Recently, I read an article about a woman who caused an inferno because she left her hot flat iron on the bed. Zoinks! How many times have you left the house, only to go into panic mode about that possibly still-plugged-on curling or flat iron sizzling away in the bathroom? It used to happen to me frequently. But no more!
Due to my worrywart nature, a relative shared a tip that I've used practically every time I bust out any kind of iron, whether for hair or clothing, and here it is: Once you unplug your iron, remember the image of the prongs coming out of the outlet, and say, "I'm unplugging this iron now." Then, just for extra insurance, carefully walk the iron to another location, all while saying to yourself, "I've unplugged this curling iron, and now I'm moving it to the dresser (or wherever)." Silly? Yes. Effective? You better believe it.
Soul Cal
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I always leave the house convinced I forgot to turn it off/unplug it when really I did! I just always remember the episode of Friends where Rachel forgot to turn off her curling iron and the apartment got set on fire. However it would not make for a laugh in real life...
1i'm a student of a very tight budget, so leaving something plugged in when not needed never was a problem of mine. i just remember that i'm paying for it. that works too
2Mine has an automatic shut-off (which I find annoying when I'm straightening my hair). It sits on a ceramic countertop nowhere near anything flammable. I've forgotten to turn it off often, but it always does it for me.
3My flat iron has auto shut off but I always relocate my "hot" items after I unplug them because of my two cats. I don't want them to get burnt.
4Haha, nice tip!
5I don't use a curling iron or a flat iron so I don't have to worry about this one
6Good idea. I am a freak about this. I am always convinced that I've left something plugged in, or the burner on the stove on, or the door unlocked.
7I turn off, unplug, and stick my curling iron and straightener in a little heatproof bag from Avon, and then leave it out on the counter set away from everything until I come home at night.
8That is a great idea, Bella. I, for one, am always so nervous the house will catch on fire. If we leave for a weekend away, I unplug EVERYTHING (no joke) in the house and check the stove/oven a million times. This also would've come in handy for an art teacher I shared a classroom with when I was a music teacher. I would come back to school after a weekend to the smell of burning glue - he always left the gluegun plugged in!!!
9I am the world's worst about leaving my flat iron on, so this is a great idea!
10Mine shuts off after 5min of non-use. Which is great, cause I once left my old one on for AN ENTIRE DAY. Good thing it dangles from a towel bar in my bathroom and doesn't touch anything.
11I don't worry about that since I don't use it often anyways. Plus, I have a problem with leaving things on the counter. Anything that is used - hair dryer, brushes, iron etc, get returned to the cabinet after they've had a few minutes to cool down. I can never bring myself to leave home with things lying around... so I guess my anal behavior about this is good for me
12I'm loving your stories! I guess I am not alone on this one.
13brandysbug, i do that too. if i'm away for more then a day i just unplug everything and turn off the outlet (it's the law here in UK to have switches on the outlet itself). i'm just freak out about there being a short circuit or something, as my parents all appliences burnt like that 6 months ago.
14I'm a tad OCD about things like this and will repeatedly check over and over until I leave the house, even if I KNOW I unplugged it. I think I checked seven times this morning to see if my iron was unplugged!
15I don't iron my hair in the morning, but I use this for other stuff in the house. . . . I wander around muttering "the stove is off, the doors are locked, the lights are off, I have my phone". . . . my fiance thinks I'm nuts, but I have peace of mind, at least ^_^. I can definitely see this working with hair appliances!
16Even though mine has an automatic shut-off feature, I am so neurotic about checking and double-checking it! It is one of my worst fears - burning my house down because I forgot to do this!
17A friend of ours house was on fire because she left the coffee pot on all day...this happened a few years ago, ever since then I unplug EVERYTHING after using it and put it away. I'd rather be anal than homeless.
18I do that ritual every time - stare at it like a maniac as I unplug it and then move really slowly, looking at it in my hands, as I put it back where it lives when I'm not using it. It's the only thing that works for me.
A few years ago, I actually gave the work courier my house keys and asked her to drive to my house and double check that I had unplugged the straightner because I was so paranoid!
19I actually do that ritual! I really have to focus though because a lot of times I go through the motions and after I leave the house I wonder.... and I always go back and check. I obsess over making sure the front door is locked too.
20I'm absent minded as hell, so I do this all of the time.
"I'm unplugging my straightener"
"I'm locking the door"
"I'm closing the garage door"
The key is to say it out loud; swallow your pride if you feel stupid. It's easy to forget doing something but much harder to forget speaking out loud. It sounds funny, but it really works. In fact, I've gotten a few friends and my boyfriend to start doing it after seeing them forget to lock doors, etc. I don't care if it's vaguely ridiculous -- my house is safe!
21My maxiglide turns off automatically so I'm good
22Whenever I'm using my flat iron, I always think of if I left it on, it would melt away my counter...OCD
23And I thought I was the only one that had this problem...
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