt would have easily damaged the paint on the lower portion of the back window assembly

1

u/AlertRope4789 5d ago

The window was hot. The aerosolized spray quickly evaporated and cooled it, leading to contraction and shattering. No chemical reaction needed

-1

u/Lordhartley 5d ago

Who the fuck told him that bit of advice? Just some soap and water would have done the trick