Before leaving town, unplug these common items so your house isn’t sitting hot

When you lock the front door and head out of town, the last thing you want is a house quietly wasting energy and sitting on avoidable fire risks. A quick sweep to unplug a few key devices can keep your home cooler, your power bill lower, and your mind much calmer while you are away. With a little planning, you can cut “phantom” electricity use and reduce the odds that a forgotten appliance turns a simple trip into an insurance claim.

The goal is not to yank every cord from every outlet, but to focus on the items that run hottest, draw the most standby power, or are most likely to misbehave when no one is home. From gaming consoles and televisions to countertop appliances and battery chargers, targeting the right plugs before you leave gives you a safer, more efficient home base to come back to.

Why unplugging matters for safety, bills, and peace of mind

Many of the devices you rely on every day keep sipping power even when you are not actively using them, which is why energy experts often call them “energy vampires.” Guidance on vacation prep stresses that when you unplug your energy vampires, you stop that constant trickle of electricity and avoid paying for power that delivers no benefit while you are gone. Over the course of a year, even a minimal “phantom load” from chargers, electronics, and small appliances can add up to a noticeable line on your utility bill, especially if you travel often or leave for extended stretches.

There is also a safety dimension that is easy to overlook when you are rushing to pack. Electrical malfunctions are a persistent cause of house fires, and one analysis of home risks notes that electrical fires have been linked to 425 deaths, more than 1,200 injuries, and $1.6 billion in property damage each year. Those numbers are not tied to vacations specifically, but they underline why cutting unnecessary live circuits while you are away is a smart defensive move. Unplugging the right items reduces the number of energized cords, outlets, and internal components that could overheat or fail when no one is around to notice early warning signs like a burning smell.

Gaming consoles, televisions, and entertainment systems

Modern entertainment setups are some of the worst offenders when it comes to standby power and hidden heat. Even when you think everything is “off,” your televisions, streaming boxes, and soundbars often stay partially awake to listen for voice commands or instant-on signals, which is why vacation checklists consistently flag televisions and entertainment systems as prime candidates to unplug before you travel. Leaving them connected also exposes sensitive electronics to power surges from storms or grid issues while you are out of town, a risk that grows if you live in an area with frequent lightning or an older electrical panel.

Gaming hardware deserves special attention, because consoles and high powered PCs can draw significant energy and generate heat even in standby modes. Travel and home experts group gaming consoles and computers together as major energy users that should be shut down and unplugged before a trip. If your setup runs through a surge protector or power strip, flipping that single switch can cut power to the entire cluster of devices in one motion, which keeps your media cabinet from quietly radiating heat into an empty room for days.

Small kitchen appliances that quietly run hot

Countertop appliances are easy to forget in the rush to leave, but they combine heating elements, crumbs, and plastic housings in ways that make them worth a second look. Several safety focused guides recommend starting your unplugging sweep with countertop appliances like coffee makers, electric kettles, and air fryers, both to cut energy use and to reduce the chance of an unwanted electrical fire. Even when these devices are technically “off,” internal circuitry can stay energized, and some models cycle small amounts of power to keep displays lit or water warm.

Multiple home safety checklists single out toasters and similar gear as especially important to unplug. One list of appliances you should always unplug before you leave the house puts “Toasters and Air Fryers” at the top, noting that dry bread crumbs and grease can ignite if a malfunction sends power to the heating elements. Another advisory warns that if you leave your toaster plugged in, you should always unplug it before you leave the house, precisely because of that fire risk. When you are going to be gone for days, not hours, pulling those plugs becomes even more important.

Microwaves, coffee makers, and other “always ready” kitchen gear

Beyond the obvious toaster, many kitchens are full of appliances that sit in a semi awake state around the clock. Energy and safety experts point out that microwaves, coffee makers, toasters, blenders and similar devices all draw power whether you are home or not, and some can pose serious safety concerns if they malfunction while you are away. Many of these appliances have clocks, touchscreens, or smart features that keep internal transformers warm, which is why unplugging them before a trip is a simple way to cool down your kitchen and trim your bill.

Lists of vacation prep tasks often group these items together under “kitchen appliances,” urging you to disconnect coffee makers, toasters, and blenders once they are clean and empty. One guide that walks through what to unplug before you travel highlights kitchen appliances as a category, noting that coffee makers, toasters, blenders, and similar tools should be unplugged after use and left empty until your return. Another resource on appliances to unplug before vacation reinforces that small kitchen countertop appliances are a smart place to start if you want to conserve energy and reduce unnecessary heat in your home while you are gone.

Space heaters, hair tools, and other high heat “Devices”

Anything that produces intense heat in a compact package deserves extra caution when you will not be around to supervise it. Fire safety professionals warn that devices like toasters, space heaters, and coffee pots, especially those with heating elements, can pose a higher risk if they are left plugged in unattended. Even if you are diligent about switching them off, a faulty thermostat or switch could still energize the element, and dust or nearby fabrics can turn that invisible glitch into a fire.

The same logic applies in bathrooms and bedrooms, where curling irons, flat irons, and hair dryers often live on crowded countertops. Home efficiency guides that focus on cutting “phantom power” note that unplugging a core set of items you should always unplug before leaving the house will not only reduce standby usage, it will also stop a costly mistake from shortening your appliances’ lifespan. A companion advisory explains that this habit can prevent a forgotten hot tool from driving up your bills or damaging surfaces, while giving you peace of mind that no high heat device is quietly warming up an empty room.

Battery chargers, lithium packs, and “smart” power strips

Rechargeable batteries have become so common that it is easy to forget how much energy they store and how much heat they can generate. A home expert who focuses on vacation safety singles out battery chargers as a must unplug category, noting that lithium ion batteries are everywhere in homes, running e bikes, power tools, personal computers, and more. Leaving lithium packs on a charger for too long can overheat internal parts and lead to premature failure, and in worst cases, damaged cells can vent or ignite, which is why you should disconnect both the charger and the battery once it is full and especially before you leave town.

Vacation checklists also remind you that chargers for phones, tablets, and laptops keep drawing power even when nothing is plugged into the other end. One guide that walks through pre trip unplugging lists battery chargers among the top five things everyone should unplug before heading out of town, right alongside kitchen appliances like toaster ovens and microwaves. If you use advanced power strips that can cut power to multiple devices at once, another home security checklist suggests you switch off those strips while you are gone, which instantly shuts down clusters of chargers, speakers, and smart hubs that would otherwise keep sipping electricity.

Computers, small electronics, and “Unused Electronics With the” phantom load

Desktops, laptops, and home office gear are built to stay connected, but that convenience comes with a constant background draw of power. Travel experts repeatedly group computers with other must unplug items before a trip, both to protect them from power surges and to cut the energy they use while idling. Another vacation energy guide notes that electronics like TVs, computers, and game systems should be unplugged to avoid unnecessary costs and to shield them from surges while you are away, advice that applies just as much to your router, printer, and external hard drives.

Smaller gadgets add up too. A breakdown of how to save on your electricity bill points out that unused electronics with the growing number of devices in each household are worth unplugging, because even when they are turned off, they can still draw power through chargers and standby circuits. Another list of small electronics and gadgets to unplug before vacation underscores that the more you can disconnect, the better, especially if you have clusters of smart speakers, streaming sticks, and game controllers that rarely need to stay powered when you are not home.

How long trips change the calculus for fridges, freezers, and HVAC

Not everything should be unplugged, and the length of your trip matters when you decide what stays on. Refrigerators and freezers, for example, usually need to keep running if you are gone for a week or two, but some homeowners choose to empty and unplug them for longer absences to save energy and avoid coming home to spoiled food after an outage. Home insurance guidance on vacation prep emphasizes that you should weigh the cost of running large appliances against the risk of leaks or failures, and that unplugging the right home devices before vacation can help you avoid costly insurance claims tied to electrical issues.

Your heating and cooling system is another area where nuance matters. Energy saving checklists recommend adjusting your thermostat rather than shutting the system off entirely, especially in very hot or very cold climates where extreme temperatures can damage pipes, flooring, or electronics. One set of energy saving tips before vacation notes that electronics like TVs, computers, and game systems should be unplugged, while climate control is better handled by setting a higher cooling temperature in summer or a lower heating temperature in winter. That way, your home does not sit excessively hot or cold, but you still avoid wasting energy on an empty house.

Make unplugging part of a simple pre‑departure routine

The easiest way to keep your house from sitting hot and overpowered is to turn unplugging into a short, repeatable checklist. Several home experts suggest walking room by room and targeting the same categories every time: entertainment centers, countertop appliances, high heat devices, chargers, and office electronics. One vacation prep guide on six items you should always unplug before leaving the house notes that this habit can stop a costly mistake from reducing your appliances’ lifespan, driving up your bills, and undermining the peace of mind you want while you are away.

It also helps to know which items can safely stay plugged in so you do not waste time or compromise essential systems. A detailed rundown of what to keep unplugged when not in use explains that unplugging certain appliances, such as toasters that naturally collect crumbs and oils, is an easy way to boost safety and efficiency, while other equipment, like some security systems, should remain powered. Another vacation checklist that covers household items you should always unplug before a trip notes that you might leave small kitchen appliances plugged in out of habit, but they are also a fire hazard, which is why it is worth building a final “out the door” circuit into your travel routine.

Prioritizing the biggest risks when you are short on time

Real life does not always allow for a leisurely pre vacation walkthrough, so it helps to know which plugs matter most if you are racing the clock. Safety and travel experts consistently put gaming consoles, televisions, computers, and small kitchen appliances at the top of the list, because they combine high energy use with meaningful fire risk. One guide to household items you should always unplug before a trip highlights gaming consoles in particular, noting that if you are not using them, they are not only wasting energy, they are also a fire hazard. Another vacation checklist on small kitchen appliances points out that countertop tools like a food processor can draw power when plugged in, whether you are using them or not, and that unplugging them helps prevent an unwanted electrical fire.

If you only have a few minutes, focus on three zones: the entertainment center, the kitchen counter, and any high heat devices in bedrooms or bathrooms. A practical list of six items always unplug before leaving the house explains that targeting a small set of high impact appliances will stop a costly mistake from driving up your bills and will give you peace of mind while you are gone. Another vacation oriented guide that urges you to unplug electronics like TVs, computers, and game systems before you leave reinforces that even a short unplugging sprint can meaningfully cut phantom power and reduce the number of energized devices in an empty house.

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*This article was developed with AI-powered tools and has been carefully reviewed by our editors.