Keeping It Safe: Home Hazards To Lookout For

It may come as a suprrise to some but, every year people get injured and even killed in household accidents. There’s no need to be alarmed but it pays to be aware. There are often simple things that can be done to help guard homes and families from these hazards. Being informed of the potential dangers is the first step.

Electrical Fires & Incidents

There are many dangerous things that can occur with electricity in the home, such as fires, electrocutions, and burns. In the United States alone, more than 500 people are killed and thousands are injured yearly because of electrical fires. One overwhelming cause of fires is clothes dryers. From 2002 to 2009, clothes dryers were the cause of more than 10,000 household fires and cost $84 million in damages in the United States.

Dryer vents blocked up with lint and fuzz can cause a heat buildup and also are kindling for a fire to start and move fast. This is the cause of many dryer-related fires. Cleaning the lint screen regularly, cleaning the vent and exhaust duct from time to time, and cleaning any gathered lint behind and around the dryer can significantly help to prevent this problem.

Another electricity related accident that can frequent households involves microwaves. Microwaves actually have a very high voltage for their size and people often forget this when trying to repair them on their own. Even unplugging the microwave does not ensure that electrocution will not occur upon touching electrical parts. It is best to leave the repairs to the professionals or, since microwaves are relatively inexpensive, just buy a new one.

There are many ways to make the home safer and less apt to experience electrical accidents. Here are some tips:

• Make sure not to overload circuits. Most people are unaware of how much electricity the items they plug in use. A good rule of thumb is to consider that anything that produces heat uses a lot of electricity, like toasters, microwaves, and ovens. Surprisingly, electronics like computers don’t use very much. Space out the high-use items so they are not on the same circuit and make sure there are enough circuits available.
• Water and electricity do NOT mix. Keep electrical items away from water, including the sink, bathtub, and wet hands.
• Be aware of frayed, worn out cords and keep all cords out from under rugs and carpets.
• Don’t use electronics, the phone, or the bath during a lighting storm. The electric current can go through the water pipes or the phone wires.
• And, of course, make sure smoke detectors are up-to-date and working.

Mold

Lots of homes that are not sealed perfectly and are prone to dampness, coldness, and, therefore, mold. There are a variety of places and surfaces mold can grow on, making it hard to control. Mold is not only unpleasant looking but it can also be dangerous to one’s health. When mold is present it releases spores that people can inhale. Usually, these are not damaging but when there is a large amount and someone is exposed a lot (i.e. in their own home), it can aggravate allergies, asthma, respiratory infection, and sometimes with certain molds in large amounts, poisoning.

However, mold can be easily cleaned up and steps can be taken to prevent it. Check out these tips on removing, detecting, and preventing mold:

• The best way to prevent or control mold is to control moisture in the home. It’s nearly impossible to eliminate all traces of mold but it can be managed and present at a safe level. Waterproofing a home’s foundation is costly, depending on how bad the problem is, but it works. If there are other obvious leaks in the home that are letting moisture in, those should be plugged.
• Check the obvious spots for mold to detect it before it forms: shower curtains, bathtubs and showers, around sinks and faucets, cracks in the floor or wall, and drains. Anywhere that is often damp and may be dirty is the perfect place for mold to form.
• If mold is discovered, don’t paint over it, even if the paint claims to help with the problem. This can make it become toxic black mold, a poisonous and dangerous type of mold.
• The greatest enemies to mold are bleach and regular cleaning. Regularly cleaning with bleach or items that include bleach will help keep a home mold-free.

Pests

Mice, rats, termites, cockroaches, bedbugs; they can all be household pests and they are all very unwelcome. And like mold, they can also be dangerous to one’s health and home. The easiest way to prevent and eliminate these pests is to concentrate on eliminating what they need to survive – food, shelter, and water. Many of the preventative steps for guarding against mold, like sealing cracks and waterproofing, will also keep bugs and pests out of the homes they are trying to make their own. Keeping food cleaned up and sealed will also eliminate food sources for these critters.

Incorporating a variety of these tips will keep homes clean and help eliminate as many bugs and pests as possible.

• People may forget about another source of food that is within reach of many pests: pet food. Make sure this is sealed and inaccessible.
• Eliminate excess piles of wood, paper, and cardboard. Ants and termites are attracted to wood and if it is stacked against the house, bugs are more likely to find their way in. Roaches feast on cardboard and paper so these piles just ask for bugs to accumulate.
• Also keep yards clear of piles of leaves, rubbish, and standing water. All are breeding grounds for insects to reproduce and make a home.
• Keep trash stored properly. Food trash should all be in one place where it is manageable and not spread out throughout the house. Garbage cans should all have lids, with especially tight fitting ones on outside cans. Empty trash cans frequently, especially bug-prone ones.

Sources

• http://www.today.com/id/22787471/ns/today-today_home_and_garden/t/avoid-hazards-home-fires-pests-mold/#.Uco2CvnVCSo
• http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2012/07/three-overlooked-home-hazards-and-how-to-prevent-them.html
• http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-safety/tips/10-ways-to-bug-proof-your-home.htm#page=3

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