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Untangle cords and
wires
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It’s time to haul out the temporary extension cords and the piles of holiday lights. Don’t let them make a tangled mess in the middle of a house you’re tidying up for the holidays.
November 2010
Keep your cords and cables from becoming an eyesore, a tripping hazard or a fire-waiting-to-happen by following three simple rules:
1. Extension cords are for temporary use only. Never use one to help the cord on a permanent lamp or appliance reach the outlet. Move the lamp closer to the outlet or call an electrician to add an outlet closer to the lamp. Extension cords are not sturdy enough to leave out all year. Use them during the holiday season if you need them, and then store them safely away until next year.
2. Tidy your tangle of cords and cables—around the Christmas tree and in areas where you use electronics, like your home office or TV room. Look behind your desk or TV cabinet, and you’ll probably find a rat’s nest of cords, cables, wires and plugs that attach to your computer, scanner, printer, telephone, battery charger and external hard drive. Unplug and store away any that aren’t in use, and bundle the rest up with a Velcro cord wrap (buy it at a hardware or electronics store).
3. Stop relying on power strips. If you’ve got dozens of cords plugged into power strips and surge protectors around your tree or in your home office or TV room, you could be overloading your electrical circuits. Those devices let you plug lots of cords into one wall outlet, but they don’t give that outlet any extra juice. That single outlet is connected to a circuit, which most likely is providing power to several other outlets in the room. The solution: Hire a licensed electrician to upgrade your circuits and add outlets.
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