JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Many of us have made sure our home is as secure as possible by installing an alarm system or adding a do-it-yourself home security device. But have you thought about better securing the inside of your home from everyday dangers like fires, falls, or furniture tip-overs?
For instance, it can be a frightening situation if you were to walk into your laundry room and instead of finding fresh clean clothes, you’re greeted by your dryer on fire.
RELATED: I-TEAM: Hacking Into Your Home
“My phone rang and it was my wife calling from the basement and she said, ‘come downstairs right now and bring our fire extinguisher.’ So, I ran downstairs, and our dryer was just billowing smoke out of it,” said Jeff Renfro.
Consumer Reports warns that lint is a common culprit of dryer fires.
“It’s estimated that about a third of dryer fires are caused by vents clogged by flammable fibers like lint. So, it’s really important that everyone has their dryer vent cleaned annually,” said Consumer Reports Safety Advocate Oriene Shin.
Another room to pay close attention to is the kitchen. Consumer Reports says over a 10-year period, there have been more than 10,000 injury reports associated with the kitchen. Many of the incidents include burns and cuts, but some are traced to the refrigerator.
“Your fridge may not be properly working, and you may not know about it before it’s too late and someone in your family is suffering from a bad case of food poisoning,” Shin warned.
Signs of a fridge on the fritz include softer than normal butter, condensation in the fridge, or ice on the walls of the freezer. Keep a thermometer in your fridge and one in your freezer. The fridge should be at 37 degrees Fahrenheit and your freezer should be at zero degrees.
Another danger that could be lurking in multiple rooms of your home – furniture. If you haven’t already, it’s time to secure furniture that can tip or fall.
Consumer Reports says:
- Anchor dressers to the studs in your wall. NEVER use drywall anchors or toggles, because they can pull out too easily.
- Use a wall mount for your TV whenever possible. If you can’t mount it, make sure the TV is on a stable piece of furniture, and anchor the TV to the wall as you would a dresser.
If you’re looking for a new dresser, you can check out how Consumer Reports conducts its own tip-over tests to identify stable dressers - including opening drawers and placing weights to mimic a child’s weight. You can see that here.