Does Charging Your Cell Phone Equal A Fire Hazzard?

There are a few things that cause us humans to have that immediate “sick to your stomach” moment, such as losing our wallet, not being able to find our keys when we’re running late or realizing that we forgot to charge our cell phone. 

Seeing that low battery sign on your phone is nauseating, especially if you know that you’re not going to be able to charge your phone for a while. I mean your whole life is connected through that phone, right.  

On the topic of charging your phone, October is fire prevention month. And the American Red Cross Minnesota Dakotas Region took an opportunity on their social media channels to remind us that when we’re charging our phones, the phone needs to be on a hard surface. 

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Placing your phone on a nightstand, dresser, counter, table or some other form of hard surface allows the heat that builds up between your phone and the charger to escape and not be bottled up around the device itself, which can cause the phone to overheat and start a fire.  

If you’re charging your phones while it is lying on your bed, pillow, or other softer type surfaces, the soft surface can help trap the heat that I mentioned before and allow the phone to grow increasingly hot, which is a fire risk.  

This philosophy goes for headphones and other electronic devices that need to be charged on a regular basis. One other note is to make sure you’re using an approved charging cord; this will reduce the risk of overheating and fires.  

Overheating can also be detrimental to your phone as well outside of the fact that it could catch on fire. The heat could cause your phone to not work very well.  

It pays benefits to take a minute and consider where and how you are charging your electronics. This could not only save you money by having to replace the item, but it could also save your home and life too.