Can draping material over a lamp cause a fire?

Question

While trying to spruce up my room, I've put some light cotton material over my bedside lamp to give the room a pink glow - is this a fire hazard?

Answer 1

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Answer 2

of course its a fire hazard. fabric+lots of heat=fire

Answer 3

A nice inexepensive way is to paint the light pulb pink

Answer 4

It could be if the light bulb gets too hot.  If you have a low watt bulb (like 25W) in the lamp, it probably won't get too hot.  Or if you have one of those new fluorescent bulbs that don't get too hot, you might be OK.  If you want a pink glow, a safer way would be to buy a pink bulb to put in the lamp, or get a pink lampshade.

Answer 5

It can be. Use a florseent bulb or a LED bulb. They run cooler. Also keep the fabric covering from touching the bulb, keep 6-8 inches between them.

Then try it while you can spent some time in the room and make sure that it does not get warm

Answer 6

Yes.  Cotton is flammable and light does give off heat.  You can do this for effect for small amounts of time but don't leave your room with that cloth on your light.  Consider putting a low bulb with an extra large lamp cover.  I would make sure there's a good 8 inches.  Also, the lighter the cloth the better.  Good Luck!

Answer 7

I wouldn't chance it...

"All fabrics will burn but some are more combustible than others. Untreated natural fibers such as cotton, linen and silk burn more readily than wool, which is more difficult to ignite and burns with a low flame velocity."

Most synthetic fabrics, such as nylon, acrylic or polyester resist ignition. However, once ignited, the fabrics melt. This hot, sticky, melted substance causes localized and extremely severe burns. When natural and synthetic fibers are blended, the hazard may increase because the combination of high rate of burning and fabric melting usually will result in serious burns. In some cases, the hazard may be greater than that of either fabric individually.

"Curtains, draperies and other articles in the home can have their burning rates reduced with flame retardants applied through chemical treatment. Such flame-retardant treatment after manufacturing is not recommended for clothing."

"Cotton and linen also have a high burning rate but this can be alleviated by the application of flame-retardant chemical additives."

I'd suggest a pink bulb or glass paint from an arts & crafts store like Michaels. Checkout the link below for a cool idea on how to paint bulbs and create designs.

Be careful and have fun!

Answer 8

in high school I used to put a scarf over a lamp in my room.  The bulb wasn't a 20 watt bulb and of course the fabric didn't touch the bulb and I never had any trouble.

If you have a 60-100 watt bulb in your lamp, I would advise against it.  Like a previous poster said, if you get a cfl bulb or led bulb, those tend not to be as hot as incandescents (cheap lightbulbs).  Also, I wouldn't leave the lamp on at all times and unattended just to be on the safe side.

If you have a halogen bulb, DO NOT put material anywhere near the lamp regardless of wattage.  That is a definite fire hazard.

Answer 9

Oh yesss!!!

It may not seem like it but if the lamp gets to hot then it will almost certianly catch fire!