Ditch Window Suction Cups Before They Start A Fire In Your Home

House fires are extremely dangerous and can result in the loss of lives and property. It takes about two minutes for a fire to become life-threatening, so there might be little time to get it under control. This is why it's best to prevent fires from starting in the first place. From lint screens and dryers to plugging in the wrong appliances into extension cords, many home fire hazards are pretty well-known. But there are other hidden fire hazards in your home that you need to keep an eye on to prevent fires. Apparently, those innocuous suction cups you use to stick decorations to your windows can cause house fires, too.

A video shared by @tingtangwalla on TikTok shows a sofa set against a window with a squirrel feeder attached to it on the outside. For the first few seconds, it looks like nothing is amiss. Then we begin to see slight wisps of smoke curling up from the spot where light from the suction cup lands on the sofa. One commenter replied, "New fear unlocked. I'm glad you caught this," which is a very valid reaction to such a scene. And this isn't an isolated case. There have been cases of suction cups causing burns in car seats and even pillows. But how exactly does this even happen?

The culprit behind these suction cup burns is their shape. Suction cups have a concave interior for the suction effect and a convex exterior shape. Unfortunately, that convex exterior works just like a magnifying glass. This peculiar shape helps the suction cup to focus all the light passing through it on a small area. Sunlight comes with heat energy, and all that heat focused on a small area is a fire safety risk that can cause materials, like the fabric of a sofa, to catch aflame. It would take a bit of time and a sufficiently sunny day for it to happen, but when those conditions are met, you can have a fire on your hands.

If you want to install these window bird or squirrel feeders in your home, you'll have to take extra steps to prevent a fire from breaking out. Thankfully, @tingtangwalla posted a follow-up TikTok video that outlined a fix they came up with. They spray-painted over the exterior of the suction cups with white Rust-Oleum to reflect sunlight, and it worked. Better yet, you can avoid these suction cups entirely and consider using double-sided tape, adhesive hooks, or even magnets to protect your home against fires.