Unearthing Three Hidden Dangers in Your Home
As a mom, you want to make sure your children are always safe and cared for. This often means childproofing your house within an inch of its life. You must secure cabinets, pad corners, and safely stow toxic materials out of arm’s reach. When you’ve covered all the basics, you must then turn your attention to the lesser-known dangers in your home. Several household products may seem harmless at first glance, but they can cause significant injury in the wrong hands. This guide explores some hidden dangers in your home and how to best remedy them.
Smoke Detectors
It may seem contradictory, but smoke detectors can, in fact, be a danger in your home. The main intent of smoke detectors is to keep you and family safe, but they can be quite dangerous when handled incorrectly. There are two main types of smoke detectors: ionization and photoelectric. Ionization smoke detectors present a greater risk, as they contain a radioactive isotope of the chemical americium. When the smoke detector is functioning properly, this doesn’t pose any significant risk. However, if the smoke detector is damaged or becomes detached from the wall, the presence of americium can become a concern.
Try to opt for photoelectric smoke detectors, as they don’t utilize radioactive isotopes. Plus, you can safely dispose of them in your household garbage container-ionization smoke detectors require specialized disposal services due to their radioactive nature.
Extension Cords
As with all electrical devices, you should regard extension cords with care, especially when children are around. Extension cords possess a much higher voltage capacity than many people recognize. As such, they present a higher fire hazard than many other electrical devices. Never use extension cords as a primary electrical source, and disconnect items from extension cords when you’re not using them. Additionally, you should never use an extension cord that’s frayed or damaged in any way. Damaged extension cords are more likely to malfunction and spark an electrical fire.
Dirty Vents
Cleaning the vents in your home may seem like a tedious job, but it’s extremely important for the safety of your family members. Dirty or clogged air vents can severely affect the performance of your home’s heating system, increasing the likelihood of a system failure in the future. Clogged vents can also affect your home’s air quality. Poor air quality can worsen allergy and asthma symptoms for your family members.
Dirty vents aren’t just a concern for your home’s central heating system-they can also affect your clothes dryer. Dirty dryer vents are common causes of house fires, and you should regard them with extreme gravity. Clean out your dryer vents after each use, and get your HVAC vents cleaned and serviced at least once a year.
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Poor air quality in a home is another hidden danger. It can be caused by a large amount of polluting particles (dust, pollen or pet dander), VOCs, and different biological contaminants like mold spores, bacteria and viruses. It’s important to find out the cause of air quality deterioration. Depending on the cause of poor air quality in your home, your measures to improve indoor air quality may vary.
You made a good point about dirty vents. Generally, dust and lint are highly flammable, which makes home cleaning very important. Especially in places near the fireplace – even a little spark can make the dust catch fire.
Thus, remember to clean the space around your furnace. You can avoid dust build-up by vacuuming inside and around your furnace every month. For wall furnaces, clean inside the burner compartments. Clean this area at least once a month during winter to avoid lint buildup. For natural gas furnaces, the flame should burn blue. Orange or yellow flames may mean your furnace needs cleaning or adjusting by a professional.
Another home danger that people often overlook is dirty air conditioner filters. Filters that haven’t been cleaned for a long time can cause many ailments, including persistent headaches, fatigue, respiratory diseases and even cancer.
You have a point. It’s recommended to replace filters every month to prevent poor air quality in a home. Or, you can update to a carbon filter which lasts much longer. They generally last three to six months, but longevity depends on the amount of carbon used. Thicker filters tend to last longer. Some heavy-duty products can last as long as five years
Thank you for sharing such important info! By the way, as well as dirty vents, dirty air filters of your air conditioner or furnace can cause poor air quality in your home too. And, not only does poor air quality cause respiratory diseases but also can cause headaches, fatigue and even heart problems.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing such helpful content!