Last Sunday afternoon, a bit of a scorcher, I popped out of the flat on an errand. When I got back an hour later I noticed the faint but distinctive smell of burnt paper. There was no smoke, and I looked around everywhere but couldn't see any traces of burning. There was nothing outside either - no distant bonfires or anything to explain it. So I forgot all about it.

A couple of days later I wanted to make a salad, and went to get my new large stainless steel bowl - a recent IKEA purchase. I keep it stacked with some other large bowls on top of the microwave, in the window - like this:


This was when I discovered the cause of the burning smell.



I'd chucked an empty eggbox in the bowl, intending to keep it for recycling. The bowl had acted as a spherical mirror, focussing the sunlight coming through the window onto the eggbox, and had incinerated it!

Luckily for me, there was nothing else inflammable anywhere near it, so it must have just burned itself out.

I feel I should write to IKEA and tell them - they could be liable for all sorts of lawsuits in the US unless they print a disclaimer on the bowl...

posted by Plig | 14:39 |