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👶 Introduction: Curious Kids, Dangerous Devices Kids are innately curious, and unfortunately, home appliances may appear to be engaging play things to a curious child. It doesn’t seem
Kids are innately curious, and unfortunately, home appliances may appear to be engaging play things to a curious child. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is a blinking microwave, a spinning washing machine or the cool buttons on the dishwasher—a home with kids can quickly become unsafe because of what a play place appliances are.
At Testergate, we do not think childproofing your home should necessarily involve spending a lot of money on elaborate child-proofing kits. With a few simple tricks, household items (you already own), and general awareness, you can make your home safer without spending any money at all.
Let’s look at some clever, no-cost parenting hacks to effectively childproof the home appliances in your space.
Use What You Already Have:
Move a chair, a small table, or even a laundry basket in front of any appliance to physically block a child’s access.
Why This Works:
Creates a barrier between your child and the appliance
Limits access, which encourages them to lose interest otherwise
Doesn’t require tools or money—just proper furniture organization
Best Suited For:
Front-load washing machines
Dishwashers
Refrigerators with lower handles
Tip from Testergate:
After every use, move light furniture around in a way which allows you to continue to remove or rearrange appliances while keeping the space visually uncluttered.
Your Free Safety Item:
You could use a set of thick rubber bands, hair ties, or even string/plastic string savings string to tie together the handles on appliances. It is a very easy hack to “lock” the doors that you don’t want children to open.
How to do it:
Loop a band or tie around the multi-layered handles on double-doors (i.e., oven or fridge)
Add more than one layer to secure your lock
Tie off high so toddlers can’t reach where the knot is
Loose ties or bands are easily removable yet very effective in securing dangerous spaces
Perfect For:
Oven Doors
Microwave Handles
Fridge and Freezer Doors
Testergate Tip:
Be sure to keep these bands out of their reach when not in use, as they can be a choking hazard, or a chew toy.
The Power of Disconnection:
Unplugging appliances, or shutting off the power source eliminates the risk of accidental usage.
Why Greeting Environment is Safe:
You can’t accidentally push a button and turn it on
Kids can’t turn on appliances and risk electrical shock
And let’s be honest, electric fires are scary
BONUS: You’re saving energy as dispensers
If you can unplug it, you should!
Best Appliances to Unplug:
Toasters
Irons
Microwaves
Food Processors
Electric kettles
Testergate Reminder:
Be sure to store wires in a safe place so they are out of sight, or use plastic twist ties to wrap high, as far up and to the wall as possible.
Take Control—Literally:
Remove knobs or batteries from remotes when not in use. For example, most stove knobs can be pulled clean off.
How It Works:
It keeps kids from turning on burners or changing settings.
It is a preventer of overheating, leaks, or unwanted functions.
You Can Apply This To:
Gas stoves (remove knobs)
TV remotes (remove batteries)
AC units with remote access
Testergate Hack:
Store removed knobs in a drawer or container away from the kitchen.
No Buttons, No Problems:
Putting painter’s/masking tape over sensitive buttons (once again, a physical deterrent) works very much like the safety lids.
It won’t stop a robot kid on a mission, but it does prevent button pressing on impulse.
How to Apply:
Place non-damaging tape over control panels
Replace tape if it starts to peel
Don’t use duct tape—it will take finish off
Useful For:
Washing machines
Microwaves
Air purifiers
Dishwasher controls
Pro Tip from Testergate:
Decorate the tape with stickers so it looks more like “boring grown-up stuff” and less like “forbidden tech!”
DIY Guard:
Fold cardboard boxes, as shields, and tape (lightly) in place over the vent openings, or where controls will be.
Benefits:
Blocks sight and access.
Great for heating unit vents, fan blades, oven lights.
Easy to remove by adults.
You Can Use For:
The doors of any front-load dryer.
Oven knobs.
Underneath fridge vents.
Testergate Idea:
Old home appliance cardboard has a little poetry as well as utility.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind:
By putting appliance accessories (blender blades, mixer attachments, coffee pot lids) on high shelves/cabinets, you will keep them out of little hands.
Why it Matters:
Should they end up in little hands, they will not hamper their development with choking, cutting, or pinching options.
They are no longer keeping you company in and around your appliance.
Bonus Use:
Storing small appliances on high shelves when not in use keeps temptation to a minimum.
Testergate Tip:
Have a “safe zone” shelf where nothing like loose parts will be below 4 feet.
Verbal Boundaries Matter:
It’s free—and very effective—to identify for your child what is dangerous before they fully understand it.
What’s in it:
Kids as young as 1 can understand simple cues.
Having this awareness will become a consistent habit.
You begin to rely less on these physical forms of barriers.
Key Phrases:
“Hot! Don’t touch!”
“That’s not for you.”
“No buttons, please.”
Testergate’s Belief:
Education is the most effective childproofing. Speak to your kids like they understand—it creates awareness much faster than you will realize.
Out of Reach = Out of Harm’s Way:
While you may not be able to turn all your cabinets into lockable cabinets, you can rethink your appliance placement.
Simple Fixes:
Put electric kettles and toasters behind other items on your counter.
Put microwave toward the wall if you’re not using it, with buttons facing the wall.
Move blender away from the edge of the counter.
Vertical Thinking:
If you have upper cabinets or wall shelves, keep all detachable appliance parts or ‘small’ items up high.
Testergate Tip:
Every inch higher = extra safety margin for tiny fingers.
A Schedule Hack:
Only use high-risk appliances (irons, ovens, food processor, etc) while your child naps or when they are in another room with supervision.
Why it Works:
Removes in-the-moment curiosity
Removes the risk of inadvertent exposure to hot or sharp surfaces
It allows for full focus on operation
Testergate Parenting Hack:
Make a checklist of the “off-limits” appliances and have set quiet hours for operating them safely.
At Testergate, we’ve played with enough products to establish that a home full of appliances can also be a child-safe zone if you figure out how to outsmart kids’ curiosity without spending anything!
Our recommendation is to utilize materials you already have in your home (tape, cardboard, furniture, a few good habits) to effectively mitigate the risks associated with your appliances for your child.
Best of all, it won’t cost you a single rupee!
