If your receptacle doesn’t have enough tension to hold plugs securely, then you should replace it. Like any spring mechanism, a receptacle’s internal contactors will fatigue from repeated use (especially noticeable, for example, in this era of thronging laptop freelancers working from cafe public receptacles).
A receptacle with good socket tension should be able to support even a heavy ‘wall wart’ power adapter plugged in upside down so that the weight tends to lever down and outward from the socket.
If your socket tension is insufficient, arcing from a loose connection could start a fire (one example of the kind of arcing AFCI breakers aim to halt). Timely maintenance is especially important in homes, where the looseness is more likely due to age, which in turn brings the accumulation of combustible dust inside the receptacle wiring enclosure. Also, residential plug-in loads are more likely unattended when residents are absent from the home or asleep, so minor smoking from a receptacle that could easily be turned off may smolder on into full-fledged fire before anyone notices or a smoke detector sounds.
Licensed Electrician Robert Monk Loose receptacles probably also dusty Copyright Robert Monk, 2012
Source: http://www.phillylicensedelectrician.com/loose-receptacles-probably-also-dusty/
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