Extension Cord Safety Tips: Your Key to a Secure Home

With the arrival of fall comes the joy of decorating for the upcoming holiday season. Whether stringing up spooky Halloween lights or hanging up festive Christmas displays, extension cords are crucial in ensuring everything’s powered up and ready to go. However, keeping safety in mind when using these essential electrical devices is important. We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of 17 extension cord safety tips to guide you in the right direction. These tips will help you avoid mishaps and use your cords safely and effectively.

17 Extension Cord Safety Tips

Extension cords are convenient tools that can help us expand our reach and plug in electrical devices anywhere we need them. However, knowing extension cord safety tips can help you utilize them in a safer fashion. 

1. Only purchase cords approved by an independent testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
2. Don’t overload extension cords with too many appliances. The cord can overheat and possibly cause a fire.
3. Plug major appliances, such as refrigerators, dryers, and washers, directly into a wall receptacle outlet.
4. Check the maximum capacity of the extension cord and appliance or tool you’re using, and make sure you don’t exceed it.
5. Fully insert an extension cord plug (or any plug, for that matter) into an outlet.
6. Unplug cords when you’re not using them. Pull on the plug to safely unplug a cord, NOT on the cord itself.
7. Use extension cords only temporarily. Don’t substitute them for permanent wiring.
8. Don’t run cords through water or snow to avoid the high risk of electric shock.
9. Don’t run cords through ceilings, walls, doorways, or floors. Never place cords under carpets, either. Covered cords allow little heat to escape and pose a fire hazard.
10. Keep cords out of the path of foot traffic to prevent tripping. Don’t leave cords dangling anywhere where they can be pulled down and tripped over.
11. If you use too many extension cords, your home may not have enough outlets. Have a qualified electrician install additional outlets.
12. Avoid chaining multiple extension cords. Plug cords directly into mounted electrical receptacles and use cords that are long enough for your needs.
13. Never use indoor extension cords outdoors. Only use the cords marked for outdoor use.
14. Inspect cords before using them. If a cord heats up or is damaged in any way, discard it.
15. Always use cords with polarized and/or three-prong plugs. Don’t force a three-prong plug into two-prong outlets. Don’t remove or bend the ground pin to force a fit.
16. When using cord-bundling devices, such as spiral wire wrap, avoid cramming cords together to prevent damaging the cord’s insulation.
17. Never use staples or nails to attach cords to a surface like a wall to prevent puncturing the cord’s insulation.

Need Assistance with Fire Damage? PuroClean Emergency Restoration Services Is Here to Help!

No one wants to imagine a fire and the subsequent damage affecting their home, especially during this time of the year! When it happens, however, it’s best to have an experienced restoration team on your side. PuroClean Emergency Restoration Services offers 24/7 fire damage remediation services. Our skilled technicians are ready to respond to your call to remediate your property to its pre-loss condition. For fire damage remediation in Sterling, give us a call at (703) 579-8912. We’ll get you back to celebrating the holiday season in no time!