No one intends to start a fire in their home, but everyday habits that might not be given a second thought can easily endanger a family and their property. Be aware of these four bad habits that could put your home at risk of a fire.
Discounting Dryer Lint
The lint screen inside your dryer is easy to ignore, but the dryer’s extremely hot temperatures can cause a heavy collection of lint to catch fire. Regularly emptying the screen can be critical to the safety of your home. It can also increase the efficiency of your dryer.
When cleaning out your lint screen don’t stop there. Be sure to check the inside of the dryer frame, too, to remove lint, or other small bits and pieces that may have escaped pants pockets.
Allowing Your Laptop to Overheat
Although you may be hard at work on your laptop and decide to take a break, be careful not to leave it sitting atop your sofa, bed, rug, or any other soft and flammable surface. Doing so can restrict airflow through the computer’s cooling vents and cause it to overheat—and potentially catch fire. To prevent this, always place your laptop on a desk or table.
Disregarding Dust
When particles of dust collect and build up around things like electronics and electrical sockets they can present a fire hazard as dust build-up may catch fire after prolonged contact with sources of heat. Vacuuming and dusting regularly behind your electronics can significantly lessen that risk.
Improperly Storing Batteries
When you toss new or half-used 9-volt batteries into your junk drawer you could be endangering your family and home. The exposed posts of this kind of battery may interact with other metals, like paper clips, nails, or screws, and the two terminals of the battery could short-out and create enough heat to ignite flammables that may be close by. To help avoid this danger always remember to put a piece of electrical tape over the exposed battery terminals, or store your batteries back into their original packaging.
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