House fires, while more common in the cold weather months, can occur without notice, any time of the year, and put you, your loved ones, and your home in great danger. And while checking your smoke detector batteries is all well and good – right along with extinguishing candles before calling it a day – it’s not enough to protect your home from an accidental fire.
There are several other all-too-common mistakes you might be making that are equally hazardous in nature and well worth reading up on them so you can be even more thorough in protecting your home and family.
Tossing oily rags in a pile. Once you’re done with your DIY stain project, lay those oily rags outside to dry or put them in a metal can filled with water and secure the lid tightly. Otherwise, if left to sit in a corner, those rags could oxidize and spontaneously combust.
Not using electric blankets properly. Snuggling up under an electric blanket can be a cozy and inexpensive way to beat the winter cold. To help prevent a home fire, use the lowest heat setting possible and don’t pile extra blankets or covers on top of an electric blanket. And if you can’t keep your pets from snuggling alongside of you on your bed, scrap the electric blanket altogether – it’s simply not worth the risk.
Not keeping up with appliance recalls. A large number of house fires are caused by defective appliances. Make sure yours are safe and that you’re signed up to receive any potential recall information by registering all appliances with the manufacturer. You can also go to www.recalls.gov to check if any of yours are on the recall list.
Neglecting dryer lint. You probably know that not emptying your dryer’s lint screen makes your dryer work harder than it has to. But did you know that neglecting dryer link also can lead to a fire? When lint mixes with excessive heat, it can become flammable. Avoid this potential disaster by emptying the lint screen before running even one more load of clothes, and clear the exhaust duct of lint, dust, and debris regularly.
Leaving your laptop on a bed or couch. Laptops make it easy to work – or play – from just about anywhere. But leaving your laptop on the rug, couch, bed, or other soft surface can restrict airflow through the cooling vents and cause it to overheat. Play it safe and keep your laptop on a hard, solid surface, especially while in use.
Let’s get back to electric blankets for just a minute. If you’ve been using one to help shave dollars off your home heating bill, perhaps there’s another safer way to accomplish the same goal. And that’s especially true if it’s been a year or more since your furnace was last cleaned and inspected. Dirt and dust build up on your filter and other system components over time and deprive your furnace of its full heating capacity while driving up costs. To rectify the situation, contact Optimum Air today to request our multi-step furnace cleaning and inspection process and, just like that, we’ll have you feeling warmer and saving money all at the same time.