How Not to Start a House Fire Tuesday, December 03, 2019

A house fire can result in serious property damage and injury. Luckily, you can prevent one by keeping track of your home appliances and implementing proper safety precautions.

Consider the following ways that you can prevent a fire from starting in your home in Lakeland, Plant City, Winter Haven, and the surrounding areas of central Florida. 

Pay attention when you're cooking to prevent a house fire.

When you're cooking a meal, pay careful attention to what you're doing. Don't leave flammable objects near your stove if you aren't directly cooking with them. Some flammable food items that you may not be aware of include:

• High-fat meats like pork, duck, and bacon
• Snack foods like chips
• Orange shavings
• Garlic
• Non-dairy milk and creamer
• Flour
• Sugar

If you need to leave the kitchen to attend to something else, always turn any hot cooking surfaces off, including electric griddles and stovetops. 

Keep your stove and oven clean as a fire safety precaution.

Keep your stove clear of edible debris and flammable items like cookbooks, towels, and don't install long window curtains that overhang the area. We recommend cleaning your oven at least every six months. This way, you can remove accumulated grease that can catch on fire. You can clean your oven with a store-bought oven cleaner or a homemade solution of baking soda, water, and vinegar. 

To keep your home safe from a fire, don't use exposed cords.

If you notice frayed or otherwise exposed cords, don't use them. Stop their use and invest in new cords or electronics to keep your home safe. It's much cheaper to replace a frayed phone charger cord now than face a fire damage repair situation later.

Use candles with caution to prevent a house fire. 

Use candles with caution by keeping them away from curtains and blankets. To prevent a house fire, you can keep them in secure holders. Always put their flames out before you go to sleep or leave your home, and make sure you blow them out before leaving a room. A pet or child could easily knock over a candle while you're in another room and unintentionally start a fire.

Check your dryer vent with each use to avoid a fire.

A dryer vent full of lint can spark a fire. To avoid a house fire, make sure to empty the lint trap each time you turn it on. You should also periodically check your dryer vent to make sure it doesn't have a lint buildup.

Testing smoke alarms regularly is a great safety precaution. 

A great safety precaution you can implement is testing your home's smoke alarms. When your smoke alarms are working properly, they can alert you of high temperatures and smoke levels before a full fire develops. Never remove the batteries from your smoke alarms, either. If they are malfunctioning, then you may need to have them replaced with new alarms. 

To prevent a house fire, keep blankets away from heaters and lamps.

In the winter months, you're likely using your heater and blankets at the same time. Make sure to keep your blankets and heater separate from one another and always fold your blankets and store them away after using them. Year-round, you can prevent a house fire by keeping blankets and curtains away from your home's lamps.

Has your home sustained fire damage? Give us a call.

If you're lucky enough to have avoided a house fire, implement these tips to keep your property safe. If your home has sustained fire damage, give us a call at (863) 647-1800. We will address minor or severe fire damage and restore your home in Lakeland, Winter Haven, Wesley Chapel, and the surrounding central Florida communities. In addition to repairing structural damage, our team is also prepared to address secondary issues like mold growth, odors, and staining.