Fires are a devastating experience for homeowners. Although fires can be unpredictable at times, most fires can be prevented by taking safety precautions with everyday items that may cause a fire. You may be using these items all the time but not know that improper use or lack of maintenance of the same can cause a potential fire. Learn about the potential hazards in your home can greatly reduce the chances of a fire disaster.
Here are ten fire hazards you should be aware of in your home:
1. Cooking
If you love cooking at home, always make sure that you do so safely. Keep all flammable items away from any heat sources. Common cooking items such as dishcloths, plastic food wrapping, and utensils can catch on fire easily if left near the stove burners. Also, make sure that you clean your stove properly so that there are no grease spots left that could easily start a fire. Finally, use a timer so that you will know when food has finished cooking and you can tend to it. This will ensure that you do not leave food unattended and forget it on the stove or in the oven.
2. Candles
Candles create a beautiful ambiance and smell in your home. However, they can also quickly start a fire if left unattended. Candles should always be used safely. This includes keeping them away from small children and pets, making sure that the area around burning candles is free of flammable items, and extinguishing them when you leave the room.
3. Barbecuing
Barbecuing is a great shared activity with your friends and family. You get to cook on the grill and enjoy that food with your loved ones. However, barbecuing should always be done safely. To ensure a safe barbecuing experience, make sure to clean your grill and grease trap regularly, keep it away from flammable items such as tablecloths and plants, and check for gas leaks regularly.
4. Smoking
If you smoke in your home, it is crucial to ensure that you are taking precautions to prevent a fire. Some of these precautions include not leaving lit cigarettes unattended, making sure to keep them away from flammable materials such as furniture and curtains, and disposing of them in a wastebasket that does not contain any flammable materials.
5. Lint in Dryers
Using dryers properly is crucial to preventing fires. Some ways that you can avoid fire hazards when using a dryer include cleaning the lint trap properly after every use to avoid lint buildup, keeping the air exhaust for the vent pipe free of any obstruction, and finally using a rigid, metal duct instead of a plastic duct.
6. Space Heaters
Although they can keep you nice and warm in chilling temperatures, space heaters can be a fire hazard if used improperly. If using a space heater in your home to stay warm, make sure to keep it at least three feet away from any flammable materials and to shut it off when you are not in the room.
7. Broken Smoke Detectors
Smoke detectors are an important tool in keeping your family safe from fires. Therefore, it is crucial that you test your fire alarms every month and replace them every ten years. The fire alarms in your home should be interconnected and go off at the same time in case of a fire. Once the fire alarms go off you should follow the evacuation plan your family should already have in place. If there is not a set evacuation plan, you should go outside and stay there until help arrives.
8. Faulty Wiring and Overloaded Extension Cords
If you notice that your lights dim when you use an appliance or your fuses trip frequently, that could be a sign of faulty wiring in your home. A professional electrician should inspect your wiring to make sure it is safe for use and to prevent a possible electrical fire. Extension cords that are overloaded can create sparks and cause nearby items to catch on fire. This is a common fire hazard and therefore overloading extension cords should be avoided.
9. Combustible Liquids
Keeping your cleaning supplies, paint, or any type of fuel (gasoline, kerosene etc.) near a furnace or a hot water heater can be a fire hazard. You should always make sure that you store these liquids and fuels according to the manufacturer’s instructions. They should always be tightly closed as vapors from unsealed liquids could accumulate on the floor’s surfaces and be ignited by appliances that have a pilot light.
10. Holiday Decorations
Holidays are a great time to decorate our home with lights, a tree, or other decorations. However, these decorations can be fire hazard. To avoid a fire in your home from holiday decorations, make sure to keep natural trees from drying and becoming flammable. Also, check and make sure that all your holiday light cords are not frayed or damaged. Finally, keep all trees and holiday decorations away from any type of heat source such as heaters and fireplaces to avoid fires.
Seeking Fire Damage Restoration Services
Even if you follow all the fire safety precautions, you may still be faced with a fire due to other reasons. In that case, make sure to reach out to our experts at ServiceMaster by Restoration Contractors for fire damage in the Fort Wayne, IN and surrounding areas. We can help with all your fire damage restoration needs. You can trust the quality of our services as we have been helping customers with their fire restoration needs for the last 47 years.
Give us a call today at (260) 420-1502 to schedule an appointment. We are available to answer to your needs 24/7.
