Image copyright Getty Images Image caption People are incorrectly cleaning the TV after they’ve popped it in their cupboard
Just cleaning the TV is a thing of the past, it seems.
A study has found that a third of people are inadvertently turning the air dryer on while cleaning their TV, instead of switching it off and running a dryer using a warm surface.
Researchers from Aston University in Birmingham found that almost 1,000 people took part in the survey.
“It is the biggest mistake we make that we don’t have the self-control to avoid.”
They wrote the survey to highlight the perils of boiling water when cleaning the TV (21%), as opposed to using a washable fabric softener, which is not toxic.
‘Think before you hit’
“Digital TVs have a purpose beyond simply being a place to watch TV,” they said.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption It is unclear why turning on the air dryer is such a common habit
“They contain tech designed to update and maintain their own electronics, but even these can go wrong and become permanently corroded,” the study concluded.
They also found that one in four people had left the TV on for more than two hours and more than half had left the television on between half and three hours.
People were most likely to leave their TV on between half and three hours when the remote control had been used.
“We can safely assume that any ‘cleaning’ can be performed in the kitchen or in the bathroom using a warm lint-free surface such as a towel or throwcloth, instead of boiling water,” said Dr Nichola Witchell, who worked on the research, which has been published in the Health Psychology Journal.
She told the BBC: “People can cook food and put them on a hot plate, so why can’t you ‘clean’ your TV?”
It is unclear why turning on the air dryer is such a common habit.
The researchers also found that people who had previously had TV air fresheners were much more likely to regularly use them when cleaning their TV.
They suggested the air fresheners may confuse the micro-organisms in the TV, prompting people to turn on the air dryer.