Toka Tū Ake EQC has revealed the best household products you can use to secure your property in case of a tremor - and it might surprise you how cheap it is.
It and Consumer NZ have shared the results of an investigation into which products work best. Simulated shaking was used to test the different items.
"The Consumer NZ testers concluded that items like Blu Tack were often as good at securing items to shelves as the more expensive products," Toka Tū Ake EQC public education manager Hamish Armstrong said.
QuakeHold! branded museum putty, for example, was triple the price of Bostik Blu Tack - but didn't give any further grip.
There were also cheaper alternatives for products to secure televisions and furniture and hanging pictures, Consumer NZ found.
"We were pleased to see a great range of products that performed well for securing the TV or keeping cupboard doors closed. But they also found a strap that came apart when shaken and a safety strap that was too difficult to assemble - even by the experts."
That product too difficult to assemble was the Quakehold! branded bookcase and storage and safety straps costing $40.50.
But for half the price, consumers could buy Shake Safe ShelfSafe restraints that were easier to assemble and stopped books from falling from shelves during a quake.
"Keeping your valuables and loved ones safe in this earthquake-prone land can be made easier by using products specifically designed to restrain and secure items," Consumer NZ product test writer Bryan Wall said. "But even everyday products such as brackets and Blu Tack can be used to make our homes safer in a quake."
For the full list tested of Consumer NZ-tested earthquake-securing products, click here.
