How often do you take stock of your home’s safety supplies? While you may think that you have all the items you’ll need in an emergency, it is good to periodically review what you actually have. Here is a list of 4 important home safety essentials that you should always keep in the home.
Smoke Alarms are Home Safety Essentials
Smoke alarms are perhaps the most important home safety essentials, but their required maintenance is often neglected. If the batteries are dead, you may as well not have one.
Smoke detectors should be tested once per month to make sure they are operational. Schedule dates twice a year to replace the batteries, whether they are dead or not. It is better to be proactive in changing the batteries than to have them fail mid-month. Even hardwired models may malfunction, so it is just as important to change their backup batteries.
CO Detectors
Carbon monoxide detectors are just as important to install as smoke detectors, but fewer homes have them. Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it can’t be detected without a device, but breathing the gas can be deadly. Install CO detectors in bedrooms and near areas with fuel-burning appliances, like fireplaces and gas stoves. Unlike a smoke detector, a CO detector is best installed 5 feet above the floor.
Fire Extinguishers
Hopefully, you will never have to use your fire extinguisher, but it is important to keep it in the house nevertheless. The kitchen is the most likely place for a small fire to break out, so store one in a kitchen cabinet that is easy-to-access.
Make sure you and your family members know how to use the fire extinguisher so you won’t waste time reading instructions in an emergency. If you have a large house, it’s best to have more than one. Near the fireplace, in the garage, and by the furnace are all good locations to keep a fire extinguisher.
First-Aid Supplies are Home Safety Essentials
Assemble a first-aid kit for the home and keep it well-stocked. If you have small children, it is likely that your first-aid supplies will get used up quickly due to frequent falls, cuts, and bumps. Take inventory every month and replace supplies as needed.
The products you will probably purchase most often include band-aids, pain medicine, and ointment, but you’ll also need less frequently-used supplies like burn cream, eyewash, ACE bandages, and antihistamines.
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