{"id":18721,"date":"2025-07-01T12:37:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T12:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/blog\/the-top-extension-cord-safety-tips\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T20:01:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T20:01:06","slug":"the-top-extension-cord-safety-tips-2","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/blog\/the-top-extension-cord-safety-tips-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Extension Cord Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Does your home have too many electrical devices and too few outlets to plug them all in? Chances are you\u2019re using extension cords to power up your electrical devices. However, electrical cords can become fire hazards when misused. So, we curated some guidelines that will be helpful for safe use in your home or business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17 Tips For Safely Using Extension Cords<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Purchase only cords<\/strong> that are approved by an independent testing laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Don\u2019t overload extension<\/strong> cords with too many appliances. The cord can overheat and possibly cause a fire.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Plug major appliances<\/strong>, such as refrigerators, dryers, and washers, directly into a wall receptacle outlet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Check the maximum capacity<\/strong> of the extension cord and appliance or tool you\u2019re using, and make sure you don\u2019t exceed it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Fully insert the plug<\/strong> of an extension cord (or any plug for that matter) into an outlet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Unplug cords<\/strong> when you\u2019re not using them. To safely unplug a cord, pull on the plug, NOT on the cord itself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Use extension cords<\/strong> only temporarily. Don\u2019t substitute them for permanent wiring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Don\u2019t run cords<\/strong> through water or snow to avoid the high risk of electric shock. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. Don\u2019t run cords<\/strong> through ceilings, walls, doorways, or floors. Never place cords under carpets, either. Covered cords allow little heat to escape and pose a fire hazard.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. Keep cords out of the path<\/strong> of foot traffic to prevent tripping. Don\u2019t leave cords dangling anywhere where they can be pulled down and tripped over.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. If you use too many extension cords<\/strong>, there may be too few outlets in your home. Have a qualified electrician install additional outlets. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. Avoid chaining multiple extension cords<\/strong> \u2013 plug cords directly into mounted electrical receptacles and use cords that are long enough for your needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. Never use indoor extension cords outdoors<\/strong>. Only use the cords marked for outdoor use.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. Inspect cords<\/strong> before using them. If a cord heats up or is damaged in any way, discard it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. Always use cords<\/strong> with polarized and\/or three-prong plugs. Don\u2019t force a three-prong plug into two-prong outlets. Don\u2019t remove or bend the ground pin to force a fit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. When using cord-bundling devices<\/strong>, such as spiral wire wrap, avoid cramming cords together to prevent damaging the cord\u2019s insulation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. Never use staples or nails<\/strong> to attach cords to a surface like a wall to prevent puncturing the cord\u2019s insulation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Contact Your Local PuroClean Office For Fire Restoration Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To learn more about avoiding electrical hazards in your home, check out our essential home electrical safety tips<\/a> and the top causes of electrical fires<\/a>. For professional smoke damage repair or fire damage clean-up, contact your local PuroClean office.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Does your home have too many electrical devices and too few outlets to plug them all in? Chances are you\u2019re using extension cords to power up your electrical devices. However,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19225,"template":"","blog-category":[12],"class_list":["post-18721","blog","type-blog","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","blog-category-fire-restoration"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/18721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog\/18721\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"blog-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.puroclean.com\/glendale-ca-puroclean-glendale\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-category?post=18721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}