Keeping your home clean and welcoming for other people is all fine and well, but doesn’t really matter much if your house isn’t safe. From burglars to fires, there are safety threats all around our homes, and this year, we worked hard to help you identify and avoid them. Here are our best home safety tips from 2022.
Research viral hacks
A big part of this year’s home-safety offerings included issuing warnings about viral home hacks that were actually dangerous. Don’t make your own dryer sheets out of sponges and please, whatever you do, don’t make a DIY heater out of clay pots and candles. Both of those can lead to house fires, and they’re just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to popular social media tips that are actually hazardous. Whenever you see a viral hack that claims to do something with fire or electricity, research whether it’s actually safe.
Make your home look less burgle-able
No matter how house-proud you are, don’t advertise too much. This year, we pointed to experts who warn not to put your Christmas tree or gift displays in your window, as they can be eye candy for would-be thieves. That wisdom is true all year round: Keep big-ticket items away from windows so you don’t inadvertently advertise your possessions to burglars.
Don’t post on social media in real time
We loved this celebrity-approved trick: Don’t post when you’re out somewhere in real time. Your potential burglar may know you or at least know of you and be pre-meditating an attack. Don’t make that easy by broadcasting when you’re far from home. Enjoy parties and events in the moment, then post later.
Protect your pets
Your pets’ safety is important in and of itself, but it’s also more broadly related to the safety of your home overall. Tips that keep pets safe, like fencing in your Christmas tree or keeping candles out of reach of your cat, also keep you safe by lowering the likelihood your beloved animal will accidentally cause a fire.
Make your security cameras visible
There’s always been some debate on whether a visible security camera is helpful or harmful when keeping your home safe from break-ins or vandalism, but this year, we came down on the side of helpful: Research has shown that if those would-be criminals see your cameras or alarm system, they simply might not commit the bad act in the first place.
Don’t make kitchen fires worse
This year, we went over how you can actually make kitchen fires worse by not responding to them correctly. The thing is, though, that a lot of the tips were counterintuitive: When a fire breaks out in the microwave or oven, you want to open the machine to start doing battle, but you shouldn’t. When a grease fire pops up, you want to douse it with water, but you shouldn’t. Doing those things can spread the fire, which is bad news. Keep your doors shut, suffocate grease fires, and study up how to tackle every kind of kitchen fire before it happens.
Use two space heaters
Another counterintuitive safety tip came from our guide on where to put your space heater. Instead of using a huge one or trying to rig one to heat your whole room (which it cannot do), you can use two space heaters in a room to keep things toasty and, as long as they’re both far from obstructions and plugged directly into their own outlets, it’s the safer option.
Stop fireplace popping
Using a fireplace is soothing, but dealing with hot, popping debris is anything but. In addition to being loud and annoying, popping from a fireplace is dangerous, so we recommend swapping the kind of wood you use and storing the wood correctly to minimise the chances of a tiny fire starter being launched into your living room.
Park in your driveway
Like a visible home security camera, a car in the driveway sends a signal to would-be burglars that your house isn’t the one to mess with. Why? They think someone is home. Just don’t leave any expensive goods in the car.
Charge batteries only as long as recommended
Finally, this year, we learned about surprising causes for home fires, and lithium-ion batteries (like the ones in scooters and e-bikes) cause more than you think. To avoid a mishap, only use the charger that came with your device (or a replacement from the company), juice the battery as long as it says to and then remove it from the charger, and try to do your charging outdoors.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.