Unused gadgets cluttering our homes

Friday, January 09, 2009, 07:30

More than 400,000 Lincolnshire people have unwanted gadgets gathering dust in their homes, a survey reveals.

And of those who are using their gizmos regularly, more than half admit to not knowing how to use them correctly.

In the YouGov poll, carried out on behalf of BT, 68 per cent of county residents, around 476,000 people, admitted they had up to 10 gadgets gathering dust.

The survey also reveals that the economic downturn is not deterring shoppers, with more than a third preparing to splash out more than £100 on equipment in the next year.

Over the Christmas period hats with in-built speakers, umbrellas with lights on the outside, a home planetarium and an electronic cigarette were atop the gadget bestseller list.

Jan Fields (52), a sales assistant from Sincil Bank, Lincoln has a steamer and a dicer taking up space after being used only once, but thinks she's found a solution to gadget clutter – don't buy them in the first place.

"I must admit years ago we used to buy them for the kids.

"My husband and I often see something on the TV and think it looks nice, but then we think how often it's going to be used and it's probably only about twice before it's put in a box at the back of a cupboard."

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