5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Fire Damage

How often do you consider fire safety inside your home? If you’re like the average homeowner, you might not think about it at all. With your busy life and everything on your to-do list, it’s easy to forget the basics of fire safety. Unfortunately, fire damage can happen to nearly anyone, even if you take precautions.

Fires are something that most people don’t want to think about, but the risk is present whether you rent an apartment or own a home. Suppose you want to protect your living space and belongings from fire damage. In that case, knowing a bit about fire safety and taking preventive steps is wise.

That’s where this article comes in to help.

In this guide, you’ll get tips from fire damage restoration experts on simple steps you can take to protect your home from fire damage.

Basics of Fire Safety

To start, Ryan Kelly of Chicago Water and Fire notes that “cleaning out combustible areas like the lint trapped behind your dryer or having a timer to turn off the Christmas tree around the holidays are simple ways to enhance fire safety as well as making sure fire extinguishers are not far away.”

Now, let’s look deeper into how you can follow these and other suggestions.

5 Ways to Protect Your Home From Fire Damage

While it’s impossible to reduce the risk of fire completely, you can take steps to significantly reduce the risk of fire damage.

1. Clear out the lint trap: One of the easiest things you can do to keep a fire from starting in your home is to clean out the lint trap in your dryer after every cycle. It’s also essential to have a professional clear out the lint pipes once every year or so.
2. Turn off appliances and electronics when leaving for more extended periods: If you’re going on a trip, you can reduce your fire risk by unplugging or at least turning off big appliances and electronics.
3. Keep fire extinguishers around your home: If your house doesn’t have at least one fire extinguisher, you should get one right away. A fire extinguisher can put out many minor fires and keep them from getting out of control.
4. Use surge protectors: Surge protectors are an excellent way to reduce the risk of fire.
5. Don’t smoke near any building: If you smoke, dispose of your cigarettes properly. Don’t smoke close to your home or any other building. Then, always ensure the cigarette butt is completely extinguished.

Protecting Yourself and Your Family in Case of Fire

While following these tips is an excellent way to reduce the fire risk in your home, accidents can still happen. If a fire starts, it’s essential to be prepared. Talk to your family about a plan of action if there is a house fire.

This plan should include reviewing the exit routes and discussing things like stop, drop, and roll. You should also be sure everyone in the house knows they should always leave the house immediately and not wait to gather items.

With this knowledge and preparation ahead of time, your home and family will be much better protected.