The last thing you would want to return to after a fun vacation is a burnt-down house, which is why getting ready for a trip can be stressful.
Leaving your house empty means there are a million things you'll need to do to make sure that the property remains safe while you're away.
We know to unplug all electronics and chargers, empty the dryer lint tray, and shut off the stove, but it turns out there's another hidden fire hazard that many of us haven't really thought of.
Lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart recently reminded us all of the danger of mirrors, and how the one in her master bathroom nearly set her home on fire.
Stewart shared her experience on Instagram, revealing that she was out of the country when her "a magnifying makeup mirror" caught the rays of the sun and reflected it onto the windowsill, which "almost ignited."
"My housekeeper smelled the burning paint and stopped the problem," she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post, which shows the damage.
She added, "Please take care not to let such a queer thing happen in your home!!!!!"
Stewart is lucky that the damage was small. Mirrors have been the culprits in many other house fires over the years.
Kasey Ault from California once "came home to a house full of smoke" and later realized it was the magnifying mirror on her desk that's to blame.
"I just came home to a house full of smoke and found clear evidence of a fire on my desk," she wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post. "I believe it was started by the reflection of light off the magnified side. I'm extremely lucky the fire didn't reach the battery of my iPad, my wooden desk, my laundry basket next to my desk.. It miraculously was somehow contained."
In 2016, firefighters in Brookfield, UK battled a three-alarm blaze that was started by a magnifying shaving mirror left on the deck.
According to the fire chief, the mirror reflected rays of the sun onto the side of the wooden house and caused the fire.
If you have a magnifying mirror, experts recommend storing it away from windows when not in use. If it's too large, make sure it isn't facing a window, or at least, keep the curtains or blinds closed.
