I share a bathroom with another person. They keep the hairdryer on the sink top, plugged in, at all times.
Me, I have a fear of electricity. That’s beside the point, so please don’t make fun–we all have our weird phobias. I’m just revealing it here for some explanation/background.
It’s not a huge fear, but it’s enough to prevent me from doing things like changing lightbulbs, plugging in and unplugging things, and sometimes, even, turning on light switches.
So…am I wrong that this bothers me? I know I could just easily unplug it myself, but as I just said, my fear of electricity is crippling enough to where I can’t do it. In fact, I expect a lot of replies will be along the lines of “No, I don’t dislike it, I would just unplug it myself, what’s the problem?”, which is why I bring my fear up.
I was thinking of asking her to start unplugging it after each use, but I’m wondering if it’s too small of an issue to make a seemingly big deal out of (hence this topic asking if others think it’s worth it or not).
Every hair dryer I’ve ever owned has come with a big safety warning sticker on the cord to not leave it plugged in near sinks and tubs. So no, I don’t think you’re being unreasonable in this instance. I leave mine plugged in all the time in the bedroom, but not near water.
I never use the hairdryer in the bathroom because of all the water sources, so I get where you’re coming from. If your fear is stopping you from turning on lights, though, you might want to look into it.
I’d ask her to unplug it, but in a very friendly, lighthearted way - an “oh, by the way, I know this is silly, but . . .” sort of thing.
Does she use it every day? Or just after showers? If it was just after showers I would ask her to unplug it and put it away.
If there’s a warning tag saying not to leave it plugged in, like chizzuk says, I would ask her to unplug even if she uses it everyday and point out the warning.
I think bathroom appliances should be unplugged and put away in the cabinet, bin, drawer or wherever they belong when they are through being used. I would be very irritated if the blow dryer was constantly being left out whether it was plugged in or not. It doesn’t matter if it is being used every day or once a week. It takes about half a second to unplug something and put it away where it belongs.
I would see it as nothing to be concerned about. I leave electric stuff plugged in on the bathroom counter-top all the time. That’s why they have electrical outlets there.
But if it’s a personal thing, then, sure, bring it up, gently, and ask it as a personal favor. That’s what being good roommates is all about. Be sure to be equally considerate of their personal quibbles and qualms.
If it is a GFCI (the type that you have to reset after it’s tripped) plug, then you have nothing to worry about. If it isn’t, then you should see about getting one installed.
If it bothers you, then go ahead and unplug it (assuming it’s not terribly inconvenient to plug it back it). But I wouldn’t ask her to do it because it’s more a matter of personal preference than a true safety hazard.
Many, if not most US outlets do not have a switch, unlike the Aus/NZ style outlet. I think that would ease my concerns a little, but I have an equally idiosyncratic dislike of general clutter on bathroom vanities. That’s why I put up a shelf above the handbasin for all those little bottles of skin care products that seemed to be breeding on our vanity.
You might also be able to find something relevant about Feng Shui: it is probable that for life, well being, wealth & relationships, you’re gunna need to keep your bathroom clean and tidy.
Until he does start doing that and then she starts bitching about him touching her stuff and how dare he touch her stuff and what an asshole he is about touching her stuff and how she is going to murder him for touching her stuff.
I’ve roommated with females a couple of times and they considered their bathroom stuff sacred and how you were Satan for even moving their stuff off to the side but left it on the counter. In one case it was two guys and one girl and all her shit took up 95% of the counter space and we were evil shitstains for moving all her lotions and appliances off to the side so we could get a better view in the mirror to shave with.
No good can come of this with just moving her shit without telling her.
The best thing to do is to bring it up and have a conversation with her.
Does the dryer being plugged in bother you, or does the dryer being plugged in and on the counter bother you? Like, if it’s in your way, can you put it on the floor temporarily, or are you unable to handle the dryer in anyway because it’s plugged in?
Would it help to put a hook on the wall nearby where she could hang the dryer? They usually have a tab on the bottom of the handle exactly for this. My blow dryer and flat iron hang from a dual towel hook on the wall - out of the way but super handy and therefore not a hassle to keep off the sink.
It bothers me for a couple reasons, first and foremost, because I have a fear/phobia of electricity, and having it that close to the sink (and occasionally, on the floor, where she will also sometimes leave it for days at a time, while it’s still plugged in) make me a bit wary that somehow water will get on or under it and it will give me a shock or worse. I mean, why keep it on the floor? What if under the sink gets some kind of leak somehow and it makes the floor all wet and someone walks in there not knowing the floor has water on it? What if someone spills some kind of cup of liquid in or near there and it runs into it (when it’s on the floor). Hell, what if someone’s taking a shower or bath and some of it gets on the floor, making the floor wet? Half of it rests on tile floor and the other half on the freaking BATHMAT that we use when we get out the shower (whenever she keeps it on the floor). Even wet or damp from the humidity of the shower being too hot makes me wonder. It’s possible it can’t make the tile floor wet enough to kill you even if the dryer is on there, but nobody ever said phobias made one be logical.
Even when it’s just on the sink, however, it just…bugs me. Makes me very uncomfortable. Now, I know that’s due to my phobia and that alone…
…But secondly I feel, more understandably, the warning label on it (which is bigger than a shirt’s tag is) says to unplug after every use and not leave it plugged in. So the basic rules of using it, as per the big warning tag on it, are being ignored and not helping my fears any.
I just wanted to know if this thing would bug people normally, even without an electricity phobia to deal with…and it seems like it would to some.
I’d probably leave it plugged in all the time. I’m lazy like that. I usually do. It’s plugged in to a ceiling outlet in the basement, and just dangles there. It’s hard to plug in/unplug things from this outlet, so I keep it plugged in.
It uses energy if it’s plugged in, even if it’s not in use.
If you’re sharing a place, your comfort is important. If they asked you not to do something I’m sure you would stop, why not expect it in return?
Hell, the very fact that there’s an outlet in the bathroom would make me nervous. That’s a big building code no-no here, or it least it is in older buildings.
Personally, I don’t think I’d care. I have an cordless electric grooming kit that rests in a charger on the sink and it’s plugged into the outlet. Of course, the outlet is of the GFCI type, so I regard it as safe, perhaps foolishly so. And I live alone, so I get to do what I want, HAH-HAH!!
But you’re the one concerned about it, and reasonably so. If you asked me to unplug it, I would. So, yeah, bring your concerns up with your roommate. They’re not foolish to you, they’re valid.
