January Home Cleaning Tips to Improve Fire Safety

Once we have gotten the festive period out of the way, many of us look to clean our homes from top to bottom to start the New Year in the right way. The cost of a house fire can be devastating, not only in terms of financial loss but also the sentimental value of items destroyed in the blaze. There is also the serious threat to life acting as the main reason why we need to protect our homes against fire at all times. With many of us thinking about tidying our homes from top to bottom in January, it is worthwhile to combine that cleaning with some useful fire prevention tips. Cleaning your fireplace Although set up to house a fire, the fireplace remains a dangerous place in the home for fire safety. December was especially cold at times and many of us will have felt the need to light a fire to stay extra cosy while sheltering from the frost. However, that extra use can cause a build-up of soot in our chimney flue which needs to be professionally swept to safely remove it and clear any blockages. Not only is there a threat of fire but a blocked chimney flue can see dangerous levels of carbon monoxide pooling into our homes, potentially causing dizziness, headaches or a loss of consciousness. It is also important to remove debris from the fireplace yourself, such as ash which is acidic and can corrode the bottom of your firebox if left too long. This can also lead to burning embers slipping through those corroded cracks and coming into contact with your wall, increasing the fire risk. Check the dryer During the winter, our tumble dryers can see a lot more action than they do during the warmer months. For some busy households, the dryer is an essential piece of equipment that ensures kids and adults can enjoy freshly laundered clothes without the wait time of hanging them out to dry. But the use of a tumble dryer can be a fire hazard in our homes, especially if you have had family staying for Christmas and they have been using it too. The most important cleaning of your dryer you can do is to open the lint drawer and remove what has gathered on the filter. Dryer lint is extremely flammable and it is essential for the safety of everyone in your home that you check and clear out the filter. Clearing blocked routes You might have been gathering stuff in the spare room for too long, or perhaps your garage has become a dumping ground. January is a great time for cleaning projects, and where better to start than the junk room? Decluttering your home doesn’t have to stop with the spare room or garage, and many of us can be guilty of filling any space we have with stuff. Anything that has the potential to be a blockage in a thoroughfare should be removed or reduced to ensure that in the event of a fire this doesn’t prevent you or your family from getting out safely. Improve your fire safety with Applications Engineering Naturally, fire safety is hugely important in any building. At Applications Engineering, we specialise in the supply of high-quality flow, level and pressure switches for fire sprinklers. We also supply fire sprinkler valve system products to ensure your entire fire sprinkler system is well-maintained and working effectively. If you would like to find out more about our fire sprinkler products, do not hesitate to contact a member of our team.

For more information on January Home Cleaning Tips to Improve Fire Safety talk to Applications Engineering Limited