‘Should a toaster oven be unplugged?’, sounds like a simple question. Yet it is a very popular query on the internet. In this article, I will answer this query and will educate you people regarding whether you should unplug your toasters or not.
Should Toaster Ovens Be Unplugged
Yes, you should always unplug your toaster ovens! It can prove to be hazardous if you don’t. According to a research by B. Kotti Ready, faulty and unplugged appliances can result in many hazards like electrical shock and fire. These plugged devices are also at risk of malfunctioning or even subjected to severe damage during a power surge if left plugged in.
Why Should Toaster Ovens Be Unplugged?
By unplugging our devices like toaster ovens, we can reduce our electrical bills, protect our appliances from power surges and reduce the risk of any ignition or fire in our house.
Most Plugged appliances including toasters consume a little amount of electricity which accounts for 5% of your electricity bill. Toasters can also turn on spontaneously or fail to turn off at the end of a cycle. Bread crumbs left into the toaster can ignite a fire and cause serious hazards.
Read the instructions that come with your toaster for proper maintenance and usage.
After briefly explaining the importance of unplugging electrical appliances we will now dive into the details of hazards of not unplugging the toaster.
Hazards Of Not Unplugging The Toaster
Many blogs on the internet claim that unplugging is both a waste of time and energy but now I’ll try to show you the real facts.
Most of us use our toaster in the morning to make delicious grilled cheese or to brown the bread which compliments a fried egg. And then we just leave for work without unplugging our toaster.
Some people even use it to reheat pizza and other edibles of the same type and forget to unplug their toaster afterward. These are the main reasons that result in accidents and fire caused by a toaster. Now I will guide you on how these hazards take place and how you can prevent them.
Leftover Food Can Catch Fire
Little pieces of bread can easily break and fall into the bottom of the toaster. When accumulated in greater quantities, they can catch fire from the energized heating element. Most of the accidents mentioned previously are the result of bread crumbs and leftovers in the toaster.
Plugged in toasters draw the little amount of electricity for their heating elements (hence the electricity vampires) which energize and heat its heating material. Many times, it can ignite the breadcrumbs and also the surrounding inflammable appliances.
A very easy way to avoid this hazard is to clean your toaster regularly; every day or at least weekly. It is a small effort, but can save you from a potentially life-threatening situation.
Malfunctioning During Power Surges
Power surges cause the current to build up in the toaster and cause electrical shock upon touching. Another possible hazard is that heating elements can catch fire and as mentioned previously, can result in the loss of property or even life.
Power surges are quite common in some areas and result in serious damage to different appliances. As in toasters, it can cause short-circuiting of the wires. A simple way to avoid this unfortunate happening is to make sure that your toaster is functioning properly and is unplugged when not in use.
Now I will share some advantages of unplugging the toaster.
Advantages Of Unplugging The Toaster
From saving our electricity bills to saving our environment, there are many advantages to unplugging your toaster and other electrical appliances.
Here I will briefly explain to you the most important benefits which we seem to ignore in our day-to-day life, but can save quite a penny.
Reducing Electricity Bills
You can easily save a month’s bill every year just by unplugging your devices. According to a report, an average American home contains 30-40 electrical appliances that consume a constant amount of electricity. While their consumption is quite negligible, their net consumption makes 5-10% of our total electricity bills. This electricity is known as ‘leaking electricity’.
If you are not convinced with the facts, you can personally check the electricity your electronics consume while being inactive. You will need an electricity monitor for that purpose.
Environment Friendly
Electricity in many countries is made by bio-fuel which also results in the release of CO2 and other polluting agents in the environment. It also reduces natural resources.
If you are an eco-activist and love nature, then you should unplug the devices and save electricity. In the account of that, it is our obligatory duty to preserve our environment and reduce our consumption of natural resources. And a small step towards that effort could be by unplugging your appliances.
Apart from these advantages, unplugging our toaster and other electrical appliances also result in saving us from hazards like fire, short circuit during power surges, and electric shock.
But it is quite tedious to unplug every device when not in use. Especially in our daily work routine, it is impossible to pay a head towards this trivial matter. But I have a solution for this as well.
Now I will tell you a simple and quick method through which you can turn off and unplug all of your electrical appliances In one go.
How To Unplug All Of Your Electrical Appliances In One Go
An extension or electrical strip is the life-saving device in this situation. It is a rectangular box with multiple sockets that you can use to provide electricity to all of your devices at the same time. It has an attached single wire that energizes your toaster, brightens your TV screen, and reheats your food by turning with just a single button.
Even after mentioning some huge advantages of unplugging the electrical appliances, we have to admit that it is impossible for us to turn off our toaster, TV, microwave, computers, printers and many other things. It can become quite frustrating and one will lose their enthusiasm in quite a short time. An extension is just the right product for people like us.
The extension does not draw any residual electricity when turned off so it will also reduce your electricity bills and phantom electricity consumption.
Note: Use an extension with proper wiring as advised by an electrician. You don’t want a weak extension for your big appliances.
Final Verdict
Unplugging your toaster and other electrical appliances may sound like an unnecessary and feeble effort. But now you know that it can save money, lives, and the whole planet (quite dramatic!).
Many potential hazards can result from plugged-in devices even if they are turned off. All of those mishappenings can easily be avoided by unplugging your device. And I have also mentioned a very cheap and quick way for doing that as well.
I hope all of you found that article helpful and your queries regarding ‘should the toaster oven be unplugged’ were answered. All of this information is based on the facts from Google and personal experience. I hope that you will follow my advice and will improve your and your family’s life.
