Whenever you use an electrical device, whether it’s as simple as a phone charger or as complex as a computer, you need to understand its proper function and limitations to avoid accidentally causing a dangerous situation. One of the most commonly misused devices is a power strip.

The main reason power strips are misused is that most people don’t understand their limitations, including what should never be plugged into them. We spoke to expert electricians to understand which things should never be plugged into a power strip, why it is risky, and what to do instead. Read on to learn what they had to say.

• Angel Garcia is a master electrician and owner of S4 Electric LLC.
• Sergey Nikolin is an experienced electrician and the president of Product Air Heating & Cooling LLC.

1. Refrigerators

Plugging a refrigerator into a power strip is generally a bad idea because most refrigerators draw high wattage. “Power strips are designed to allow low-wattage devices and appliances to connect and draw power from a single source. Their internal wiring lacks the capacity to handle the high-power demand that larger appliances, such as refrigerators or air conditioners, require,” explains Angel Garcia, master electrician and owner of S4 Electric LLC.

Instead, you should always plug a refrigerator directly into a wall outlet to avoid overloading the power strip. Preferably, the fridge should not share the wall outlet with any other high-wattage devices, and make sure to use power strips only for low-wattage devices, like chargers or TVs.

2. Air Conditioners

When power strips are overloaded, they can overheat, damaging connected devices and increasing the risk of an electrical fire.

“Based on what I’ve seen from my years as an electrician, you should never plug in any appliances that require a lot of power, such as your air conditioner, into a power strip because when you add these appliances to their circuit, they’ll often draw more wattage than the power strip is designed to handle, leading to internal overheating,” notes Garcia.

When you run low on available power outlets in a given area, hire an electrician to install additional outlets, rather than relying on power strips. While this initially costs more than picking up a power strip, it is a safer and more permanent solution to your problem.

3. Hair Dryers

Devices that require a constant, stable power source, such as your hair dryer, should be plugged directly into a wall outlet rather than a power strip. Not only do hair dryers need a stable connection, but they also have a high wattage.

Sergey Nikolin, electrician and president at Product Air Heating & Cooling LLC, says, “A regular power strip usually handles about 1,500 watts in total, but some appliances like space heaters, microwaves, air conditioners, coffee makers, or hair dryers already draw close to that amount on their own, and you can easily end up with an overheated power strip if these high-wattage appliances are plugged in with other devices—or trip a breaker at best.”

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4. Microwaves

Kitchen counters often have many smaller appliances that are used infrequently, so a power strip might seem like a great solution to avoid constantly plugging and unplugging them. However, many of these appliances have a high wattage, like your microwave. It might not overload a power strip on its own, but if you plug another appliance into the same power strip, the combined wattage could cause it to overheat.

“Anything big, with a heating function or with a motor, should go directly into a wall outlet—not into a power strip. This includes toasters, coffee makers, microwaves, and kitchen tools,” says Nikolin. There are enough dangers to consider in a kitchen already without adding the potential for a power strip to overheat.

5. Space Heater

It’s incredibly convenient to plug in your electrical devices and receive power immediately, but every electrical system has limitations. Even your wall outlet has strict limits, and connected devices must stay within those limits for safe operation.

Nikolin says, “A power strip usually has a limit of 1,500 watts—just a space heater alone uses about 1,200 watts, and if you add something like a blender or PC, it’s already more than 1,500 watts in total, which means a tripped breaker at the best and fire at the worst.”

Adding more wall outlets to the area can help prevent overloading. You might also want to consider the wattage of the devices and appliances in the area and spread them out more evenly to make use of any currently unused wall outlets. Similarly, plugging high-wattage devices into wall outlets and using power strips for low-wattage devices can help manage your electricity use in a given area.

These Appliances Should Never Be Plugged into the Same Outlet, According to Electrical Experts

6. Washer and Dryer

Big appliances that require a lot of power and have a high wattage should never be plugged into a power strip to avoid problems. Garcia says, “Appliances like your dryers and washing machines often require their own dedicated circuit. A dedicated circuit specifically provides electrical current to a single appliance and has its own labeled breaker in your electrical panel. They typically have a rating of 20 amps or more to handle the loads for these more demanding appliances.”

If you don’t have a dedicated circuit available for these appliances, it is a good idea to hire an electrician to install one for your specific appliance needs. This will help make the home safer and reduce frequent circuit breaker trips, which are both inconvenient and a clear sign that the connected device is overloading the circuit.