Unplugging an iron
 

If you turn your iron off, do you have to unplug when you are done?

Yes, I always do.

I unplug everything when I leave the room! Including my machine.

I was afraid that would be answer. Oh well I better remember to do it.

You need to remember that electricity is coming thru that cord to the machine or iron or anything, always from the plug in. If the iron misfires, you may have a fire. Now you guys, tell me this is right! Barny

I have my iron plugged into a serge strip. I turn off the surge strip which also turns the light over the ironing board.

I always unplug mine because that is what I was taught as a child.

I have always unplugged mine, as I have a great fear of accidental fire.

It is safest to unplug appliances when not in use. Twice we have had my husband's coffee grinder turn on by itself during an electrical storm, spewing beans all over the kitchen. We should have learned our lesson the first time -- slow learners, I guess. My sister had a problem with a toaster left plugged in during a storm. A iron involves quite intense heat, so it is better to be safe.

This exactly.

Always. better safe than sorry.

Same here! Don't want a fire or problem with an electrical surge.

I have always unplugged mind only because I've been afraid the dogs would knock over the iron and it would go from 'off' to 'on' and have a disaster on my hands.

Mine is plugged into a plug strip, I turn off the plug strip.

I plug my iron into a toggle switch that is plugged into an extension cord. The toggle switch sits at the end of my ironing board and I can toggle it on and off during my sewing. When I am finished for the day, I unplug it at the toggle switch. With this device I don't have to leave my iron on the entire time that I sew, and when I am finished I don't have to bend over to the outlet.

One picture shows my plug and switch. The other shows the plug up close. I found it at a home improvement store.

Yes I do unplug my iron and I also unplug my machine, too.

I unplug the iron and all my machines are on power strips and I turn off all the power strips when I am done for the day or leave the room for a long time period. All my ott lites are on the power strips and that way I can do a quick glance around the room and know that everything has been shut down.

I unplug my iron everytime I quit using it. It's my safety check. It is easier to see the empty plug than the "off" on the iron.

I solved the problem by plugging my iron and lamp into a surge protector. In order for the light to be out, everything gets turned off. Makes my DH happy.

Yes. Always

I have been unplugging it. But today I was thinking as long as the iron is off, I could leave it plugged in. I will continue to unplug it.
Thanks every one for your input.

I turn mine off too - even though the iron turns itself off - I just don't want an accident.

I do this also.

I unplug the iron, loop the cord loosely around it once, and let the plug end hang off the front of the table where I can see with a glance whether the iron is off.

In 30 years I've never unplugged everything else except my cell if it's charging, the charger, the TV, and the computer/laptop during a storm. Lived in at least 12 different places in that time with no problems. I may rethink it after reading this thread!

Jan in VA

Yikes. I don't unplug anything (unless there's a big storm).

This is what I do also. My sewing machine is also plugged into a serge strip.

I do the same thing. It works great. I always notice if I've left the iron on because the light is also on.

I have an electrical strip that has a remote control for one plug - I use that plug for the iron.

I'm sorry, but I had to laugh at the mental picture!

I also unplug irons and sewing machines even my longarm

I have 2 reasons I unplug: 1- my DBIL who is a commander in the fire department and I live in the lightning capital of the world....

Please note, we suffered a fire in our first Motorhome, in 2005 - our parrot and two dogs were in the RV, and we had gone off to a concert, the concert wasn't keeping us interested, we decided to leave early - upon returning to the RV Park, we noticed the awefully darkened windows, when my husband opened the door, there was a fire inside, he went in- got out the dogs and the bird, grabbed the curtains and tossed them outside, along with the power cord which also had a surge protector on it, it was a very expensive cord, however it failed. The surge protector was what the insurance investigators told us started the fire, apparently it smoldered for quite some time, before it caught the curtains on fire.

Our dogs and bird survived and we had an aweful lot of smoke damage, so PLEASE do not trust those surge protectors, unplug your appliances, etc, when you are not in the area.

I always unplug the iron, that's what Mom taught me.

Ask a fireman how many fires have been started by irons. I always unplug.

I always unplug my iron. If I don't one of our cats will chew on the cord.

AudreyB I've got to look for that toggle switch. I've not seen those and need one for another application. But I am concerned about your drop cord. Does it have a high enough rating for your high wattage iron? That in itself can be a fire hazard. Regular household drop cords are not rated for high wattage appliances.

I didn't use to unplug my iron after turning it off until one day I noticed the iron was still warm to the touch even though it wasn't on. This was the next day. I've unplugged it ever since.

My 2 machines and irons are hooked up to one of those surge protectors. I unplug the whole business when I leave the room and am done for the day. I turn it off (the light indicator) for short periods of time but unplug at end of day. I still turn my iron off when not in use just like my machines.

Because I have blocked most of the outlets in my studio with bookcases, I have installed (not sure what they're called) multi-outlet strips with circuit breakers that I plug everything into. At DH's suggestion, the iron is on one all by itself. He said it was not a good idea to plug the machine (which cost more than my first NEW car,) into the same outlets as the iron.

When I am done in the studio, I just have to turn off the two circuit breakers on the bars and everything but the overhead light is shut down. I am very happy with this solution.

I have this set-up too. My iron has a light that blinks when it is not heating. While I'm ironing something very large, and have the iron flat on the ironing board for a long time, the heat goes off and the light starts to blink. I just have to flip the iron up and down again to go back to heat mode. But if the iron is turned off, the light continues to blink, and when I come back the next day, the handle is very warm. So it is continuously using current. That's why I use the set-up ManiacQuilter has.

But my sewing machine is a different story. Even though it is plugged into a strip with a switch, that switched strip is plugged in somewhere behind the table. (I forgot where, but I would have to crawl on my belly to find it.) I know that lightning can follow wires even if the switches are off, so the best way to interrupt this flow of electricity is to unplug. But I didn't want to unplug from the strip either. I pull the plug at the machine and hang that end of the cord around the thread spool holder. That way I can see immediately that the machine is unplugged and have learned to replug it by brail. I can feel where it goes.