Why do people put salt on their brooms? Salt is not only important for cooking; it can also be used for various tasks at home because of its texture and chemical properties. When used on a broom, it can improve the broom’s cleaning performance and help keep your home tidy in several ways.

Advantages of Using Salt on Your Broom

Improved Cleaning Ability

Salt works as a gentle scrubbing agent, making it easier to remove dirt and grime while sweeping. This is very helpful for cleaning bumpy surfaces or places where dirt usually stays.

Deodorizing Benefit

Salt naturally gets rid of bad smells. By using a broom with salt on it, you can help get rid of bad smells on your floors or carpets.

Salt has properties that can kill bacteria. Putting salt on your broom before sweeping can help stop bacteria from spreading in your home, which makes your living space healthier.

Pest Repellent: Surprisingly, salt can also keep ants and other pests away. Using a broom with salt on it can stop these pests from walking on your recently cleaned floors.

How to Use Salt to Clean Your Broom

Here is an easy guide on how to use salt with your broom for good outcomes:

• Put a little bit of salt on the bristles of your broom. You only need a small amount – just enough to cover them lightly.
• If you can, leave the broom overnight so the salt can get into the bristles.
• Clean as usual the following day, focusing on spots where dirt and smells gather.

Final thoughts: Putting salt on your broom may seem like a small thing to do, but it can greatly improve how well you clean. This simple and affordable method not only helps keep things clean and hygienic but also gives a surprising advantage to your daily tasks. Try it tonight and get ready to be surprised by the outcomes!

The bay leaf appears. That’s right, it’s the same one that’s in your soup.

Off The RecordHere’s Why You Need To Put A Bay Leaf In The Mop Bucket
It’s no secret that scrubbing the floor may be a chore. But what if I told you that with just one small tweak, you could completely change the game?

The bay leaf appears. That’s right, it’s the same one that’s in your soup.

You can watch the magic happen by tossing it into your mop bucket.

I’ll explain why this is such a good idea:

The natural aroma of bay leaves is calming and pleasant, and it will remain in your home for hours.

It’s like using nature’s own air freshener, only without the synthetic fragrances found in commercial products.

Bay leaves have antibacterial properties in addition to their pleasant aroma.

The antimicrobial properties they possess are remarkable.

If you use water that has been infused with bay leaves to mop, you won’t just be cleaning; you’ll also be disinfecting.

Exterminating Pests: Sick of Summer’s Unwanted Visitors? You can rely on bay leaves. Their scent repels pesky insects like flies and mosquitoes.

Again, bay leaves are useful for giving your floors that showroom luster. The oils in their essentials are a superb natural polish for hard surfaces like tile or wood.

Pocket-Friendly: Bay leaves also have a little impact on your money despite all their advantages. When nature provides its own effective cleaning solutions, why pay more?

Here’s How to Mop with Bay Leaves:

• Put water into the mop bucket.
• Put in a few bay leaves.
• Hold off for a while and let the beneficial properties of the leaves seep into the water.
• Proceed with your regular mopping procedure.

In short, mopping with bay leaves has additional benefits beyond mere cleanliness, including improved air quality, a more pleasant aroma, and a more welcoming atmosphere in the home.

If you’re looking for a new mopping solution, consider using bay leaves.

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Source: dailypositiveinfo

Like most things, using the air conditioner has an upside and a downside. For example, air conditioners serve an important function, protecting people from the sweltering sun and heat. However, they’re also a major contributor to the environmental effects of global warming, which has led to an increase in fatal heat waves over the years. Sadly, scientists predict the temperatures will continue to increase, annually. Luckily, some things can be done to meet somewhere in the middle, ensuring your family’s safety without causing excess harm to the planet.

1. Unclog the Air Conditioner

Cleaning all the vents and piping throughout the air conditioner system is one sure way to prevent any blockages that will disrupt airflow. Cleaning the air conditioner system can also be done by a professional. Either way, it’ll save money and energy if air can travel freely through the system, dispursing through the house.

2. Call an Air Conditioner Professional

Whether you clean the air conditioner system on your own or hire a professional, it’s a good idea to have a professional examine the system regardless. They’ll be able to inform you of things like poor airflow or faulty pipes and wiring.

3. Keep a Consistent Temperature

Keeping the temperature in the same range throughout the day will prevent the air conditioner from overworking during the hottest parts of the day.

4. Increase the Temperature

Many people make the mistake of turning the thermostat down to 65. However, it’s bad for the environment and your energy bills. Instead, try to keep the thermostat around 70 degrees, as it can decrease energy usage by about 20%.

5. Turn off the Air Conditioner

Midsummer nights can be unbearably hot but several weeks before and after have comfortable and breezy night temperatures. Turn the air conditioner off at night and open the windows if possible. Additionally, it’s recommended to turn the air conditioner off while no one is home to prevent the air conditioner from being overworked, ensuring it gets a break. Alternatively, if you’re traveling and live somewhere with frequent scorching temperatures, such as the desert, it might be helpful to consider keeping the air conditioner running at a higher 70-degree temperature. This will help prevent candles from melting and hygiene products from leaking.

6. Note the Time of Day

More energy is used in the afternoon and toward the end of the day because temperatures are the hottest, and people are home from work and school. However, some activities won’t require the air conditioner and can be done enjoying the afternoon together. For example, places with water are great places to cool off and spend the afternoon waiting for the sun to set. This might include a local river, lake, or community swimming pool.

7. Close Windows

After a night of sleep thanks to the breezy open windows, closing them will help reduce how much heat comes into the house from the Sun.

8. Close Blinds

Additionally, closing blinds will keep the sunlight to a minimum and prevent the air conditioner from overworking during the hottest time of day.

9. Use a Ceiling Fan with the Air Conditioner

Ceiling fans do an ideal job of helping circulate cool air and therefore are a great supplement to using the air conditioner without overworking it.

10. Cook with Care

Another great way to ensure the air conditioner is running efficiently is to plan meals around appliance usage. For example, consider meals that use smaller appliances like microwaves and slow cookers rather than heating the oven. Or cook large meals early in the day so the heat from the oven can dissipate before the house heats up. Alternatively, planning cold meals, such as salads or charcuterie boards, will help minimize the need to use heat-producing appliances.

11. Ventilate and Insulate

In addition to having air conditioner ducts cleaned, and removing any blockages, proper insulation is another factor that impacts an air conditioner’s ability to function. Fill any cracks or holes and use weatherstripping to ensure no air is escaping. Additionally, this applies to homes with attics, basements, or porches with below storage.

12. Consider a Smart Thermostat

Although a smart thermostat may have a higher cost upfront, it’ll be far more energy efficient. These thermostats have several programmable features to meet each family’s needs, including turning it off or down while out and about.

Source: theheartysoul

However, the reality is that even the newest freezers can be vulnerable to external factors that can cause food to defrost accidentally.

Power outages, natural disasters, and even routine maintenance can all disrupt the freezer’s performance and lead to spoiled food.

Therefore, a simple trick using a frozen cup and a coin can be a lifesaver.

Place a cup of water in the freezer and let it freeze completely.

Afterward, put a coin on top to easily check if your food has defrosted.

How does putting a coin in the freezer work?

The way it works is that if the power goes out or the freezer stops working properly, the water in the cup will start to thaw.

As it does, the coin resting on top will gradually sink down through the melting ice.

When you return home, you can quickly check the position of the coin to determine the fate of your frozen food.

If the coin has fallen to the bottom of the cup, it means the water has completely thawed.

Why is putting a coin in the freezer important?

This indicates that all the food in your freezer has likely defrosted as well.

In this case, it’s best to err on the side of caution and discard any perishable items, as refreezing defrosted food can allow dangerous bacteria to grow.

If the coin is still on top of the ice or suspended in the middle of the cup, it means the water hasn’t fully thawed.

There’s a good chance your frozen food is still safe to eat.

You can then inspect each item individually to assess its condition before deciding whether to keep or toss it.

Apart from power outages and natural disasters, the coin-in-a-cup method can also be useful for those who go on trips or leave their homes for an extended period.

Returning to find your freezer has malfunctioned can be stressful, but this trick helps you to identify the safety of your frozen items.

Source: wikiany

Luckily, there are many home remedies to manage these critters. Keep them at bay with these 10 all-natural spider repellents.

1. Peppermint essential oil, dishwashing liquid.

Add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon dishwashing liquid, and 1 tablespoon peppermint essential oil to a spray bottle. Shake and spray. Just remember, this formula is a spider repellent, not a spider killer.

2. Cinnamon

Sprinkle cinnamon around the perimeter of your house to prevent spiders from coming inside.

3. Minty cotton balls

Dip cotton balls in mint essential oil and place them underneath or outside your home.

4. Chestnuts

Try keeping chestnuts on your window sills to deter spiders.

5. Saltwater

Saltwater is an excellent spider killer. Spray a solution made from 1 gallon of warm water and 1 ounce salt directly onto spiders and spider nests.

6. White vinegar

Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and water, and use the mixture to spray in cracks and crannies.

7. Citrus peel

Rub citrus peels on baseboards, windowsills and bookshelves to prevent spiders from coming into the house. Spiders detest citrus with such fervor that even lemon-scented furniture polish will do the trick.

8. Cedar hangers

If you find spiders lurking in your closet, switch to cedar hangers.

9. Tobacco

Spiders know to stay away from tobacco. To make an effective spider repellent, mix tobacco with water and spray it on entrances.

10. Coconut oil

It really does cure everything, doesn’t it? Mixing one part coconut oil with two parts water can prevent spiders from intruding.

Source: Remedy Daily

For those who struggle with “Which month has how many days?” or “Is it ie or ei?” the 12 old-school tips below may be of great help to you. Check them out and see if any of these ring a bell.

1. Good battery or bad battery?

Do you ever find a loose battery in the house and wonder if it’s any good? Drop a battery onto a flat, hard surface from one to two cm in the air. If it bounces and falls, it’s a dud. If it lands upright, it’s a winner!

2. Finding south.

In case you ever get lost and don’t have a compass or smart phone with GPS that works, don’t despair. As long as you have an analog watch and can see the sun, you can figure out the directions. Place the watch flat on your palm with the hour hand pointing to the sun. Find a toothpick or piece of grass and place it across the face of the watch between the hour hand and 12. The end of the toothpick or grass that is closest to the 12 should be pointing due south.

3. Remembering Roman numeral values.

Most people know what I, V and X mean in Roman numerals, but you get much beyond that, and the letters look like just that — letters. An old-school mnemonic device to help people remember the values goes like this, “My Dear Cat Loves Xtra Vitamins Intensely.” The first letter of each word is a Roman numeral, and they appear in descending order starting with 1,000 and ending with 1 like so:

M (1,000)
D (500)
C (100)
L (50)
X (10)
V (5)
I (1)

4. Multiplying by 11.

Multiplication tables can throw students for fits. An old-school trick for 11s is that multiplying 11 with any number from 1 to 9, gives you an answer that doubles the number that was multiplied.

5. Waxing and waning moon.

Are you trying to keep the waxing and waning moon straight? The waning moon looks like a C and the waxing moon looks like a D.

6. I before e, or e before i?

For words that have i and e in them together, there is a saying to help you keep straight which comes first, the i or the e. “I before e, except after c; and in words that say a as in neighbor and weigh.”

7. Time till sunset.

If you need a quick estimate of how much time you have before sunset, place your fingers under the sun. However many fingers it takes to fill the space between the sun and horizon, count. Then multiply the number of fingers by 15 (for 15 minutes). This gives you how much time you have.

8. Disinfecting.

In order to disinfect anything made of material or sponge, the old-school way, according to Modern Blogger Pro, is simply to boil it for 10 minutes.

9. Months with 31 days.

How many days are in September? You have two choices for figuring it out. First, consider using your knuckles on your hands. Start with the knuckle for your forefinger as January. The valley between the forefinger and the middle finger is February. Keep rotating between knuckles and valleys. The knuckles are the months with 31 days and the valleys are 30. If that is a little complicated, you can go with the saying, “Thirty days hath September, April, June, and November. All the rest have 31.”

10. Hand for degrees.

If you need a quick reference guide for degrees, you can use your hand. You can take you hand and form a 90-degree angle from the thumb to pinkie. If you spread the fingers out just slightly, then you have from pinky to ring finger 30 degrees, pinkie to middle finger 45 degrees and pinkie to forefinger 60 degrees.

11. Multiplication on fingers

Usually, children quickly remember the multiplication of small numbers, but they have difficulties with the numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9. To help your child with this, teach them a simple trick.

Turn your palms to your face. Number each finger, starting with the little finger, from 6 to 10. Now, for example, to multiply 7 by 8, connect finger #7 on the left hand with finger #8 on the right. The number of fingers at the bottom, counting along with the connected ones, means tens (we got 5 of them). As for the fingers located at the top, you need to multiply them among themselves — they mean units (in our case, multiply 3 by 2). Answer: 7×8 = 56.

In this way, you can quickly multiply by 6, 7, and 8.

To multiply by 9, straighten your fingers, and put your hands on a table with your palms down. Now, to multiply any number by 9, just bend the corresponding finger. Fingers “before“ mean tens, ”after“ — units. For example, to multiply 7 by 9, bend the 7th finger. 6 fingers remain “before” and 3 ”after.” We get the answer: 7×9 = 63.

12. Length

If you need to approximately measure an object but there’s no ruler at hand, you can use the fingers of one hand. In accordance with the average human proportions, the distance between the tips of the thumb and forefinger is about 18 cm (7″), and the distance between the thumb and little finger is about 20 cm (7.87″).

Of course, this method isn’t absolutely accurate because each of us has a different hand size. Yet it can be useful if you need to measure a large object with a small ruler: just measure the distance between your fingers in advance.

With some many helpful ways to remember these tidbits, life just got a little easier. Yes, having smartphones means that all this knowledge is always at your fingertips; but when you can’t get a signal, knowing how to do it the old-fashioned way can still come in handy.

Source: Remedy Daily; Brightside

You might be skeptical of this unconventional advice at first. Why would salt, something found in your kitchen pantry, benefit your washing machine? The truth lies in understanding the multi-faceted roles that salt can play, from fighting new stains to maintaining the machine itself. Before you head off dismissing this as a myth, read on to uncover how this household staple can revolutionize your laundry routine.

The Science Behind Salt

Salt, primarily composed of sodium chloride, is known for its abrasive properties and its ability to dissolve easily in water. These characteristics make it an excellent cleaning agent for various applications, including your washing machine. Here’s how salt can positively impact your washing machine and laundry:

Softening Hard Water:

Hard water, which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, can leave deposits on your clothes and inside your washing machine. These mineral deposits can lead to dull, stiff fabrics and can cause damage to the machine over time. Salt acts as a natural water softener by binding with the minerals, preventing them from clinging to your clothes and machine parts.

Removing Stains:

Salt is a natural stain remover. It can help break down and lift stains from fabrics, making it easier for the detergent to do its job. This is particularly effective for sweat stains, blood stains, and grease marks.

Preventing Limescale Build-Up:

Limescale can accumulate in the heating elements and pipes of your washing machine, reducing its efficiency and lifespan. The abrasive nature of salt helps prevent the formation of limescale by breaking down the minerals that cause it.

Boosting Detergent Efficiency:

Adding salt to your wash can enhance the effectiveness of your detergent. Salt helps to release dirt and grime from fabrics more effectively, allowing the detergent to penetrate deeper into the fibers and clean more thoroughly.

Eliminating Odors:

Washing machines can develop unpleasant odors due to the build-up of detergent residue, fabric softener, and grime. Salt has natural deodorizing properties that can neutralize these odors, leaving your washing machine smelling fresh.

How to Use Salt in Your Washing Machine

Using salt in your washing machine is simple and straightforward. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Choose the Right Type of Salt:

Opt for coarse sea salt or rock salt rather than table salt. Coarse salts are more effective due to their larger grains and lack of additives.

Add Salt to the Drum:

For a regular-sized load of laundry, add about ½ cup of salt directly into the drum of your washing machine. If you’re dealing with particularly hard water or tough stains, you can increase the amount to 1 cup.

Run a Maintenance Wash:

Periodically, run an empty wash cycle with just salt and hot water. This helps to clean the inside of your washing machine, remove limescale, and eliminate any lingering odors.

Combine with Detergent:

You can add salt along with your regular detergent for each wash. This will boost the cleaning power of the detergent and keep your clothes looking vibrant.

Precautions and Considerations

While adding salt to your washing machine has numerous benefits, it’s important to keep a few considerations in mind:

Frequency:

Don’t overdo it. Using salt in every wash isn’t necessary. A maintenance wash once a month or adding salt to particularly tough loads should suffice.

Compatibility:

Check your washing machine’s manual or consult with the manufacturer to ensure that using salt won’t void your warranty or cause damage to specific parts.

Type of Clothes:

Be cautious when washing delicate fabrics or garments with embellishments, as the abrasive nature of salt could cause damage.

Source: cooktopcove

Debates Regarding the Bathroom Door

Closing the bathroom door is generally the preferred method while in the bathroom. It ensures privacy and holds in unpleasant and unwanted odors. However, opening the bathroom door allows air to circulate, ultimately removing unwanted odors. Interestingly, there may be more to it.

Feng Shui Says Closed Bathroom Door

The ancient art of Feng Shui is merely the idea that buildings and interior decoration are methodically mapped out to create a harmonious and open energy flow, aligning your qi, also spelled chi. In Chinese culture, feng shui translates to “wind-water” and water is a symbol of wealth or abundance. As such, bathrooms are an ideal place to start the energy flow because water is abundant. The ancient practice notes that keeping the bathroom door closed prevents money from “washing down the drain“, emphasizing that keeping the toilet lid closed also ensures that your chi doesn’t “find an unintentional escape route.”

Preventing Mold and Other Germs

In contrast, an open bathroom door or windows and running the fan remove moisture after a steamy shower or bath., particularly for those in a wet climate. This practice helps prevent mold build-up and is a seemingly necessary part of life for many. Furthermore, leaving the bathroom door open, accompanied by other windows in the home creates a breeze that helps remove germs and bacteria. However, it’s important to note that fresh air isn’t a sufficient sanitization method and bathrooms should be regularly cleaned.

New Perspective on the Bathroom Door

Meanwhile, OnPlusNews published an article sharing an entirely new perspective on leaving the bathroom door open, noting that it creates a sense of community. The article accounts for some common themes among most families. For example, leaving the bathroom door closed can feel claustrophobic. Or parents may be separated from their curious 2-year-old, often ending in messes and chaos. As such, leaving the bathroom door open is likely a good idea. The author notes they “inadvertently” left the bathroom door open during a family get-together. As a result, it “facilitated conversations and “openness among guests.”

Boundaries and Privacy

On the other hand, closing the bathroom door is a simple way to establish a boundary in a bustling home, ensuring privacy. As a result, the article concluded that perhaps closing the bathroom door is circumstantial and a personal preference. The conclusion makes sense, as most of the time people have differing circumstances and often make their own rules regarding how their home operates. Interestingly, bathroom etiquette varies worldwide, and many practices may seem odd in the U.S.

European Customs

For example, many European cities have a bathroom attendant and it’s customary to tip the attendant. As a result, they have tip jars on the counter. However, this practice was popular in the U.S. years ago, and can still be found in extravagant hotels such as rooftop restaurants and lounges in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Asian Customs

Another seemingly strange practice is the use of the “squatting toilet“. Luckily, these have a bathroom door and are found throughout Asia, including China, India, and Singapore. However, studies have shown using these toilets is healthier and more natural, allowing our bodies to do their jobs with ease. While they’re a healthier way to go, the idea of a “squatting toilet” can seem strange to those unfamiliar with the practice. It’s a good idea to remove anything from pockets and avoid baggy clothes as they’re more prone to splashback.

Old and Fragile Plumbing

Additionally, some countries don’t have plumbing systems to accommodate foreign objects such as feminine products or toilet paper. Therefore, it’s important to note any signs that may warn against flushing these items, as they’ll likely have an alternative disposal method.

Bathroom etiquette varies worldwide and some practices may seem strange at first. However, with a little better understanding many of these practices make sense and can be advantageous, including whether or not you close the bathroom door.

Source: theeyota

1. Homemade toilet bowl cleaner

While there are plenty of harsh cleaners that use bleach or other cleaning methods, sometimes a simplistic home recipe can be just as helpful to accomplish a fresh-smelling bathroom.

Simply add ½ cup of baking soda to ¼ cup of Castile soap and ¼ cup of vinegar. Note that 10 drops of essential oils can be added if desired.

As well as, the option of scented Castile soap. Additionally, some scented oils like Eucalyptus, Rosemary, and orange or lemon have also been shown to have antibacterial properties. Meaning they not only smell great. They’ll also help supplement the assurance that your fresh-smelling bathroom is properly disinfected. Wish the ingredients together, adding hot water to help dilute the mix, making the homemade cleaner go a little further For best results, it’s recommended to use a squeeze bottle but a spray bottle can also be used if there isn’t another option.

2. A Fresh Smelling Bathroom is Clean

Although there isn’t always time to deep clean, generally keeping things as clean as possible will increase the odds of having a fresh smelling bathroom.

3. Including Trash

Not only is cleaning necessary for a fresh smelling bathroom, but taking out the trash regularly also helps. This also applies to stubborn kitchen odors.

4. Prevent Damp Material for Fresh Smelling Bathroom

After showering or taking a bath, people dry off with a towel. No surprise there. However, many people fail to allow their towels to dry properly, causing mildew and other unpleasant odors. Therefore, it’s recommended to hang a towel up to dry. Preferably, it is not bunched up but spread out so airflow can reach all parts of the towel. Note, laundry can also be the culprit of unpleasant odors in a home so it’s recommended to dry laundry as quickly and efficiently as possible to prevent mildew. Applying to towels as well as other types of laundry, when the mildew smell shows up, it’s best to rewash the load on hot water. Some have even suggested adding a baking soda and vinegar mixture, further reducing odor-causing bacteria.

5. Ventilation for a Fresh Smelling Bathroom

London, UK – Circa March 2019: Shallow focus of CE marking seen within newly installed double glazed windows. The mechanism for the small window can be seen, which is located at the back of the house.
This tip also applies to other areas of a home. By keeping windows cracked, if not fully open, the airflow will help circulate cleaner, fresher air. In turn, helping to remove unwanted odors.

6. Charcoal or Other Air Fresheners

Fragrance diffusor glass with reed sticks between perfume flacons giving natural scent of lemon
Most people know of products like Febreze or Glade, which are popular air fresheners. However, they also contain chemicals that aren’t great for our lungs, skin, or pets. As a result, some people prefer a more natural or eco-friendly approach. In this case, an oil diffuser, scent pouch, or charcoal pack can help eliminate moisture and unwanted smells. A homemade scent pouch can be made using dried herbs or flowers and occasionally sprayed with essential oils to keep a bathroom fresh-smelling. Moreover, charcoal pouches can be found in most common stores ranging from the Dollar Store to Walmart to online retailers.

7. Take advantage of the Versatility of Herbs

Not only can dried herbs, fruits, or flowers be used in scent pouches. They can also be hung from the shower to “diffuse” a scent into the steam from a shower. Note this can also serve as a homeopathic treatment for congestion.

8. Scents in Toilets

There are products on the market that act as an air freshener for toilet bowls, but in most cases, they aren’t necessarily eco-friendly. In contrast, adding a few drops of essential oils, fabric softener, or even laundry detergent to the toilet tank or bowl can help ensure a fresh-smelling bathroom.

9. Homemade Air Freshener

While scent packs are great at removing odors, sprays can also do the same. Therefore, by adding a little water, alcohol, and essential oils together it’s easy to make your own personalized scents that are often better for the environment and our overall health. Note that this method of freshening may not last as long, requiring a touch-up more often, than fresheners that are packed with chemicals.

10. Use your favorite products for a Fresh Smelling Bathroom

This simple method is one of the easier ways to keep a fresh-smelling bathroom because we often use soaps, body wash, hairspray, perfumes, and so on in our daily hygiene routines. By selecting scents that bring us joy or peace, we can not only clean ourselves but also ensure a fresh scent is left behind when we’ve finished up.

A fresh-smelling bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom can easily be achieved in a way that is both cost-effective and kinder to the environment and our own bodies.

A plugged-in phone charger has become a common sight in households, often left even when not actively charging a device. There are a few reasons why leaving your charger plugged in without your phone is not as harmless as it seems.

The Power of A Phone Charger

Chargers consume power even when not actively charging a device. A test using a genuine Apple phone charger revealed that it uses approximately 130W of power a month, translating to 1.5KW h a year. While this might seem negligible at first glance, the cumulative effect becomes significant when considering multiple chargers.1

It’s essential to consider the number of chargers in use and their individual power draw. Larger chargers tend to consume more power, and non-genuine chargers may take significantly more, up to 10 to 20 times based on testing. Additionally, the environmental impact of millions of continuously-running chargers should not be overlooked, contributing to increased kilowatt hours and carbon emissions.

Fire Hazard: A Real Concern

Leaving a phone charger plugged in poses a potential fire hazard. Overheating chargers, especially when buried under items like clothing or books, can lead to increased temperatures and pose a risk of fire. This danger is amplified when dealing with non-branded, low-quality chargers that may not adhere to safety standards.2

Phone Charger Left Alone = Higher Electricity Bills

A phone charger left plugged in can contribute to higher electricity bills. Even when not actively charging a phone, the charger continues to draw power from the outlet. The cumulative effect of multiple chargers constantly consuming energy adds up over time, leading to an unnecessary increase in electricity costs.

While the individual cost per charger may seem minimal, the yearly expense for a dozen chargers can be significant. For instance, the collective cost of leaving five chargers plugged in constantly is around $0.37 per year, highlighting the financial impact of this seemingly harmless habit.4

Wastes Energy: A Silent Contributor

Beyond the financial implications, leaving a phone charger plugged in wastes energy. The seemingly inconspicuous power draw contributes to heating up homes and increasing pollution. With the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability, minimizing unnecessary energy consumption becomes crucial.

While smartphone and tablet chargers have almost no phantom load, power tool battery chargers can be notable energy hogs, especially older ones. Identifying and unplugging inefficient chargers is a practical step towards reducing energy waste.

Leaving your phone charger plugged in without a connected device has its pitfalls. Beyond the financial aspects, there are valid concerns regarding energy wastage, potential fire hazards, and their environmental impact. To mitigate these risks, it is advisable to unplug chargers when not in use, invest in smart outlets for remote control, and prioritize safety by choosing high-quality, branded equipment. As we navigate the digital age, small changes in our charging habits can collectively contribute to a more sustainable and safe living environment.

Source: Daily Quotes