6 Items That Must Be on Your General Home Safety Checklist

Your home is meant to be your sanctuary from the outside world. Unfortunately, there may be some instances where potential safety hazards pop up around your home. While some may be obvious, there are also a few hazards that can’t be spotted easily. Thankfully, it is possible to avoid such hazards by performing a general home safety check every now and then.

Here are the six items you must check around your home.

1. Look at your window coverings – When you’re doing a home safety check, examine your current window coverings. If you have any small children living with you and your window coverings have cords, consider switching to the cordless variant to prevent your children from injuring themselves with said cords.
2. Manually check your outlets – According to experts, hand checking the outlets around your home should be conducted at least once a month. If they’re warm to the touch, call an electrician as there might be something wrong with the outlet, or you may be going beyond the maximum wattage per outlet.
3. Install smoke detectors – While doing you’re at it, consider installing smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms outside every bedroom and every level of your home as well. By doing so, you can be alerted to any fires or carbon monoxide leaks around your home.
4. Practice water heater safety – When it comes to your water heater, on the other hand, make sure it’s set to a maximum of 120 degrees to prevent scalding water from burning your skin. Other than that, make sure that any flammable or combustible materials are kept away from the hot water heater as well.
5. Make an escape route – As part of your home safety check, make sure to discuss an escape route with your family in case of emergencies. To accomplish this, map out two exit routes, and purchase a rescue ladder if your home is multi-level. Practice the escape plan at least twice a year as well so your family will know what to do.
6. Purchase fire extinguishers – When doing a home safety check, consider purchasing fire extinguishers for your kitchen and every floor of your home as well. By doing so, you can easily prevent any fire that breaks out in certain parts of your home.

Need assistance with your general home safety check? Simply turn to Handyman Connection® of Grapevine, your leading service provider for electrical and home maintenance needs. Give us a call at (817) 527-3600, or fill out our contact form to get a FREE estimate.