Home Safety Measures All Homeowners Must Take

February 24, 2021

For homeowners, there is no bigger priority than providing everyone in their family a safe environment. Considering that many accidents and unfortunate incidents happen at home, all of us need to take steps to prevent them. Here are some of the home safety measures all homeowners must take to ensure our household’s safety and security:

How to Keep Intruders Away

Few things are as scary as criminals breaking into your home to steal from you or do you and your family harm. To reduce the chances of that happening, you need to:

  • Make sure all doors have deadbolt locks
  • Address major garage door problems immediately by calling a garage door repair company
  • Keep the property well-lit; install motion sensor lighting as well
  • Consider setting up a home security system
  • Get a dog or two
  • Never make mats and potted plants hiding places for your house key
  • Keep windows locked
  • Add window bars, if possible

Fire Prevention

Hundreds of thousands of house fires hit the U.S. each year. Some of the fire safety tips to keep in mind and things you can do to avoid becoming a fire statistic include:

  • Installing smoke alarms on each floor and in all bedrooms and testing them every month
  • Investing in fire extinguishers that everyone must learn how to use
  • Never leaving your cooking unattended
  • Installing automatic home fire sprinklers, if possible
  • Creating and practicing a fire escape plan

Electrical Safety

Electrocution is a highly-preventable hazard at home, and there are many ways to prevent electrical hazards in your home:

  • Never use appliances and extension cords with frayed wires
  • Put safety covers on seldomly-used electrical outlets
  • Switch off the light before changing a lightbulb
  • Refrain from using electrical devices in the bathroom when wet or when the humidity is high
  • When unplugging an electrical device, pull on the plug, not on the cable

Items to Keep Out of Reach of Children

Your little children will be so much safer at home if you keep the following beyond their reach:

  • Bleach, dishwasher soap, and other cleaning products
  • Insecticides, rat poison, and other toxic household chemicals
  • Knives, scissors, needles, and other sharp and pointed objects
  • Marbles, coins, small balls, toys with small parts, and other choking hazards
  • Pills, syrups, vitamins, and other medications
  • Matches, lighters, candles, and other fire hazards

If you have toddlers at home, a safety gate at the top and bottom of the stairs should keep them safe. Window guards will do the same thing. If your home has a swimming pool, install a four-sided fence around it to keep them from accidentally falling in.

How to Prevent Slips and Falls Among The Elderly

Seniors are more prone to slips and falls than anyone else in your home. Make sure to keep your elderly loved ones safe by:

  • Not using floor wax
  • Installing more lights to keep on all night
  • Ensuring the floor and stairs are clutter-free
  • Cleaning up spills immediately
  • Installing handrails in the shower and grab bars on both sides of the toilet
  • Storing everyday items within reach and not in high cupboards or shelves
  • Securing rugs and carpets to the floor

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Carbon monoxide, or CO, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and deadly gas that could contaminate your home, especially if you use appliances that use gas, oil, coal, and other fossil fuels.

To lower the risk of CO poisoning in your home, you need to install a carbon monoxide detector on every floor.
If you use a furnace to heat your home, it would also help if an HVAC professional services it once a year.

Your home should always be the safest place for you and your loved ones. While these home safety measures all homeowners must take are by no means comprehensive, they’re a good enough starting point for ensuring everyone’s safety and security at home.