In the Seattle area on Sunday, the sky’s blue and it’s cold. That often happens here – when it’s not raining in the winter, it’s cold. I’m looking forward to spring, my favorite time of year, and planting my garden and seeing my rhododendrons bloom. Weeds, not so much. So,... Read more →

About 328,000 smoke alarms could malfunction and fail to alert consumers of a fire, posing a risk of smoke inhalation or death. Smoke sensitivity tests performed on the alarms by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission found that one of the detectors that was tested failed to alert when exposed smoke.... Read more →

It’s been quite a year, 2024. So much has been happening in consumer and personal finance. I’ve been writing my blog since 2008, with 5,200 articles posted and nearly 1 million page views. Thank you for your readership during 2024. Here are the top articles on my blog that people... Read more →

Another huge recall deserves your attention. Sig Sauer is recalling about red dot 230,000 firearm sights. They contain a button cell battery that violates federal regulations because the batteries can be easily accessed, posing an ingestion risk, the U.S. Consumer Product Commission said in the recall announcement. Also, the battery... Read more →

Yoto is reannouncing a recall of 251,165 Yoto Mini Speakers for children due to burn and fire risks. The speaker’s lithium-ion battery can overheat and catch fire, the U.S. Consumer Product Commission said in a statement. Yoto has received nine reports from U.S. consumers and three from a U.K. consumer... Read more →

This huge recall involves a lithium-ion battery that has special disposal requirements. About 488,000 Charmast power banks are being recalled because the lithium-ion battery in the recalled power banks can overheat and ignite, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers. Charmast has received 44 reports of the recalled power banks... Read more →

On Friday, I wrote about the importance of cooking, decorating, and selecting toys with safety in mind this holiday season. It’s also critical to think food safety in the kitchen. The joy of parties, family dinners, and other gatherings can change to misery if food makes you or others ill.... Read more →

The holidays are usually filled with good wishes and joy. However, things can go very wrong quickly. Think safety first while cooking, decorating and buying toys. In 2023, an estimated 154,700 children 12 years or younger were treated in emergency rooms due to toy-related injuries, and 10 children died in... Read more →

This recall is so huge it was reported on national TV news. Stanley is recalling about 2.6 million Switchback and Trigger Action travel mugs due to a potential burn risk. The mug’s lid threads can shrink when exposed to heat and torque, causing the lid to detach during use, posing... Read more →

I just got a call from a man crying and saying, “Mom, I’m not doing very well.” I hung up. It was a scam. Not only don’t I have any sons, I’m also a consumer journalist who writes about scams frequently. Imposter scams are one of the top scams every... Read more →