To think salt lamps are a liability

[Sera1989]

Sitting working and I hear a bang from the other room. The salt lamp has presumably short-circuited, set off the breaker and left a big brown burn mark on the shelf.
In the winter it's cold and the lamp gets damp, in the summer it's humid and the lamp gets damp. Every now and then I put it in the oven on low to dry it out, which seems like a lot of work for a lamp. It doesn't stay completely dry unless I have it on all day every day.

AIBU to think it's dangerous to have an electrical object which gets damp unless it's on and hot all the time? I don't think I'll be getting a new fitting for it, the pretty glow isn't worth getting electrocuted

I’ve never had one as they are toxic to cats and dogs , but that does sound an excessive amount of nurture needed for a lamp.

I've always thought them far more trouble than they are worth

A house sit we did in Perth had 6 of the fucking things. We turned them off to go to bed on the first night and woke up to salty puddles all over the bloody place.

The lamp is just drawing water which was already in the air so sounds like you could have a broader moisture problem - a dehumidifier might help.
If you don’t want an electrical one you can also get salt candle holders.

Could you fill the hollow, if it has one with fairy lights?

Surely it can’t be safe to put it in the oven!?

Really? I have one and have two dogs. You have me worried now.

Someone bought us one for a wedding present. It was hideous, so we put it in the shed thinking we'd get it out if they ever came round.....

Yeah it completely dissolved 😂all that was left was the wooden base.

Really?! I had no idea!

I just googled. They have to actually lick the lamp. Mine is out of reach so no danger to them.

Only if they lick them excessively.

It's only if they lick them.

I have lots of cats and would like one. But my ginger girl wasn't born with a brain so I wouldn't be able to

Though this thread has put me off!

How weird. We have had one for over 20 years. Still works. Never got damp, never melted, never killed our cat who lived to 19. Are some of them dodgier than others? I've seen some very cheap ones online. Maybe they are best avoided.

I have had one for 10 years with no issues although I use it frequently which keeps it dry.

Needy lamps 😂.

What in the world .....

But why? It sounds like they'd just puddle everywhere.

We have one in the house that we've never had a problem with (other than the kids giving them a lick now and again 🤦🏻‍♀️) and we also had one in our caravan. We had to bring it home as it kept melting there due to the humidity. It's fine now it's in the house. The glow from them is lovely.

For people who don't want to commit to a plant 😁

I have two and they’ve been fine, I don’t have them on all the time. One for a couple hours most evenings, the other hardly ever goes on. They’re both completely dry whenever I’ve thought to check. Maybe it’s a damp air/house thing? I get lots of big spiders which they say is a sign of a dry house!

The only time mine produced a puddle was when I left it on a windowsill with condensation about. It never did it before and hasn't since. I would think if they're producing puddles regularly you might have a moisture or damp problem.
Can't say it's been otherwise needy

They look gorgeous but my son used to lick mine unknown to me as a toddler. I wondered why it started to look weird

I have a dog with a similar brain gap. She doesn't like being off the ground though so the lamp is safe

We were given one once, and because I knew about the toxicity for our two daft moggies, it sat in the box on a shelf in the conservatory for about a year while I waited for a suitable opportunity to regift it.
I never thought to look in the box before regifting it as a raffle prize, so now I am wondering if it had dissolved!

Yeah that's the good thing about my dog. He rarely jumps up on anything higher than the sofa. My brainless (being a bit tight, I'm sure there is a mass of some sort there) cat is currently on a bag of clothes I need to take to the charity shop on top of my wardrobe

Should've specified I take the electric lamp part out first😄