Important Home Safety Tips You Need to Follow
You bought your home, you love your home, and you’ve begun to make it your own. And now is the time to ensure that you’re creating a safe environment for yourself and your loved ones.
We all want to feel safe in our own homes. The best way to do that is by identifying the common household hazards and lowering our risks of injury and accidents in the process. In this article, you’ll learn about some little-known but important safety tips, tricks, and procedures you can use to keep your home as safe as possible.
General Home Safety Tips
Your safety is important, whether you’re at home or away. But when you’re at home, you have more control over your environment and can take specific steps to protect yourself and your family. That’s why it’s crucial to follow some basic safety tips when you are at home to prevent accidents from happening. Here are some important home safety tips that you need to follow:
Keep your home clean and clutter-free.
This will help you avoid trip hazards and other potential accidents.
Ensure all electrical appliances and cords are in good condition and properly grounded.
A properly grounded electrical system prevents any injury, damage, and even death. All electrical tools must be routinely checked for any defects.
Store flammable liquids and materials in proper containers away from heat sources.
These volatile substances, when not stored carefully, can be prone to an unwanted fire in your home. Storing them in cool, dry areas will minimize that risk.
Install smoke detectors on every level of your home and outside all sleeping areas.
Smoke alarms are handy for the early detection of fire in your home. Test them regularly to ensure they are working properly.
Have a fire extinguisher available in case of a fire emergency.
Should there be a fire in your home, a fire extinguisher will effectively eradicate it and prevent it from spreading faster. Don’t forget to learn how to use it properly.
Keep dangerous chemicals, medications, and cleaning supplies out of reach of children.
To prevent your children from getting chemical burns or any kinds of injury, store them in locked cabinets or rooms if possible.
Keep your doors and windows locked.
This seems like a no-brainer, but it’s important to remember to do this, even when you’re home. burglars are opportunists and will take advantage of an unlocked door or window if they see one.
Don’t advertise that you’re not home.
If you’re going on vacation, have a friend or neighbor collect your mail so it doesn’t pile up in your mailbox. And don’t post about your trip on social media until you’re back – that’s just inviting trouble.
Be aware of who is coming and going in your neighborhood.
Get to know your neighbors so you can look out for each other. If you see something suspicious, don’t hesitate to call the police.
Keep your yard clean and well-lit.
It’s essential to keep your yard well-lit and clean especially at night as it can keep you aware of any unexpected activity happening on your property. Not only that, this helps you see where you’re going and avoid crashing into potential obstacles that may cause injury–whether major or minor.
Do These Items in Your Home Present a Fire Hazard?
Many common items in our homes can actually present a fire hazard if we’re not careful. Here are some things to be aware of:
Candles
While candles can add a nice ambiance to any room, they can also be a fire hazard if not used properly. Be sure to extinguish all candles when you leave the room or go to bed.
Kitchen Appliances
The stove is obviously the biggest potential fire hazard in the kitchen, but all appliances can pose a risk if they’re not used correctly. Be sure to unplug small appliances when you’re not using them, and keep an eye on larger ones while they’re in use.
Electrical Outlets
Overloaded electrical outlets can cause fires, so be careful not to overload them. If you have too many devices plugged into one outlet, use a power strip with its own built-in circuit breaker.
Heaters
Both space heaters and furnaces can be fire hazards if not used properly. Be sure to keep anything that could catch fire (clothing, curtains, etc.) at least 3 feet away from heaters, and never leave a space heater unattended.
Conclusion
A house is not a home unless you’re comfortably safe living in it. We hope you learned a lot from these home safety tips and that you’ll be able to incorporate these into making your home a much safer place for you and your family.