Everyone loves to decorate, cook, and get together with their friends and loved ones over the holidays. But when these things happen, you often participate in things that can increase your risk of starting a house fire around your property. With the lights, added electrical usage, and new cooking techniques, it only makes sense that more house fires would happen during the holidays. Luckily, there are things that you can do to protect yourself from this. To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for reducing fire hazards at home during the holidays.
Take Care When Cooking In The Kitchen
The holidays mean cooking and baking more intricate foods than you might normally make. And since you’re likely cooking for a larger group of people too, there are going to be more cooks in the kitchen and more hazards for a kitchen fire to start. One thing you’ll want to be very careful with is keeping flammable objects away from burners and other hot items in the kitchen. Kitchen towels and decor should be kept far away from anything that produces heat. Additionally, if you spill something, especially if it’s greasy or includes alcohol, you’ll want to be sure that you clean up this mess immediately so that they don’t ignite.
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Check Your Lights Daily
As part of your home decoration over the holidays, lights are likely going to be involved. And while lights meant for decor are usually kept at a very low temperature, they can get hot and cause a fire if you’re not careful. To reduce the chances of this happening at your house, make sure you’re checking your lights daily. Touch them to feel how hot they are. If you find one that’s getting too hot and heating up the items around it, stop using those lights. And if you have lights that have frayed wires, get rid of those lights, as they can greatly increase the risk of a fire starting when the lights are plugged in.
Be Smart With Your Fireplace
The winter holidays won’t feel complete unless you’re sitting next to a roaring fire to round out your day. But to keep your home safe, you’ll need to make sure that you’re being smart and when and how you use your fireplace. Before using your fireplace for the first time that year, make sure it’s been inspected and cleaned. And when you light your fire, keep a fireguard around the fire so that no sparks or embers can jump out of the fire and land on something in the house, catching the whole thing on fire.
If you want to lower your chances of starting a house fire during the holidays, consider using the tips mentioned above to learn how this can best be done.