MONEY-savers have been warned against following a heating “hack” using a Poundland item this winter.
Brits across the nation are looking for ways to reduce energy bills amid the soaring cost of living and plummeting temperatures.
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Many turn to TikTok for tips and tricks, but one video claiming to help you save thousands could put you in danger.
Popular content creator, Klaire de Lys, shared her controversial advice and suggested people leave bricks in their oven to help warm their house.
She said: “Today’s video is another tip on how to stay warm if you’re using as little electricity as possible.
“And one of the things that I do every winter is, whenever I’m cooking in the oven – or at least just at the beginning of winter – what I do is I get three bricks and I put them up on a stand like this.”
The TikToker revealed three large bricks sitting on a baking tray on the bottom shelf of her oven.
“You want to use bricks, don’t use stone and don’t use rocks,” Klaire added.
“And the reason I say this is that some stones and rocks, especially if they’re near a riverbed, can be very porous and they will have absorbed a lot of water.
“And when you put them in the oven, and if they heat up too fast and too quickly, they can actually explode.”
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She urged her followers to let the bricks dry before putting them in the oven.
Klaire claimed they would retain heat for longer than the oven.
She added: “So, it might only be an extra 15 or 20 minutes of heat radiating out, but when you don’t have any kind of central heating those 15 and 20 minutes make a huge, huge difference.”
The concerning advice became known as the ‘Poundland heating hack’ after Klaire suggested her followers buy a similar metal baking tray from the budget retailer.
But, the advice is is not linked to the discount chain in any way.
While some believed the hack was a great idea, others were shocked.
One wrote: “The additional mass in the oven means the oven has to work harder to get up to temp. Surely costing more?”
Another penned: “This is not free heat guys, it will take you longer to cook your food and cost you more, this is not cost-efficient.”
Consumer expert, Martyn James, also warned against it and said: “Sticking a brick in the oven is a terrible idea to keep your home warm.
“This might have worked with stones and embers in the 18th century under certain circumstances, but not in 2022.
“The problem is some bricks are not fired to survive at high temperatures and could explode in your cooker.
“More to the point, if you are forced to consider using methods like this to heat your home, then you are in financial difficulties and energy firms should be coming up with solutions to help you reduce your bills and stay warm.
“Seek help – just not from TikTok.”
This comes as experts have shared more valuable advice on heating your home for less this winter.
One revealed four small changes in each room to reduce your bills by £700.
Robert Andrews, an energy expert from Electricity Prices gave his top tips on saving money in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room.
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Plus, here’s the five star Amazon product people say has stopped them turning on the central heating – and it costs just £26.
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