Danger lurks all around the home. Common household items aren't as safe as you'd think... like dull knives, ladders, and gummy vitamins.
FalconHoof88 asked: What everyday household items are actually way more dangerous than we give them credit for?
Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.
Watch out for the corners...
Throw Rugs in Senior Citizen's houses. Literal death traps. They trip on that tiny little edge of carpet or it slides on the floor and now you have an old person with a broken hip and a death sentence.
Edit: Just for clarification- I meant their personal houses or homes or any senior living place. Not Nursing Homes. But really it's a problem with any potential tripping hazard. That tiny little threshold ledge between rooms? Yep that too. Do your Elders a solid and try to trip proof their living spaces.
Having worked in geriatrics for a few years now this comment is literally too true. Hip fractures have a very high mortality rate associated with them. Protect your elders!
When frozen food just won't. Come. Apart.
Zippers actually cause a lot of injuries. So does frozen food - the injuries occur when people try to separate frozen items.
Nothing more uncomfortable than watching someone trying to separate frozen burger patties with a 8"+ chefs knife.
My SIL broke her foot by dropping a frozen ham on it. The ER didn't believe her and called the police on my brother because he made some joke about "well what do you think happened, I pushed her down the stairs?" He then had to spend several hours trying to prove they didn't even have stairs :(
I shudder at the thought.
A mandoline slicer! Those things slice over 9000 fingers every year... yikes!
The mandolin slicer is a demon who will serve the kitchen faithfully, but it demands a blood sacrifice.
There's a reason I'm not allowed to use the mandoline at work.
The irony.
Irons.
Did I unplug it? Do I turn my car around and head back home to check?
You know, I once heard an interesting story about a woman who suffered from crippling OCD. She had to quit her job because she was always terribly paranoid about the iron being on. She suffered for about 10 years before she went to a therapist who suggested that she simply take the iron with her when she goes out. It totally worked and she was able to get a stable job after that.
Uggggh.
Clamshell packaging. That shit is designed to butcher and maim.
Can openers make short work of clamshell packaging.
But my can opener is still stuck in it's clamshell packaging!
Just get your scissors. But first, go borrow some other scissors to cut your scissors out of their clamshell packaging.
Plus they aren't cheap to run.
Space heaters. It's good to be warm and on the whole they're super effective.. but they can sure go wrong.
My grandmother is paranoid af about even using them due to her mother dying in a house fire caused by an unattended space heater.
Space heaters made in the last 15 years are actually really safe with redundant safety features that cannot fail. What makes them unsafe are people using cheap extension cords or power strips that aren't rated to take that kind of power load. The resistance is too high causing the cords or the internal to over heat and cause a fire. You should only be plugging them directly into the wall outlet or be using a heavy duty extension cord intended to be used in a workshop.
My nemesis.
Apparently ladders are surprisingly dangerous.
You'd think it would be easy to avoid falling off one, but i've heard of it happening more than I expected. You also really don't need that high of a fall to badly hurt yourself.
I'm not afraid of heights but ladders. Ladders are scary.
Heights aren't dangerous when they're up there alone, but with a ladder they can come down and get you!
Frustrating, too.
Dull knives.
Wish this were more well known. A sharp knife cuts where you intent, and requires less force. A dull knife requires more force, and makes mishaps far worse.
It'd probably make sense to distinguish potential harm and likely harm.
A sharp knife has the potential to do a lot more harm, but since it's easier to control, you're less likely to have an accident. A dull knife has less potential, but you're more likely to mess up with it.
Eating too many is painful af, but they're so tasty.
Gummy Vitamins...
I'm an adult and have trouble limiting myself to less than 20.
When I was about 4 years old I snuck down to the kitchen in the middle of the night and ate an entire bottle of gummy vitamins. My mom came in, realized what I had done, and immediately called poison control. They told her I'd be okay, she just needed to give me some Tums. She dug through the cabinet to find the tums only to discover the empty wrapper, because I had already eaten all of those, too.
Or dry tile, plus socks.
Wet tile floors. Lots of people die.
Yep. Hotel I work at had a man slip in the bathroom and pass a few years ago. They called his wife, who they thought was staying with him, only to find out he was having an affair.
Edit: just want to clarify, the misstress had gone out for whatever reason, so he was alone when he slipped.
I want that bathtub with the built-in door.
Water and bathroom floors.
More people are killed or injured in accidents in bathrooms than most people realize.
Or even just tub showers without non-slip mats to stand on, or elderly people slipping getting out of a tub... Grippy mats and securely mounted hand-holds are important, people! Our bathrooms are trying to maim us!
Some people are worried about the great robot uprising. I'm more worried about robots partnering with bathrooms. We'd all be dead inside a week.
I, for one, welcome our sophisticated Japanese automatic toilet overlords.
Clean out your lint traps for kindling.
Stairs. People fall up them or down them a lot. Also Lint catchers for your Dryer. Causes household fires a lot.
If you camp a lot, save the dryer lint. Makes a great fire starter for your campfire.
If you are in the medical field and work with ekg's the paper has a high acetate level greal for fires also try hand sanitizer on a toilet paper roll.
I use Vaseline on cotton balls. Burns long and hot enough get the kindling going even when things are a bit damp.
*Shudders.*
Cheese Grater. You ever accidentally have your hand slide down the grade? It just shreds your skin.
Never called by it's negative name, "sponge ruiner."
Keep a cheap toothbrush by your kitchen sink for tools with small crevices. Peelers, garlic crushers, slicers, graters
Adding, because I'm really passionate about this. Guys, clean your can openers with a toothbrush. I promise it's disgusting right now if you really look closely. Especially if you have roommates. Please, do it for me.
Corners are dangerous. Live in a sphere.
Any corner. The corner of a table or the corner of a cabinet door. Never leave those doors open. It takes one wrong step to lose an eye. Or one bad fall. That's why I live in a corner free house.
Do you live in an igloo?
No, he lives in his Oval Office.
Hmm, that would allow him to cut corners.
What a verb.
Garage doors, let the professionals fix it if it breaks. The springs carry a lot of weight, its perfectly capable of sending you to the hospital if you are doing DIY repairs.
My dad was totally degloved (think that's the right word) and his thumb was only attached by a shred of....something trying to fix a garage door. It happened when I was really young so I'm not 100% with the details. After that he stopped working construction and went to college so he never had to fix one again.
degloved
This word still gives me shivers every time I read it.
Right, can we just delete it from existence?
Everyone has their travel bucket list.
The list of places they absolutely must visit before they die.
There are those, however, who also have a rather different list of destinations.
The places that have no intention to visit.
Be it for safety concerns, language barriers, or simply that there's nothing at these places that calls to them, there are places some wouldn’t dream of spending the time and money to visit.
Redditor TrooperJohn was curious to hear which places were at the very bottom of the list of travel destinations for his fellow Redditors, leading them to ask:
"What is a popular tourist destination you have no interest in visiting?"
Oasis in the desert? No thank you.
"Dubai."
"Why and whats special about it?"
"Its a modern city in a desert."- Maximum_Calendar_791.
"Dubai."
"A fake city with fake people, no human rights, where the world's tallest buildings hide corruption and slavery in their shadows."
"It's like someone decided to take every problem of mankind and concentrate it in one spot."- PayNoNoticeOfMe.
"Dubai one i think it is ugly two I would die in two minutes of me being there I can't stand anything above 40 c°."- BookWormPerson.
One of the seven wonders is one too many for me.
"The pyramids. "
"Too many horror stories of Egypt."- Aemiom.
Landlocked.
"Not really a destination, but taking a cruise."- Shortbus_Playboy.
Mountains aren't really my thing.
"Everest."
"Just why."
"You use a bunch of money to get in there them come down."
"And trash your whole way there. It's literally a corner in the Earth insufferable for humans and we still made a way to go there to trash it."- ACLullaby.
It's in my own backyard... but still not interested.
"I have lived about 15km away from the Burj Khalifa ever since it was made."
"I could not care any less besides the occasional pointing out the 'shiny tall building' to my nieces.- legolosss.
The pictures are enough for me.
"Mount Rushmore."
"Friends who've made the journey to Mount Rushmore mostly say it was no big deal and not worth the effort or expense to travel there."- Back2Bach.
Hustle and Bustle? No thanks.
"Anything busy.'
"Whether it's cities, structures, I don't care."
"I'd rather go to a boring empty quiet place than a place full of people."- TheSmeep.
They're watching us.
"That creepy a** place in Japan with all the realistic dolls."
"No thank you."
Some dream of paying a visit to these places.
Others hope they never have to set foot there, and will choose to leave it to the other millions of tourists.
To each, their own.
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When it comes to electing a leader, the choice is an easy one if a potential candidate shares the same values as yours.
And while a candidate is fit to lead remains to be seen, we rely on our instinct to choose someone with whom we can relate.
But sometimes, our options are limited and we inevitably go with someone who is the lesser of two evils.
Curious to hear from strangers online about a hypothetical, Redditor Cashmeresquid2309 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for an openly Atheist presidential candidate? Why or why not?"

Redditors were quick to point out the answer was a no-brainer.
We Already Know The Answer
"Asking Reddit if they'd vote for an atheist..."
"I feel like the answer would be obvious."
– sarahmagoo
Sci-Fi Analogy
"Americans of Reddit, would you vote for a Star Wars fan who heckin loves doggos?"
– WitnessChemical
For The Atheists In The Crowd
"Atheists of atheistville, would you vote for an open atheist?"
– nixcamic
Others weighed in with a range of opinions.
About 45
"What's funny is how many of them would probably say no, even though they voted for Trump and would do so again. Say whatever else you want about him, but I seriously can't understand how anyone could genuinely believe Trump is a Christian. He's so obviously faking it and is undoubtedly the most atheistic president we've ever had or are likely to have for a long time."
"This is a guy who's never even so much as read the Bible or attended church, who told a conservative radio host his favorite Bible verse was 'an eye for an eye', who told evangelical interviewers that he's never asked God for forgiveness because he's never done anything wrong, and who routinely commits all 7 deadly sins (pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth) without remorse."
– empfindsamkeit
From A Different Perspective
"Not an american but interestingly according to this survey on 1006 people from 2007, being atheist was the worst thing you could be as a candidate (of the things asked) with only 45 % of people saying they'd vote for one."
– ilovecatfish
An atheist candidate isn't necessarily a big strike.
Double Negative
"I wouldn’t not vote for someone just because they were atheist."
– HabitualEnthusiast
Credibility First
"This is it. If they’re running on platforms I support with a history to back up those campaign promises, I don’t care if they belong to the church of the flying spaghetti monster. They could literally be a member of the satanic temple and I, an actual practicing Christian, would give less shi*s than a constipated sloth."
"Edit: yes, I realize the Satanic Temple does not actually worship satan. I used it for that purpose. The Church of Satan has some…problematic views and I probably would not vote for someone who literally holds a platform of eugenics."
– Phoenix_of_Asclepius
Some view the role of religion in politics as important.
It Depends
"Religion can be relevant: I would have strong reservations about voting for a Scientologist, even if I agreed with the policies they proposed. I would have strong reservations voting for a member of an apocalyptic cult or, possibly worse, a follower of the (highly heretical) 'prosperity gospel,' which unfortunately includes more and more so-called 'evangelicals' — I didn't vote for George W. Bush, but it's not because he was an evangelical."
"It depends on the role: I'd probably be more flexible with a legislator than an executive (mayor, governor, president), as their character is IMO more important than for a legislator and their policy stances somewhat less important relative to a legislator."
"Satanic temple — well, that's just an organized group of atheists and humanists with an intentionally inflammatory choice of name. They're generally fine people."
– alyssasaccount
A Bad Rap
"The Satanic Temple is an excellent organization that every decent person should be able to respect. A Church of Satan member, not so much."
"There's a huge difference between them!"
– StarsEatArtBooks
And Redditor boganvegan said it best.
"Better an open atheist than a fake Christian."
It all boils down to trustworthiness. Without full transparency, how could anyone put their faith in a candidate who spews nothing but lies?
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Being home alone isn't always the most tranquil thing.
No one is there to help or protect you.
And things that go "bump" in the night... sometimes they do more than bump.
Redditor ag9910 wanted to hear about the times home felt like an unsafe place to be. They asked:
"What is the scariest, strangest, most unexplainable thing that has happened to you while home alone?"
I'm always freaked out when I'm home alone. Lights on. Yeah, my electric bill is high.
Dorothy?
"I dreamed the front door blew open at the exact time the house alarm went off... I hopped up and sure enough, the front door was open. No intruder."
fatowl
I See You
"Not home alone but only one in right side of the house. Went to my mom's bathroom to wash my hands and saw a pair of feet behind the half open door. Laughed and said 'very funny Ma, I see you.' then finished up and left. Bumped into my mother in the kitchen unpacking, nobody else was in the house. I'm glad whatever was behind the door didn't peek out."
SatanWithFur
“It’s Doug!”
"One night I had forgotten to lock my apartment door and woke up in the middle of the night. My bedroom door was about 2 feet from my front door, as you walked into the apartment. First a big dog ran by, then a person. Holy crap I was so scared and I screeched 'Who is it?!?!!'"
"A man said 'It’s Doug!' As I was thinking to myself, who the f**k is Doug, he said 'oh, crap.' He turned around to go back out the front door saying 'Sorry.' I asked 'Didn’t you have a dog with you?' He said 'Oh, yeah. Hey, c’mon!.' He left, his dog ran out after him and I locked my front door."
"Edit: glad you all thought this was funny, because I did too, once my heart quit trying to beat right out of my chest! The next day the girls at work thought I was crazy for not being upset, but eh, done is done. Peace!"
scarletohairy
Confused...
"My sister and I were home alone and we heard someone big running up the stairs. The stairs make lots of noise with slight pressure so when there’s someone big on them you can tell. I went out of my room to check but saw no one anywhere and my sister also came out of her room and she asked if that was me I said no and we both looked around to see if there was anyone but found no one in the whole house. We were confused and called our parents and just waited until they got back and that was that."
JtSudbury04
I See You
"I very clearly saw a guy walk into my room. But when I went after him there was nobody there. I checked in the closet, under my bed, everywhere one could hide in my room."
HighlyOffensive10
This is why home video surveillance is key.
"NO"
"My parents were on a road trip, just left, and I sat down at my desk. I thought 'Weekend alone by myself' and a voice yelled into my right ear 'NO' so loud it hurt."
Th4ab
Wild
"I managed to lock myself out of my house on my birthday during a tornado while trying to bring my cats to the basement for safety. I later found out that the tornado was approximately a couple miles or less from me at that exact time. The sky was green and it got weirdly calm and then I could hear what sounded like a train coming before I found an unlocked window to climb through. Wild times."
SilverGnarwhal
Saturday morning in the 80s...
"I wasn't home alone but I was awake by myself one Saturday morning in the 80s when I was around 7 or so. I believe my mom was the only one home because my dad went to the lake to go fishing that weekend, and I'm not sure where my older brothers were, maybe they went with him, idk."
"Anyways, my mom's sleeping in, and I'm in the living room by myself, watching Saturday morning cartoons and making a fort out of sheets and cushions. Something made me turn around and I saw my dad in his pajamas standing in the hallway entrance with his hands on his hips, looking the mess I was making and shaking his head."
"He then turned around and walked into my room, which was just off the hallway entrance. Dude. I didn't even look, I just booked it to my parents room and woke my mom up. I don't remember what happened after that, this was around 35 years ago. And yes, my dad was fine, nothing had happened to him."
smriversong
Get the Bat...
"I was at home by myself on a call with some friends when all of a sudden my dog begins to bark like crazy, which was odd since it was the middle of the night and he's usually sleep. I go downstairs to check on him and find him barking at our hall closet, terrified I grabbed my bat that I keep in my room just in case and open the door. There was nothing out of usual at first at then I look down and notice a familiar looking object at the bottom of the closet."
"It was my mom's necklace she had lost when I was 9, (i'm 15 now just to put in perspective how long it's been). I showed it to my mom at breakfast and she was just as shocked as I was. I still have no clue how it got there or how my dog knew it was in there, definitely one of the oddest occurrences of my life."
SomeRandomIdiot14
Meow
"Many years ago, I was 14 or so, my first night alone in the house when my parents were out. Lying on the living room floor reading, my cat sleeping next to me."
"Suddenly, cat wakes up, stares intently into the dark corner of the room behind me, hair on end, growls and then bolts out of the room and upstairs. I look behind me and see nothing, but follow cat upstairs and hide under the covers. Freaked me out."
LairdofWingHaven
Thank God for alarms. I hate being home alone.
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The human body is still such a mystery.
How much do we really know?
Not a lot apparently. We're learning more all the time.
And most of it is gross.
Redditor BathNo7713 wanted to discuss the ick factor of anatomy. So they asked:
"What is the most disturbing fact about the human body?"
The body freaks me out. But it's all I've got. So teach me some things.
Minutes...
"The fastest killing virus takes around 4 days to kill you. That would be Ebola. Your immune system can kill you in 15 minutes."
will477
'locked-in'
"If your brainstem (the part of the brain that mediates most motor control for all of the body) is damaged, you can get 'locked-in' syndrome. That means you're fully conscious and aware of your surroundings but unable to move or speak. The only muscles that remain unaffected in most people are the muscles that move they eyes and the eyelids."
"You're essentially trapped within your own body with your only way of communication being blinking or moving your eyes It can be caused by toxins, blockage of the basilar artery which is the main artery of the brainstem, or other brainstem damage."
4oodler
Explosions
"Some people suffer from Exploding Head Syndrome, which causes them to hear a loud bang when they wake up."
ToraMix19
"When I was younger I believe I experienced this a few times. Sounds I heard were: about a million people talking and laughing all at once, a train that irl would've been about a foot away from me based on the volume of the sound, and a door slamming loudly."
aliaisacreature
Pain
"Not sure if this is by design, but I totaled my car once, almost completely uninjured somehow. Then I looked down to my right hand which I remember jabbing into my dashboard at 55mph. Luckily (unluckily?) only my pinky took the blow. But instead of a floppy-udder full of bone-sand, my pinky was 0.5 inches long."
"Broke no bones, but instead perfectly stacked my phalanges, or finger bones, INTO my hand. This is fixed by a muscular Russian murse grabbing your pinky with both hands and pulling very hard. God I wish they gave me more lidocaine."
TelevisionOlympics
Functions
"If you have a surgery where they need to move your organs around they might not function for a day as the body assumes that they are dead."
tonythebutcher13
Move things around? You mean that's not fake when it happens on "Grey's Anatomy?"
"The only reason you are not aware of it is because the ambient noise kind of drowns it out because your ears focus on it. If you go to one of those super-silent rooms that absorb all sorts of sounds, it is a really weird way to reacquaint yourself with your body."
Black_Handkerchief
The Mouth
"Idk about the most disturbing but how bad human teeth are. We’d think it’s our sugary and processed diets these days that cause it, but even Otzi the iceman discovered in Italy was found to have terrible teeth, mouth diseases and cavities. It’s odd that even with the most basic of diets our teeth are so bad."
Dorianisconfused
In the bowels...
"I noticed this after my abdominal surgery. When I turned over in bed my guts seemed to fall from one side to the other. Mentioned to my doc and she confirmed it was my bowels rearranging themselves."
squatter_
"Apparently the doctor just throws your intestines back in there higgeldy-piggeldy because there isn't a correct way to pack them neatly."
LostDesigner9
A Quick Burst
"There are a vast number of ways that your body can malfunction and kill you with little or no warning. An aneurysm can go undetected until it bursts and kills you. Getting hit in the chest just the right way can stop your heart. You can encounter an allergen that never previously provoked an immune response that freaks out your body so badly that you die. You literally just never know if your body will just... die."
Unsolicited_Spiders
The body is such a conundrum. Sexy and gross all at once.
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