Consumer Household Safety

So you've bought a new home and you’re all settled in. However, when it comes to owning a new home, especially if this is your first time owning a home, you have to make sure that any risk of injury or danger is eliminated from your home. While a home inspector would clearly point out any major dangers, walking through your home and writing down anything that can be unsafe, even if it’s minor, will let know what you have to change in your home.

Here some things to be aware of when you just move into your home so you can ensure that you and your family are in a safe environment:

• Fire Alarms and Smoke Detectors: It’s most likely that you’re going to have fire alarms in your home – it is the law. But the status of those fire alarms may be in question. If your fire alarms are old you must replace them immediately, and if they have old batteries you must replace those immediately too.

• Fire escape: One of the first things you should do within the first week of moving into your home is to have a fire escape mapped out. You should have multiple routes and have a safe one in the event that you and your family would be trapped upstairs. Having a fire extinguisher on every floor is good too, but make sure that you remember they expire after a certain amount of time.

• Carbon Monoxide: Along with fire alarms, every household should have multiple carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon Monoxide is a highly dangerous yet odourless, tasteless and clear gas. It can be fatal. If you have an extremely old furnace – one of the few causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in a household – then you should have that replaced immediately.

• Preventing theft: There are a lot of affordable ways to keep your home safe from theft, and most of it is just actions done by you. If you have a bad habit of leaving doors unlocked or your garage door consistently open and unattended, then you’re just asking for burglars to come into your home. You could always invest in a security system but if you don’t have the cash, continuously ensure that all windows and doors are locked when they need to be.

• Keep stable: For all your staircases in your home, you should have a railing to accompany to avoid falls and trips. If you have any elderly people living with you, having a railing in the bathroom is probably a good idea too.

• Storing dangerous chemicals and medicines: If you have children, storing away dangerous chemicals and medicines should be a priority. Keep them at high places and make sure that your children can never get into them.

Of course there are other minor things that can make your home unsafe. Going around and inspecting your home on an occasional basis is a good way to make sure that it’s completely risk and injury free. Maintaining a safe home environment for you and your family will make things a lot more comfortable.