# Manufacturer's warnings you routinely ignore **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112 "2007-05-14T23:34:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reloy3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c68b51/32.png) [@Reloy3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reloy3)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/1 "2007-05-14T23:34:41Z")
The other day I got one of those “ha-ha” e-mails about silly warnings on products, and I started noticing them. It got me thinking. -I place q-tips in my ear canal, sometimes twice a day. -My kids’ trampoline has a warning telling people that the trampoline shouldn’t be used while wet, you shouldn’t flip on the trampoline, and only one person should jump on it at the time. All ignored routinely. -I have sat on the top rung of the ladder more times than I can think of. -My wife used to have a blow dryer that warned against plugging it in or using it “Near a source of water”. It was never used except right over the sink less than 5 feet from the toilet. So, any warnings you routinely ignore? (BTW, I am a lawyer, and I understand why the warnings are there, but this is just intended to be a question of interest that has nothing to do with any present or anticipated litigation.) ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/2 "2007-05-15T00:13:04Z")
Mentholatum has warnings against placing the ointment near the eyes or in the nostrils. When I am having severe allergic symptoms, I rub a small amount of Mentholatum along my lower eyelids, and I put a glob up each nostril. I’ve been doing this for more than fifty years; so far, I haven’t gone blind, and my nose hasn’t fallen off. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/3 "2007-05-15T00:18:20Z")
I am a Mattress Tag Fiend! \ It…it feels _so good_ to fess up! ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/4 "2007-05-15T00:46:31Z")
Ketchup and BBQ sauce bottles say to refrigerate after opening. WTF? Who keeps these in the fridge? (And why does “fridge” have a “d” when “refrigerator” does not?) ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/5 "2007-05-15T00:47:45Z")
Stand and work on the top rung of step ladders daily. Rarely use safety glasses when stripping or snipping wire(I do tend to use them if I’m working above my head.) Use my linesmen pliers to hammer. Use my screwdrivers as chisels Rarely turn off power to work on light fixtures. Disconnect air compressor hoses that are under pressure. Occasionally stand on the rails of or on a ladder on a man lift. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/6 "2007-05-15T00:49:47Z")
I tumble dry medium, and I don’t care who knows it. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/7 "2007-05-15T01:10:52Z")
I never do the skin allergy test when I color my hair (dab sample on the inside of your elbow, wait 48 hours for signs of a reaction). I’ve never been allergic to anything in my life, and when I decide to color my hair, I want to do it NOW DAMMIT! ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/8 "2007-05-15T01:23:06Z")
[QUOTE=divemaster] Ketchup and BBQ sauce bottles say to refrigerate after opening. WTF? Who keeps these in the fridge? [/QUOTE] **divemaster** , I wish you the best, I really do, but images of your painful and unfortunate demise keep playing over and over again in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/9 "2007-05-15T01:31:01Z")
[QUOTE=divemaster] Ketchup and BBQ sauce bottles say to refrigerate after opening. [/QUOTE] I do. Doesn’t bother me in the least. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/10 "2007-05-15T01:41:01Z")
I’m a q-tip in the ear addict, but I don’t do it to either of my kids. Best to break the cycle of abuse, I think. I use wet Swiffer pads on my dry Swiffer Sweep ‘n’ Vac. The motor is way far away from the pads, and I don’t turn it on when mopping, but they say not to even put a wet pad on it. Bah. I think they just want me to buy two units. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/11 "2007-05-15T01:48:18Z")
Does opening something at the end labeled “Open other end” count? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/12 "2007-05-15T02:04:14Z")
The only two I routinely pay attention to are: 1. Don’t use a chainsaw overhead, on a ladder, or on a ladder overhead (like my dumbass BIL who was lucky the chain was stopped when he fell off the ladder. Still got a huge laceration and later gangrene though.) 2. Do not throw electrical appliance in bathtub. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/13 "2007-05-15T02:09:31Z")
Do the warnings on a pack of cigarettes count? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/14 "2007-05-15T02:17:06Z")
[QUOTE=Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor] I am a Mattress Tag Fiend! \ It..it feels _so good_ to fess up! [/QUOTE] But you’re the final purchaser, so the tag doesn’t apply to you. I routinely ignore the warnings on lots of bottles of chemicals. Of course I treat them with respect, but I don’t think I really needed to see two seperate paragraphs on a bottle of sec-butyl lithium about how this is dangerous and should only be used by a trained professional and so on. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/15 "2007-05-15T02:24:19Z")
Hmmm. I refrigerate barbecue sauce because I’ve seen it moldy. No thanks. Lather. (sure!) Rinse. (definitely!) Repeat. (hmmm, no.) I know there are some. I’ll think of them later. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/16 "2007-05-15T02:25:49Z")
I never read any of the warnings, so I’d have to say ALL of them, for EVERYTHING. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/17 "2007-05-15T03:05:04Z")
[QUOTE=Cervaise] I tumble dry medium, and I don’t care who knows it. [/QUOTE] My dryer’s set to HIGH. I’m such a rebel. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/18 "2007-05-15T03:10:57Z")
Tonight I read the label on a tin of oysters. There was a cautionary note under the ingredients (Oysters, water, salt): **Contains:** Shellfish (Oysters) Thank god for that warning! I may have eaten them! Actually, I think I’ll ignore that note and eat them. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/19 "2007-05-15T03:55:06Z")
Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter tells you to refrigerate it after opening. Doing so prevents the oil separation, but makes it hard to spread, and it tears the bread. I would rather stir it than have hard peanut butter. You know what’s in natural peanut butter? Peanuts and salt. I have not yet died from leaving salted peanuts unrefrigerated, and I am okay with the risk of the unrefrigerated peanut butter. Besides, it doesn’t have time to anything icky. We go through that stuff pretty fast. 'S gooooooooood. Oh, and I open two-liters of 7Up while not bothering to make sure they are pointed away from any faces or eyes. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2007, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112/20 "2007-05-15T04:05:08Z")
[QUOTE=divemaster] Ketchup and BBQ sauce bottles say to refrigerate after opening. WTF? Who keeps these in the fridge? (And why does “fridge” have a “d” when “refrigerator” does not?) [/QUOTE] You know, the last time this came up on the board, I checked my bottle and it doesn’t say that anywhere. I’ve never seen it on a bottle ketchup. Barbecue sauce, maybe. I can’t think of any warnings I ignore, probably because I just don’t pay attention to them well enough to know what they are. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manufacturers-warnings-you-routinely-ignore/404112.md?page=2)