National Safety Month: 5 Ways to Make Your Home Safer!
If you own a home, you should go out of your way to protect your valuables and personal safety. Safeguarding a home does not have to cost you thousands of dollars. With some preparation, creative thinking and determination, you can make your home safer without spending much money at all. Here are five ways to make your home safer and all of them are free!
Fire Alarms
While it might seem obvious, you should have at least one smoke detector installed on each floor of your home. These should be regularly tested to ensure their functionality. It is very easy to forget about the batteries in smoke detectors, so do not just buy one and let it hang on the ceiling. Remember, if you are away for a while, the detector’s low battery chirping sound will eventually stop making noise. While nearly every household has a smoke detector, an astonishingly low 19 percent have actually bothered to test the alarm on a quarterly basis. Also, make sure that your home has a fire extinguisher and a fire escape route planned as well.
Prevent Slips, Trips, and Falls
Walk around your home and take note of areas that are the most likely to cause slips, trips and falls. If you have any loose wires, rugs, cluttered floors or dimly lit stairwells, do what you can to improve them and enhance your family’s safety. Do not lose sight of the fact that falls are the most common cause of injuries in the home. Once you eliminate your home’s hazards, you will feel that much more at ease.
Child & Pet Proof Your Home
Take a stroll through your home and make an honest assessment of whether you have potentially harmful items in spaces that your kids or pets can access. You do not want your children to ingest the potentially fatal chemicals found in common household cleaners. Do not leave those bottles out on the counter, floor or in a cabinet that has been opened. Kids love to wander around and ingest anything they can get their hands on. Keep all medications and cleaners locked in a dresser or storage cabinet at a height that your kids cannot reach. It’s also a great idea to keep the poison help hotline number (800−222−1222) on your fridge door.
Keep Your Kitchen Safe
Think about how you operate in the kitchen and what kind of an impact it can have on your kids and the integrity of the home itself. If you have made it a habit of leaving the kitchen while the stove or oven are on, it is time to change your ways. Always turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. If you have kids, take care to keep hot beverages and dishes off of the tablecloths. This way, kids will not be able to pull at them and burn themselves. Over half a million injuries are suffered from scalds each year. Do your part to cook with caution and you will not become a part of this statistic.
Limit Access to Water Sources
One of the most dangerous items in the home is water. This is especially true if you have young children or pets. Never leave your kids by water without supervision. Never leave your kids alone at the pool or even unattended in the tub. All it takes is an inch of water for a young infant to drown. Remember to keep your backyard gate locked so that no neighborhood children or animals can venture in and fall into the water.
After you have implemented the safety tips outlined above, you will feel an overwhelming peace of mind. You will know that you have done all that you can to make your home as safe as possible. Each of these safeguards costs very little or no money so everyone can institute them in their homes right away.