With the new year here and in full swing, it is time to make sure that you aren’t just putting away those decorations. It is time to take a few steps to ensure that your home is safe for you and your family. Here are a few things you should take care of as soon as possible:
- Install a Carbon Monoxide Alarm. Yes, we’ve all heard about it, but have you taken any steps towards protecting your home? Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer. Ensuring that you place the proper detector/alarm system in your home is an important step in keeping you and your family healthy and safe. Think your home is immune? You would be amazed. Some of the most common causes are a water heater, a space heater, a car in the garage, a blocked chimney or an open flame. Take a moment to purchase the detector/alarm for your home today.
- Check your Smoke Detectors. It’s time to make sure that the batteries in your detectors are working and that you have your detectors in the right places. Did you know that it is recommended that you have a detector inside each bedroom, outside the sleeping area, on every floor of the home (Including the basement!) and in the living room/den? Most do not realize how important it is to have detectors in so many areas to keep your family safe.
- Bracing Your Furniture. Do you have small children in your home at any point? If so, it is important to take the time to brace furniture against the wall if there is any possibility that a child could pull it over or climb on it and cause it to topple. There are a variety of furniture anchors. We recommend you do some research to find the best possible way to secure your furniture.
- Check Your Springs. If it is at all possible to replace your garage door springs before they break, you will want to do so. When a torsion spring breaks, it can be incredibly dangerous due to the amount of tension on the spring. While your professional technician can’t truly see the future as to when your spring may break, he or she can certainly determine if it appears to be in good condition or if you might need to consider replacing the spring(s) soon.
- Safety Eyes Working? We have found quite a few homeowners with an older automatic garage door opener – one that was manufactured before safety eyes were required. These homes have no safety sensors on their garage door to protect their pets, children, vehicles… or even themselves. Do you have safety sensors at the bottom of your garage door? If so, you will want to have them tested or, if you do not, you will want to have them installed.
- Clean that Chimney. Have you had your chimney cleaned and/or inspected in the last year? It is so incredibly important to ensure that you have this done. A Chimney fire can occur at any time, but taking the time to schedule a chimney sweep to come to your home can help prevent something as devastating as a fire in your home.
- Clean out that Dryer Vent! Most homeowners do not realize how important it is to ensure that the dryer vent and duct, running from the back of your dryer to the outside of your home. Lint can and does build up within the duct work that the dryer vents into and can easily catch fire, creating a fire within the walls of your home. You can clean a large portion of it yourself, it is important to hire a professional to give it a solid cleaning at some point.
These are just a few of the recommendations we have for you. While it by no means covers everything you should do, it certainly does give you a great starting point.
Keep your family safe and watch for more informative and interesting blog posts.
