Electric socket (plug) aids for easy use

Nearly all household electrical items use a plug to connect to the mains electricity network. In the UK in particular, these plugs have three separate prongs and they can prove difficult to insert and remove. Their shape and smooth surface finish also means that they are hard to get a good grip of.

(In the USA and many parts of Europe similar pugs have a more ergonomic design and they are lighter and easier to handle.)

Plug connection solutions

There are a number of solutions to these electrical outlet plug problems and they all relate to making the holding of the plug less taxing, or bringing the level of the wall socket to a point where bending or reaching is no longer required.

The first option is to have an easy handling attachment fitted to the plug. These attachments fit to the back of the plug unit and have an open handle that enables the person using them to hold the plug securely and safely. These Small handles are quickly fitted and they are very lightweight.

In many cases the fingers can pass through the gripping section of some of these aids which makes it easier to get a good purchase on the plug unit.

A second solution to making access to the plugs of electrical equipment simpler is to elevate the plug sockets from their normal position, close to skirting boards, to a higher level. A plug (or multi-plug) socket can be used to do this and it makes access to the sockets easier by virtue of bringing them up to normal “light switch” level. When this is the case the need to bend is removed or reduced considerably.

These height extension sockets can also be used to turn a single electrical socket into a multiple one (a multi gang socket).

Remote control activation

A final option is to use a programmable remote control unit to actively turn off the power being sent from the electrical socket to the appliance.

This is different to simply turning off the appliance itself and it can help to save energy and electrical charges. Most of the remote control units that do this can control multiple sockets (appliances), e.g. typically four.