Things you hardly dared use, because they were "dangerous" (lighthearted)

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Children are always being told things are dangerous, such as fire, escalators, roads, and so on. Were there any things which you hesitated to use as you got older, because "danger" had been drummed into you? (Lighthearted, obviously: otherwise this thread is too dangerous!)

Matches were one of mine. I could hardly bring myself to light them, in case I got burnt.

My grandmother emphasised how dangerous her appliances were, such as her ancient twin tub, and her electric lawn mower, and I almost forbade her from operating them, on this basis. (I was six at the time.)

In my first year at secondary school, I was astounded when we were made to use methylated spirit (to erase permanent marker), from a bottle prominently marked "poison".

Me too. Instant death in a pot.

Having had children in the last 10 years I’m terrified of grapes. I basically view them like a loaded gun 😂 My husband merrily gives them to the kids straight out the tub much to my horror. I have no problem then climbing trees, swimming, lighting matches but grapes!!! Deep breaths.

This is brilliant. It sounds like the opening monologue of one of those miserable charity ads on daytime TV: "Every year, hundreds of hardworking postmen and women are rendered blind in sorting offices across the current by a silent weapon -- elastic bands....."

Toilets - especially with high, overhead cisterns. They seem to be back in vogue. Having a new bathroom soon but no way!
Someone once told me that the cisterns can fall on your head
And public loos can be a bit .. yuk

Same here! To try and overcome my fear, we put one on our wedding present list, and it sat unused in a cupboard for about 10 years before I got rid.

Then, in a moment of utter madness, I bought an InstaPot thing about five years ago, as a couple of bloggers I follow were raving about them.

Sold that, unopened, on ebay last month 😂

I'm done with trying to be brave with kitchen killing machines now

Tampons. Back in 1990 ish there seemed to be a toxic shock syndrome horror story in every issue of Just 17!

Whenever there was a thunderstorm my DM would tell me to get away from the window as the lightning could strike me. If there’s a thunderstorm now I do go to the window to have a look (cos I’m a rebel), but can’t quite lose the anxiety I’m about to get burned to a crisp.

Tampons

Clearly lethal

I was extremely surprised to survive until adulthood
"Charlie" made me think it was pretty unlikley

@MeMyselfIgor oh god that advert!

Starts ominously with 'Julie knew her killer' and ends hideously with 'he crushed her to death and sat back down '

I remember that one. It was about the mum knowing her killer. And shots of a white van. Awful!

Singleandproud ; It wasn't the fire that scared me with Bunsen burners, it was the "bang" as they lit. And although it luckily didn't affect me, my Mum always unplugged the telly during a thunderstorm "in case lightning hit the aerial".

I never use my pressure cooker either. The bloody thing terrifies me

Yip, terrifying

Mine is touching the flat bit of irons. Even if it's my own iron that's been in the cupboard unused for a month, I still have an irrational fear of touching the 'hot' bit.

I had to give mine away because I found it too scary to open

I was terrified that looking into the lights of a photocopier would destroy my eyes and make me permanently blind as the photocopier room at school was off-limits to children. It took me a while as an adult to stop being scared of it.

Can give you food poisoning!

Level crossings, although to be fair, my sister’s friend’s parents were killed on one when we were very young children so that’s an understandable fear.

Not me using them, but I once went to a friend’s house and her mum was smoking inside. I didn’t know anyone who smoked and I was certain that the house was going to burn down and I cried until I got sent home. I got into a lot of trouble for that as I wouldn’t tell anyone what had upset me so much.

Also, using electrical appliances during a thunder storm. When I first moved in with DH, I was incredulous that he didn’t help me run round the house turning everything off during our first thunder storm!

Swans.
They can break a fully grown man’s arm !

Brilliant thread OP, in all my years here I've never seen one like this. I'm gonna have to have a think..

Cushions, my dad used to panic every time my brother and I would start to hit each other with the sofa cushions. He had once lobbed a cushion across the room at someone and the zip had cut the bottom of their ear lobe off. So if anyone ever picks up a cushion in our house all you hear is shouts of "HOLD THE ZIP"

Pressure cookers - but that's because they are scared and we had to use them in school !!

I loosen the pressure on my instant pot with a wooden spoon standing well back.

Chip pan for sure, even shallow frying has me on edge and I love home made fish nuggets.

My friends dad always made everyone "stand clear" when the microwave was on.