Everyone knows someone who’s experienced a household catastrophe. Often the most horrific element of these terrible events is that they were often completely avoidable, preventable through simple planning and an extremely humble level of expenditure. To avoid being caught wanting when it comes to adequate safety measures and reliable equipment, read through these quick tips. They may well serve to save you a lot of bother in the long-run while giving you the peace of mind that comes from being in-the-know about potential housing mishaps.

Flooding

Appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines can sometimes mutiny on you, spilling out water at a rate of knots. Likewise, a ruptured pipe or inadequate drainage system can, if you’re out at work, lead to very damaging floods over a part of your property. The key here is to check your plumbing and appliances regularly, using manuals for guidance, and to invest in the right equipment, such as sump pump switches that prevent overflows, found at the plumbing info website.

Fires

Simply being aware of the top causes of household fires will set you in good stead where the risk of an inferno is concerned. Get stuck into the statistics here, which reveal cooking to be the most common cause. With a significant 8.5% of all US residential fires sparking from open flames, bear in mind how easy it can be to leave an innocent-looking candle smoldering next to flammable materials: always be sensible, and look out for haphazard risks.

Infestation

Completing an unholy trinity of the three worst household disasters, an infestation can take many forms but is always deeply unpleasant, often taking weeks to return your home to a habitable state. Cockroaches to hornets, mice to destructive woodworm, there’s a long list of creatures that are utterly unwelcome in your home. Preventative strategies involve impeccable hygiene and keeping doors and windows secure, but the trick to surviving infestation is knowing the warning signs and acting quickly on them.

Burglary

Like infestation, this threat comes from without warning. As well as containing your most personal and priceless possessions, your home is also your castle, and the feeling of having that violated can be deeply traumatic. While there’s no need to upgrade your security to Fort Knox-style levels, investing in one or two security cameras, a gate, a visible alarm system, and blinds or curtains that hide your interior from view will all be enough to put off any prospective robbers looking to hit your house.

These tips are not designed to alarm or worry; on the contrary, they’re there for you to take small but important lessons, and to apply them to the management of your household. With so many home catastrophes tragically avoidable in hindsight, save yourself the stress and the trauma by taking the preventative measures advised above. Guaranteeing your peace of mind is incredibly cost-effective and won’t take all that much time. Fingers crossed you’ll never need it, but it’s good to be prepared.