Interested in fire safety at home? It’s important to prevent fire in your California home at all costs, and if one were to start, to minimize its spread.
If you’d like to know more about how to avoid fire at home and how to prevent fire from spreading, read on for simple and easy-to-implement tips.
How To Prevent Fire At Home
Prevention is much better than cure when it comes to fire safety at home. So if you’re wondering how to avoid fire at home, it’s good to start with spring cleaning, then assess the conditions inside the home and out.
When we spring clean, we often notice items that are broken, too. Pay special attention to loose wiring which is a huge fire risk. Have it fixed or toss it.
And loose wiring covered in dust? A recipe for disaster.
Avoid A Fire Through Spring Cleaning
Finishing a spring clean is a great feeling. But most people don’t know that cleaning and decluttering is one of the key fire safety measures at home, too.
When we spring clean, we often discard items that we no longer want, too. This is great for fire safety at home. The fewer combustible items you have, the less chance there is of a fire spreading out of control.
What’s In Those Cleaning Products?
This year, when buying cleaning products, look for products which are non-flammable, or non-combustible. That way you’ll be sure you’re not creating a fire risk the more you clean.
Aerosols, disinfectants and drain cleaners can all be flammable, so check the labels before you buy.
Keep Your Stove And Oven Clean
Cooking grease buildup is flammable, so maintaining a clean kitchen is key to what makes a house fire-resistant.
Around 40% of home fires start in the kitchen, while food is cooking.
Check Your Dryer
Removing the lint before every load is one of the simplest fire safety measures at home you can take. Make sure nothing is stuck inside, too.
Also, have your dryer serviced regularly to make sure the vents aren’t clogged. Dryers generally get clogged with lint, paper fibers and other combustible materials so don’t let your dryer become an accident waiting to happen.
Dust Your Fire Alarm
Yes, fire alarms can get a dust buildup inside as well as outside. Over the years this can mean they don’t perform as well. So in the course of your spring clean, dust the outside and clean out the inside with pressurized air.
Give your fire alarm an extra test after you do this. If there are any problems in how it works, or you can’t get the dust out it’s time to get it looked at by a pro.
Avoid A Fire Inside Your Home
Here’s how to prevent fire at home starting from inside.
Keep Your HVAC Equipment Maintained
The most common cause of fire across the USA is heat-producing equipment. That means heaters, dryers and so on. Regular maintenance is certainly better than dealing with a fire.
Cord Safety
Here’s another simple tip for increased fire safety at home. Cords get hot, so be mindful of where you place them. Don’t run them under anything that will insulate them, like rugs. Also, don’t overload one outlet with a lot of high-energy appliances.
Fire Extinguishers
Stop fires before they reach your home. Fire extinguishers are a real essential for your California property, but they require some upkeep: you need to check them every month.
In a similar vein, you can even buy fire retardant sprays for the interior and exterior of your property.
Holiday Lights
Nothing looks prettier than a home lit up for winter. But treat holiday lights with the same caution you treat other electrical items.
Inspect them when you take them out for the season and discard any with frayed wiring or that don’t function perfectly.
Be sure not to place holiday lights over flammable materials such as dead leaves.
Avoid A Fire In The Garden
Most people don’t even consider their outside space, but it’s vital to stop an external fire spreading to your home. Here’s how to avoid fire at home, starting outside.
Gardening
All those dead leaves and plants are not only ugly, they’re a potential fire hazard. Clearing them away is key in how to prevent fire from spreading.
Get Fire Resistant Plants
Yes, you read that correctly. Mother Nature has your back. Think plants that have a high water content, like succulents.
Hedging roses, honeysuckles, berries, and shrub apples are all helpful in preventing fire from spreading, too.
Need shade? Maple, poplar, or cherry trees are less flammable than other types of tree.
Potted Plants Are Best
You may not want to get rid of your plants with a lower water content. In that case, plants in pots can be moved in the event of approaching fire. If you’re potting new plants, ceramic is a good choice.
Why? Ceramic pots won’t burn, while plastic will.
How To Prevent Fire From Spreading
The outside space is your first line of defense against external fire. There are some basic fire safety measures at home to protect against the spread of fire.
Keep Flammable Items Away From Heat Sources
This means stoves, space heaters and fireplaces. It’s usually easy to rearrange your rooms so that all potential fuel sources are at least 3 feet away.
Burning Candles?
Candle safety (including just not using them) is key in how to prevent fire at home.
People forget to blow out candles and incense when they’re sleepy. So place candles on non-flammable surfaces and not next to, or underneath anything combustible.
Get In Touch For Cleaning Or Fire Damage Restoration In California
We’ll be delighted to conduct a professional clean so that your home is at a much lower risk of fire. Alternatively, if your home has suffered a fire, we can restore it so that it looks as good as new. Our team is fully licensed and insured, and dedicated to fire safety at home.
Simply call the experts at Save The Day Restoration 24/7 at (562) 246-9908, or email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can fill out our form for a free consultation.
