Washington Warning, What Not to Plug Into Power Strips

Power strips (or power trees) have been in the news recently, but there’s been a bit of a blind eye about the different things you shouldn’t plug into them. If you plug the wrong thing in, you risk blowing a fuse, wrecking your electronics, starting a fire, or even worse. We have a list of “no-nos” for your power strip plug-ins below.

The Power Strip Recall

If you didn’t hear about this, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission did a power strip recall of over 5,500 units, due to potential hazards. Read more on that recall story here.

Luckily, at the time of the original report, there were no reported injuries, but things could have turned out so much worse. Sometimes it’s not what is plugged into the power strip, but where it is placed.

My Almost Hazardous Brush With A Melted Power Strip

When I was in my teens, I had a power strip on the side of my bed for my little fan, alarm clock, and cordless phone (not a cell phone in those days), and I was using a power strip. In the Washington summer, it was fine, and I didn’t think about it. But in the winter, when it got cold, we turned our heaters on. Things got hot and started melting.

I smelled something, and saw the power strip sitting on our baseboard heater, and I reached down to grab it off, and my hand went into the melted plastic.

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Luckily, I did not get shocked, and no fires happened, but I learned my lesson. Keep power strips away from heat, water, and keep them covered (with clothes, blankets, carpets, etc.).

READ MORE: Have You Tried The 'Quarter In A Freezer' Life Hack?

Now that we know where to NOT keep a power strip, let’s address what you shouldn’t plug into one.