Spring-cleaning away household fire hazards

Few things are more satisfying than giving your home a good top-to-bottom spring cleaning, but as you filter through the things in your home there are steps you can take to protect your home itself from the risk of preventable fires.

According to an analysis of home insurance claims over the last five years from Travelers, fire claims are routinely the most expensive. The leading causes of house fires include faulty wiring and outlets, kitchen fires, clothes dryers, alternative heating sources (such as wood stoves and space heaters) and dirty chimneys.

As you dust and declutter your way through your home, here are some things you can do to prevent some of these common fire hazards, according to Travelers:

• Clean your dryer vent (and clean it regularly throughout the year).
• Make sure your kitchen fire extinguisher is in good shape and that you know how to use it. If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your kitchen, this is a good time to make the investment.
• Thoroughly clean your stove and oven, as leftover food splatter and grease have the potential to ignite during cooking.
• Give the space heaters you’ve been using throughout the colder months a good once-over to ensure they are in good working order and safety features are intact. Retire older space heaters that don’t have safety features (like overheating or tip-over protection), and make sure any new heaters are UL listed.
• Have your chimney inspected once a year by a Chimney Safety Institute of America- certified chimney sweep, and have it professionally cleaned and repaired as needed.
• Don’t use your fireplace to burn trash – like cardboard, old documents and wrapping paper – as it can spark chimney fires.
• Check for signs of fraying on all of the electrical cords in your house. Replace any that are frayed.
• Make sure electrical cords are not pinched or covered by anything, like rugs or furniture.

Related:

• NOAA: Nearly half of U.S. at risk of spring flooding
• Spring break insurance tips
• Safety mitigation measures for wildfire risks could herald a new era in disaster insurance