park.tara•2mo agoOG Member

That $8 'vintage' lamp almost burned my house down

Picked up this cute little lamp from the Goodwill in Medford for $8. Looked like a retro gem with a milk glass shade. Got it home, plugged it in, and the cord started smoking after 10 minutes. The wiring inside was crumbling and totally frayed. So I wasted $8 and had to toss it, plus I could have started a fire. Has anyone else bought something cheap that turned out to be a genuine safety hazard?

2 comments

2 Comments

hall.charles2mo ago

I read a fire safety report that said old lamps and appliances with cloth wiring are the biggest culprits for house fires. Honestly, you're lucky you were home to catch it.

ward.mason2mo ago

Yeah that actually makes a LOT of sense now that you say it @hall.charles. I used to think it was just faulty space heaters or people leaving candles lit, but cloth wiring is so fragile over time. I've got an old floor lamp in my living room with wiring that looks like it's from the 60s, and I never gave it a second thought until reading about how the insulation just crumbles and exposes the wires. Definitely swapping that out this weekend.