Home side gigs are great, but when that side hustle becomes a potential danger to those in the house, it needs to be addressed. And Reddit user TCThrowAway2023 wasn’t about to let their airbrushing roommate get away with using a fire-hazard fan in their rented Minnesota home. This wasn’t a simple case of some dust on the blades either; the entire device was enveloped in rust-colored paint particles and dust, not ideal for the lungs.
According to OSHA, paint spray from TCThrowAway’s roommate’s airbrushing can create hazardous mists, particulates, and vapors, and the zombified fan didn’t seem to be ventilating the place properly. OP says the fan is the roommate’s “air filter” for her work, and now, “the entire room is coated in a thin layer of airbrush paint.”
TCThrowAway claims the fan runs “all the time” in their basement and looks like it’s nearly ready to overheat. They’ve since unplugged the fan but are a little concerned how their roommate will react. “Am I out of line not wanting this fan running all the time in the basement I rent?” they questioned, concern clearly in their tone. “I just don’t want to burn to death, ya know?”
Reddit was more than terrified at the monstrosity the barely functioning fan turned into. “Does your roommate come from the hell dimension in Event Horizon? That is HAUNTED,” exclaimed a commenter. “I thought it was an artifact from the Titanic shipwreck,” remarked a second.
The reactions continued, ranging from horrified to pure disgust. “The gag I just gugged,” said a user. “The fan in my chicken coop is cleaner than this,” shared another.
The Renter Ended Up Cleaning the Roommate’s Fan on Their Own
Fortunately for anyone concerned, TCThrowAway wasn’t going to let their roommate use a fan like that, not in their rented basement. “Calm down folks, I addressed it,” they wrote in an update in the comments. “I took it outside, vacuumed it, blew it out with a 350-watt blower, and brushed away everything I could get at.” But the fan, now noticeably cleaner than before, no longer works.
While TCThrowAway might have to deal with an upset roommate when they discover their fan was cleaned without her discretion, at least it wouldn’t be a fire or health hazard to their home anymore. As OP bluntly put it, “it was very much on its way out the door anyhow.”
