10 Things You Should Never Plug Into a Power Strip, According to a Home Expert
To avoid a major safety hazard, use a wall outlet instead.
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From household appliances to personal electronics, many of our devices require an outlet to function properly. We need a wall socket to charge a laptop, power a vacuum, turn on a lamp, blend up a smoothie, slow-cook a hearty stew—the list goes on. Our homes, unfortunately, don’t have an unlimited number of wall outlets available, and the ones that we do have are probably already occupied.
That’s why a power strip can really come in handy. This convenient tool extends a single wall outlet into multiple, which means you can fuel several devices at once. “It gives you more places to plug items into, when you’d typically only have two receptacles to use,” explains Lou Manfredini, home expert for Ace Hardware. So, if you have to charge your phone, your laptop, and your earphones all at once, a power strip will get the job done—and you won’t have to unplug anything else to make space.
Although power strips are an undeniable game changer, they aren’t foolproof, unfortunately. Some objects, including high-wattage appliances, heat-generating elements, and motor-driven devices, draw such a large amount of power from the electrical socket that they pose a significant safety risk and fire hazard. If you overload a power strip, it can lead to overheating, melted wiring, damaged devices, and—worst of all—electrical fires.
To keep your household and your corded devices safe, here are 10 items you should never plug into a power strip—and that are better off in a wall outlet.
Read up on more home safety tips:
Hair Dryer
According to Manfredini, hair dryers draw a substantial amount of power, often close to the maximum amount that the average household circuit can handle. If you plug this hair tool into a power strip, it’ll easily overwhelm it. To avoid the risk of an electrical incident, plug it directly into a wall outlet instead. And be sure not to get it wet!
Fridge
Since refrigerators cycle on and off throughout the day, they extract a lot of electricity whenever the compressor kicks in. That means, plugging your fridge into a power strip will increase the likelihood of overload. Resorting to a power strip over a long period of time can even damage your appliance.
Microwave
A microwave is another high-wattage appliance that Manfredini urges you to plug into a wall outlet, not a power strip. Because microwaves need a consistent, high-power draw to function effectively, power strips aren’t equipped to handle the load. Using a power strip can even cause overheating and increase the risk of electrical fires.
Coffee Maker
If you heavily rely on your coffee maker, think twice before plugging it into a power strip—especially if the strip has more than one item plugged into it. These kitchen appliances pull a considerable amount of power and generate heat, so resorting to a power strip for your daily caffeine fix can create a safety risk.
Toaster Oven
Toaster ovens and convection ovens are great at cooking, baking, and broiling dishes pretty quickly, but they need a lot of energy to generate all that heat. If you look to a power strip versus a wall outlet to supply that kind of energy, you’re more likely to experience overheated devices and a potential electrical fire.
Blender
When you first fire up your blender, its strong motors can extract a lot of power—especially if you’re mixing up tough ingredients like dried fruit, bulky veggies, or sticky nut butters. If you’re using an overcrowded power strip to make your smoothie, that surge of power can trip the circuit.
Washing Machine
Washing machines use a lot of power (especially during a spin cycle), but they also run for a long period of time, which can force a power strip to go into overdrive. A dedicated outlet is much safer and more reliable.
Space Heater
As one of the highest-wattage household devices and one of the leading causes of electrical fires, space heaters should never get plugged into a power strip. On a power strip, space heaters are more likely to overheat, melt the strip, or start a fire.
Electric Drill
If you ever have a need for an electric drill, plug it straight into the wall or a heavy-duty extension, not a power strip. Like most power tools, electric drills extricate a lot of power, particularly when you first start it, so plugging it into a power strip can cause sudden overloads or damage both the strip and the tool.
Extension Cord
When you plug an extension cord into a power strip, otherwise known as “daisy-chaining,” the setup can quickly overwhelm an electrical system, cause overheating, and even spark a fire. If you need more space to power your devices, turn to a properly rated single extension cord instead.
Lilly Blomquist is the associate editor at The Pioneer Woman, where she writes lifestyle stories across a wide range of topics—including news, entertainment, holidays, food, and more.
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