How to Maintain a Safe Home

Safety is vital in the home for the sake of your family. It is only natural to want to create a home that is as safe as possible as most accidents still happen in the home.

Security in the Home
There are terrible neighborhoods where you cannot ignore some basic security measures in the home. Some will build a high fence but you can also go high tech and have your home outfitted with security devices inside and outside your house. burglar alarms will alert your family and can also directly alert the police of a break-in. Sensors in the windows and doors will monitor movement outside the house.

Measures Against Fire Accidents
The first thing you can do to keep your home safe from fire is to keep a neat home with minimal clutter. Fire will catch quickly if your home is messy and full of papers, fabric and other material that burns easily. Next, be sure your furnishings such as curtains are not the kind that catch fire quickly. A smoke alarm in your home will also be helpful to alert your household of any small fire before it becomes to big to handle. Keep at least one fire extinguisher close at hand for emergencies.

Keep Your Fireplace Protected
A fireplace that is not well maintained or is of bad design can be a dangerous fire hazard. All fireplaces need to have a chimney or some kind of exhaust to vent out toxic smoke and fumes. Breathing in smoke is bad for the health and can cause black lungs. Also remember that fire eats oxygen and without proper ventilation, it will consume all the oxygen in the room causing carbon monoxide poisoning to people inside the room. So be sure that if your home has a fireplace to keep warm in the winter time, that you also have adequate ventilation for the fire and for the room.

Regular Maintenance of a Fireplace
Even if you have ventilation and a chimney, it will be of no use if it is clogged with soot and dirt. Soot naturally accumulates in the chimney because it is a byproduct of burning fire. This is the black substance made of pure carbon that clings to the surface of the chimney and it can clog the chimney over time. Usually, you will notice your chimney is clogged when the smoke goes back into the room instead of venting outside. The worst that can happen is that the heat from the fire accumulated in the clogged chimney and causes an explosion. Before this happens, have your chimney cleaned regularly to make sure the passage is clear for smoke. Small animals also tend to build their homes in chimney if the fireplace has not been used for some time. If this is the case, you will need to physically remove their homes or nests from the inside of the chimney before using the fireplace.

Do it Yourself
You can get somebody to clean your fireplace and chimney regularly for maintenance. But if you own a fireplace, you will also need common sense to regularly check if the fireplace is safe for use. A responsible homeowner should know the best wood in the area to use for firewood and how to safely light a fire in the fireplace. Have iron guards in front of the fireplace if there are small children or pet around. Also, advice your family to keep the fire small and not to pile on the firewood for a raging fire, which can be a fire hazard in itself especially for smaller fireplaces. You do not need a large raging fire to keep a room warm. For mote tips and advice, take a look at these tip sheets: The Stove Guide, fireplace and wood stoves for sale