I have read many posts on this board about people who have had fires due to leaving irons plugged in. So, last week I went to Costco and purchased a heavy duty serge protector made by Belkin. Went home and plugged everything into the new one. I do however still unplug this all of the time when I leave the room due to thunder storms. This year we have been lacking in rain and storms, but still unplug.