I too use surge protectors for both my sewing machine and my iron. Many years ago before they were available we lost several appliances during a summer thunderstorm.
Also, as I have a bad back it is sometimes difficult for me to bend over to plug and unplug the iron and as you know, most new irons do not have a true shut off switch. My surge protector is on the floor and I have discovered that I can turn the iron off and on with the button on the protector with my foot.
FYI: Make sure you by a surge protector and not just a power strip. You also need to make sure that the protector has a high enough joules rating to protect your equipment.
Originally Posted by
callen
On a similar note - do you have a surge protector for your computerized sewing machine? Our house got hit by lightning 3 years ago & all our electronics were ok because our tv's & computer were plugged into surge protector but not my computerized sewing machine. When I talked with the retailer I bought it from, the 1st thing he said was "How is your sewing machine?" I hadn't even thought about it. It was fine but since then I keep it plugged into a surge protector extension cord. Just a footnote, the lightning blew out a ceiling fan, a ventilation vent from the ceiling, travelled 3 floors down to the basement & blew out the entire phone system in the house. We got away very lucky as it easily could have started a fire. Never underestimate Mother Nature !!!