‘Omg this is life-saving information’: Woman leaves suction cups on her window. Then her couch catches fire

When most people decorate their houses, they likely aren’t thinking of the dangers that some of those decorations can pose.

However, many common household items can lead to considerable damage to one’s residence. For example, one internet user shared how a candle accidentally destroyed her television. Another warned that cheap extension cords, which are commonly used for things like lamps and other decorations, can lead to fires.

Now, a user on TikTok has sparked discussion after sharing the potential dangers of a common window decoration.

How did a suction cup cause a fire?

In a video with over 210,000 views, TikTok user @tingtangwalla shows a squirrel feeder that the poster attached to a window with suction cups.

While it may appear like nothing is happening at first, a closer look reveals that the suction cups are causing light to be focused on a certain point on the nearby couch. It causes the couch to begin smoking.

“Suction cups setting my house on fire was not on my 2025 bingo card,” the TikToker writes in the text overlaying the video.

Why does this happen?

This isn’t the first time that something like this has occurred. A user on Reddit claimed that “window suction cups acted as a magnifying glass and melted my pillows.” They provided proof in the form of several photos of burnt pillows. Another Reddit user made a similar claim, saying that “suction cup + sun” resulted in holes and burn marks in her car.

The reason that this happens is that the shape of the suction cup causes heat energy of the sun’s rays to be focused on a single point. This causes that singular point to get incredibly hot—so hot, in fact, that it can burn through paper, towels, and, as the TikToker shows, upholstery.

Thankfully, there are solutions to this problem. The TikToker revealed one such solution in a follow-up video. By spray-painting the suction cups, the TikToker prevented light from passing through them, and thus, made it impossible for the sun’s rays to be concentrated into singular points. 

@tingtangwalla Squirrel feeder suction cups trying to set the sofa on fire 😳#firestarter ♬ Smoke - Florida Georgia Line

Commenters share their thoughts

In the comments section, many users admitted that they were unaware that something like this could happen—but are now thankful that they know.

“Ummmmmm omg this is life saving information,” wrote a user. “ty I would have never thought.”

“They burned my dash in my car too,” added another.

“Ours did this too!! Burned a hole in the curtain,” echoed a third. “We got so lucky we were home on a random Thursday!”

The Daily Dot reached out to @tingtangwalla via TikTok DM and comment.

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The post ‘Omg this is life-saving information’: Woman leaves suction cups on her window. Then her couch catches fire appeared first on The Daily Dot.

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