This Morning viewers point out decluttering expert hacks about cables could be a fire hazard

This Morning’s latest segment on how to declutter your home was panned today with viewers claiming the expert’s advice amounted to causing a fire hazard.   

Australian presenter Georgina Burnett was giving her best tips on how to avoid clutter piling up around the house, advising viewers to hide their cables and extension leads inside cardboard boxes.  

She showed how to cut holes in cardboard to hide away extension leads and other cables, and bundled them up together with a hair clip. 

However, some of This Morning’s viewers claimed ramming cables in boxes could be a fire hazard.

Georgina advised people to make sure their multi-plugs cables were safely wired before trying the hack. 

TV presenter Georgina Burnett landed herself in the hot seat with her decluttering hacks after advising people to hide their extension leads in cardboard boxes on This Morning 

Georgina explained it’s hard to relax in the living-room when the floor is littered with unsightly cables, and said they could easily be hidden. 

She advised using a hair clip to tidy the cables and bundle them up around the power socket so they won’t drag on the floor. 

‘Wires don’t need to hang out so far, making a mess, they can easily be hidden with a hair clip,’ she said, demonstrating the hack. 

Her second hack was to use a cut out kitchen roll covered in black paper – or any colour matching your decor – to make the cables less obvious. 

Georgina showed how she cut a hole in a cardboard box to fill it with the multiple extension lead on the show, saying it looked much tidier

Georgina showed how she cut a hole in a cardboard box to fill it with the multiple extension lead on the show, saying it looked much tidier

Viewers said putting cables in a box could be a fire hazard, as cables are filled with electric current which can generate heat

Viewers said putting cables in a box could be a fire hazard, as cables are filled with electric current which can generate heat

‘It helps them stay together and they are more easily hidden,’ she said.  

‘It’s handy to have a mutli-plug extension cable, but they can get in an awful mess so why not make a tidy for it?’

For her third tip, she said to take a washing tablet box or a cardboard box, and cutting a hole at the end to feed the cables through. 

‘Then decorate the box to match your decor or cover it in black to make it less obvious,’ Georgina said, adding that the cables looked much tidier.  

Georgina also said to use a kitchen roll tube to hide long cables, to make them look less obvious and tidier

Georgina also said to use a kitchen roll tube to hide long cables, to make them look less obvious and tidier 

‘Always make sure your electrical sockets are correctly and safely wired before using these hacks,’ she warned, before ending the segment. 

Several viewers were surprised by Geogina’s last tip, which they said could be a possible fire hazard, arguing that cables should not be contained in a flammable cardboard or plastic box.  

‘Cutting a cardboard box on your lap with a Stanley Knife isn’t advisable, nor is stuffing an extension plug into a cardboard box,’ one said. 

‘You might want to check how hot those chargers get inside a box, usually they are designed expecting good ventilation to keep them cool, another wrote, ‘last thing you want is it overheating and catching fire inside a cardboard box. I’m sure you’ve tested that though,’ they added. 

Some people said the cables could overheat and should not be kept in cardboard boxes, whil others questioned the whole hack segment

Some people said the cables could overheat and should not be kept in cardboard boxes, whil others questioned the whole hack segment 

‘Was the section on the wiring called, how to start a fire? Wires should never be rolled up,’ another one said. 

‘Electric cables in a cardboard box? Has she lost the plot,’ one wrote. 

Extension lead can overheat and cause fires if they are overloaded with too many plugs, and should be used carefully.  

Georgina’s segment was meant to give simple hacks to tidy small items around the home, from the hallway to the kitchen, bedroom and living room, but some viewers were not impressed. 

Starting in the hallway, Georgina advised people to use old sunglasses cases as pocket emptying stations for keys. 

She then said to wrap your scarves around old kitchen roll tubes in order to keep them crease free and easily stored in a basket by the stairs. 

She also said people could use old tissue dispenser boxes to make their own storage or plastic bag dispensers by the door.  

Viewers asked if Georgia had tested her hacks to see how hot the cables get inside the box before making her suggestions

Viewers asked if Georgia had tested her hacks to see how hot the cables get inside the box before making her suggestions

In the kitchen, she said people could use the clips on a wire hanger to keep their food bags closed. and re-use crisps boxes to store pasta or other loose foods that don’t need to be refrigerated.

She also said that kitchen books could be bound together with a ribbon and serve as a kitchen knife holder, by sliding the knifes in between the books’ pages. 

In the bedroom, she advised to use ice-cube trays to store small pieces of jewellery such as rings or earrings. 

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were presenting This Morning and introduced Georgina's segment

Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield were presenting This Morning and introduced Georgina’s segment 

She also said that baby powder worked wonders to untangle necklaces, and that bracelets and necklaces could be hung at the back of picture frames, making them a discreet but stylish way of storing your jewellery and keep it from getting tangled in the first place.   

Another person wasn’t impressed with the whole hack segment, saying it was not organising the house, but putting clutter away in other places.  

‘This isn’t de-cluttering, it’s just putting stuff in random places rather than keeping things ‘organised’. So now, you have to remember your keys are in your sunglasses case, your knifes are in a book and your spaghetti is in the Pringles tube,’ one said.