While you encourage safe behavior in your home and promote healthy living, if you don’t have basic home safety essentials, you and your family may be at risk. Here are 5 items to keep in your home that make it safer for everyone.
A First-Aid Kit Contains Home Safety Essentials
A first-aid kit is not a home safety essential that you can buy one time and forget about. It’s important to regularly take stock and replenish the supplies. The items in a first-aid kit should include bandages, gauze, medical tape, tweezers, eye wash, burn cream, over-the-counter pain medicine, and antihistamines. This way you’ll be prepared for minor injuries and illnesses until you can get to a doctor.
Protective Gear
There are many maintenance tasks for a house that require wearing protective gear. These include cleaning the gutters, painting, mowing the lawn, and handling insulation. Keep safety goggles, gloves, work boots, and a mask at your house to protect yourself while performing dirty or dangerous maintenance tasks.
Fire Extinguishers are Home Safety Essentials
A fire extinguisher should be kept in key areas of your home: in the kitchen, by the fireplace, and in the garage ad laundry room. There are different types of fire extinguishers for various types of fires, so research them before purchasing. Fire extinguishers have expiration dates, so check them periodically and replace them as needed.
Fireplace Accessories
If you have a fireplace, there are certain accessories you should have that boost its safety. Long-handled fireplace tools, like pokers, tongs, and shovels, help you tend the fire safely. A fireplace screen or glass doors prevent embers from shooting out of the fire and into the room, which reduces the chance of injuries and damage to your home.
Smoke and CO Detectors
Smoke detectors are present in most homes, but many people disregard carbon monoxide detectors. CO is possibly even more dangerous than smoke because it is invisible and odorless. Both types of detectors should be tested once per month and have the batteries changed twice per year.
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