Don't mistake green goo and sulfur smells for ghosts, warns electrical safety agency

image: 80's Child/Shutterstock

If there's something weird, who you gonna call? Maybe try UK nonprofit Electrical Safety First. On Halloween, the electricity industry charity warns that some of the weird phenomena often attributed to poltergeist activity could actually be "something far more frightening."

"Flickering lights, and lightbulbs blowing might all be stereotypical scenes from a Hollywood Halloween film but the reality is you're probably suffering from dodgy electrics," says electrical safety engineer Richard Harvey. "Whilst the idea of a ghost may seem suitably terrifying to most households, the reality of faulty wiring can have much more frightening consequences."  

Some other ghostbusting advice from Harvey via Electrical Safety First:

• "It may sound like something from the 1950s blockbuster The Blob but a green goo-like substance oozing from your plug sockets, light switches or light fittings is far more likely to be linked to deteriorating wiring than a mutant invasion. When green goo appears, it can adversely affect the components within your sockets and other electrical accessories and leave you exposed to risk of electric shock in the future. It is mostly seen in wiring predating 1960 and is a chemical reaction between the plastic and copper."    

• "Look out for discoloration of your sockets, especially if it's accompanied with a slight fishy [or burning] smell, If your socket outlets are turning yellow, they are likely overheating."