Theo Markettos wrote:

For things like irons and hair straighteners I can see a point from a safety
point of view (straighteners in particular being something of a fire hazard
if left in contact with clothes or carpet). But essentially such devices
should be better designed in the first place.

For things such as this I'd recommend a count-down timer, they're
quite difficult to find but they *are* available. I have half a dozen
or so around the house for things such as:-

Soldering iron
Heater in the study
etc.

It's a godsend for the soldering iron in particular, for that I have a
countdown timer that has settings of 20 minutes, 40 minutes and an
hour. It's rarely that I want the iron on for more (and you only have
to hit the button again) and, on the other hand, leaving it on is
dangerous and ruins the bit.

--
Chris Green