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Taking Inventory on Safety In Your Home

by Dena Kouremetis

The New Year is a good time to take stock of all kinds of things we tend to put off --our health, our relationships, our spending habits. Whatever needs tweaking seems to get its best start just after that glittering ball drops in Times Square, depending on the time zone in which you live.

But how often do we stop to take a look around our house, room, by room, and take inventory on just how safe it is? “A good routine to get into on a monthly basis is to check your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms,” says Darrin Deany of Underwriters Laboratories. “You can do so very easily by pushing the button on the front of the unit. If you have battery-powered units, it’s also important that you check the batteries. Make sure you put a fresh one in every year.”

“Smoke alarms definitely save lives,” says Deany. “The fact is over the last 25 years, deaths in home fires have decreased steadily. In 1975, the year smoke alarms were introduced there were over 12,000 deaths. Last year, there were less than 3,000.”

It’s a good idea to make up a checklist that includes once or twice-yearly projects, such as making sure fire extinguishers are charged, fresh batteries are in flashlights and emergency radios, and that appliances and lamp cords don’t overload outlets and are in good shape. Taking your drill further, why not gather the family together and practice home fire escape plans?

Here is a room-by-room list of items for your new year’s assessment, some of which is taken from the UL Consumers Web site:

Family and Living Rooms:

Plug covers to prevent children from inserting objects into outlets

No electrical cords run under rugs or carpets or hanging over hot surfaces like radiators or space heaters.

Lamps and fixtures are equipped with manufacturer-recommended wattage light bulbs (or lesser wattage).

Extension cords remain unplugged when not in use and throw away damaged ones.

Check inside your fireplaces for cracks, and call a chimney/fireplace specialist to replace walls and liners. Consider a thorough chimney cleaning this time of year.

Kitchen:

Small appliances and portable electric gadgets and their cords should be kept out of the reach of children as well as a safe distance from the sink. Unplug them when not in use.

Never attempt to repair a damaged appliance; rely instead on a qualified technician.

Working UL Listed smoke detectors and fully charged fire extinguishers should be strategically placed in the kitchen, garage, or workshop.

Bathrooms:

Space heaters, radios and anything else electrical should be kept away from bathtubs and sinks.

Medications, cleaning products and poisonous substances should be stored away from both children and pets.

GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupters) should be installed in bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room and workshop areas.

Nursery and Bedrooms:

UL Listed smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms should be working outside every sleeping area and near fuel-burning appliances.

Halogen lamps should be located so that children, pets, or strong winds cannot tip them over. Never allow combustible materials, such as draperies, to come into contact with a halogen lamp or fixture.

Crib mattresses should fit snugly into the crib, so that there are no gaps between the frame and the mattress, and check the mattress supports to make sure they are not pulling away from the frame.

Taking the time each year to make a quick check that all is in order, safety wise will go a long way in protecting that which is most precious to you; your home, its contents and most of all, your loved ones.

Published: December 29, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

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A veteran of the real estate and homebuilding industries since 1986, Dena Kouremetis first joined Realty Times as a new homes writer in 1998. Since then, she has authored four books, written consumer columns on new homes issues for websites and newspapers all across the country, contributed to builder trade magazines, appeared as a guest expert on several radio shows and even created a ten-chapter podcast for LendingTree.com’s homebuilder website, iNest.com, now available on iTunes, entitled Uncharted Waters; Navigating the Purchase of a New Production Home.

Kouremetis recently joined her local Folsom, CA Coldwell Banker office as a broker associate while continuing to write for the real estate industry. For the past three years, she has been training real estate agents for both the resale and new homes industries, putting her experience, research expertise and gift of expression to work to help others entering the business.

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