How to Use a Childproof Lighter

One way to help make a home safer is to opt for childproof lighters. There are at least three different types on the market. Two use pressure and strength that only an adult can provide. These have either a protective metal strip above the lighter's wheel, or the wheel itself needs to be depressed to turn. The other type has a small button that must be activated before the lighter will light.

Hold the lighter firmly. Wrap you four fingers around the base of the lighter and hold your thumb up above the top.

Press down firmly with your thumb, starting at the top and sliding down the side of the lighter's little wheel. The lighter will light when enough pressure is applied on the wheel. That pressure will either slightly bend the protective steel strip above the wheel so the wheel turns, or will depress the wheel itself, also making it turn.

Keep trying. The wheel type lighter often will not light on the first try for folks who are unfamiliar with it. Keep trying, pressing a bit harder than the previous attempt, until you get it right.

Find the button. Examine the lighter to locate the small, popped-out button that needs to be pressed in for the lighter to work. The button usually appears near the top back of the lighter but it may also be at the front.

Depress the button.

Hold the lighter firmly. Wrap you four fingers around the base of the lighter and hold your thumb up above the top.

Press your thumb down on the lever that allows the lighter to light. If the lever does not press down, it could mean the childproof button is not fully depressed.

Tips

The lighters with reinforced bands above the little wheel are known to cause callouses on the tip of the thumb.

Warnings

Even if a lighter is childproof, it should be kept away from children. Kids can be pretty creative when it comes to making something work, especially when it's something they are forbidden to touch.