To ask what to do about this fire hazard

[Imanidiot1]

I'm such an idiot. I just cleaned the bathroom and thought I'd wipe the light switch. The sponge was a lot wetter than I thought and later when I turned the light off my finger touched the metal bit next to it and I got a slight electric shock. My hands were wet so didn't think too much of it.

However now the light is flickering even though the light switch is off and its making a sort of short circuit sound. I am very scared it could start a fire. It was water and bleach too.

What can I do? Why am I so shit at life? I do stuff like this all the time. I'm freaking out.

I'd urn off at the trip switch and leave 24 hours to dry out & if still concerned, call an electrician

Turn off the relevant circuit at the fuse box / consumer unit.

Then maybe get a hair dryer on it for 10 mins to dry it out.

I'm not an electrician.

Don’t panic. Do you know any electricians you can call/contact for some advice?

Dont touch the light switch again (tonight) let it dry naturally.

Yes, just isolate it at the fuse box.

Sounds like it might be a bit of residual moisture. Let it dry out for a day and then see how it goes.

Also, blast a hairdryer in as a PP suggested.

No need for an electrician if you can do these things.

Go to the electric box and turn off the mains switch.

Then go back to the bathroom and turn the switch to off.

Back to the mains and turn the power back on.

Your switch may need to be changed out to a wet rated switch so you may need an electrician to have a look.

Or post a pic here

You should really have pull switches in bathrooms.

Why is there a switch in the bathroom and not a pull cord?

We had this. What’s happened is the wiring behind the switch has come loose and it’s touching the metal of the switch surround. Thus the shock you got wiping it off. You need to go to the fuse box and turn off the switch for power to the bathroom. Then call an electrician to check out the light switch in the bathroom. Don’t use it until then. Theyll likely replace the metal surround of the light switch with a plastic one as well as fixing it as the metal ones are quite old/not longer up to code.

The OP might not be in the UK, other countries don't generally have pull switches in bathrooms.

I'd agree with isolate it at the fuse box and leave it to dry out. I've had roof leaks where the rain came in through light fittings and an electrician I spoke to advised to just leave it to dry out before trying to use the light again. If you're worried though, can you contact an electrician yourself?

I'd guess either OP isn't in the UK, or the electrics are really old.

The switch is outside the bathroom so you turn it on as you walk in. They probably imagined it would be safe as no idiot would go at it merrily with water and bleach...

Great tip, I've turned it off at the fuse too. So would that stop any current going through it and mean there is zero chance of a fire overnight?

I have anxiety and am convinced my house is going to burn down.

I will definitely call an electrician in the morning to be on the safe side. Money I certainly didn't need to spend while on maternity leave :(

In the UK though, but the bathroom is new/in an extension, so no traditional pull cord. It was like this when we moved in.

Blast a hairdryer in tomorrow and when you turn it back on it'll be fine, honestly. You're not the first person to over-wet when cleaning and you won't be the last.

If the light comes on ok, don't waste your money on an electrician.

It will be fine now you've isolated it. Also you made a mistake - happens to us all, just look at it as you didn't come to any harm and you won't do it again - doesn't make you shit at life at all.

Great tip, I've turned it off at the fuse too. So would that stop any current going through it and mean there is zero chance of a fire overnight?. Yes that stops the electricity from going to that part of the house so no chance of a fire.

I personally would call an electrician just to check the wiring in the switch is good. It’s worth it for peace of mind.

My DH is an electrician. He said, do not put a hairdryer on it as you might melt the switch. Just leave it off at the fuse board for 24 hours and it'll dry out itself then be fine. Zero chance of a fire if it's off at the fuse board

Yep, don't worry - if you've turned it off at the fuse box/breaker panel then all the current is completely gone so it's just ordinary unelectrified pieces of metal in the wall, zero chance of it causing a fire even if you've somehow completely destroyed the wiring (which I seriously doubt!)

Ah thank you all I appreciate the reassurance and advice so much.

Thank you @Itsbackagain for making me feel better. I have two wonderful babies, and feel so bad when I fail at life like this. Like how can I be entrusted with their lives when I can't even master bathroom cleaning?

@rchsnafu thank you so much for checking with your electrician husband. I've not used the hairdryer and have turned it off at the fuse board. Does he think I should still get the wiring checked or if the light works after 24h drying time I can assume it's safe again?

Of course Google says it could still be faulty and cause a fire further down the line but not sure if that's a bit overkill.

But you'd use the cold setting, not the hot?

He said check it after 24hrs. If there's no sounds and the light works, it's fine. If not, leave it a bit longer to dry. Anything still not working after 48 hours, call an electrician. He said people do it ALL the time so don't feel silly. It's easily done.

You can buy a new (white plastic) light switch from B&Q from £1.10, and even the brass or chrome versions are only £7.30. If you've got a screwdriver, replace it yourself. If you can wire a plug you can change a lightswitch. Google "replace wall switch" and watch one of the videos - it is easy.

Metal switches are not up to 'code'? Someone had better tell tool station and screwfix as you can buy them there still

I used to be terrified of doing any electric works but, as a pp said, replacing a light switch is so easy. It will likely dry out on its own but if you want to change it for peace of mind, it’s not hard to do.