Preventing house fires doesn’t have to be, nor should it be, difficult. In fact, by taking just a few simple steps you can fortify your home against the vast majority of fire damage hazards. So, no matter your level of experience of comfort with fire damage prevention and restoration, here are eight domestic fireproofing tips that anyone can follow according to our fire damage cleaning and restoration experts at Aladdin’s Cleaning, serving the Lapeer community.
Remove Dry Vegetation
This is easy to do but also easy to neglect. Dry vegetation around the perimeter of your home is a serious fire hazard. For one, the vegetation can go up in flames at the smallest spark. If the flames then transfer to your home, you could have a fire on your hands very quickly.
Water Your Lawn
This is obvious but still easily neglected. Make sure you keep your lawns sufficiently watered and your yard will act as an additional barrier against fire damage. Fail to keep your grass watered, however, and it can be a contributing factor to fire damage instead.
Wet Down The Roof
Flying sparks and embers can easily land on your roof and cause it to catch fire in the right conditions. While certain roof materials and chemical treatments can fortify your roof against fires, you can also go the simple route and spray water on your roof from time to time. A good time to do this, for example, would be during the 4th of July when sparks are most likely to land on your roof.
Consider Brick Or Stone For The Exterior Of Your Home
Cedar shakes might look great but are very flammable in a fire. Brick or stone, on the other hand, act as repellents against fires. Of course, it’s not a necessity that you do this, but it is advisable that you at least finish the bottom part of your home in brick or rock since that is where a fire is most likely to begin. This can decrease the costs of fire damage repair and restoration if a fire does happen.
Use Fire-Retardant Paint
Certain types of paint are designed to resist fires. This is a great investment since it can be the difference between a raging house fire and the beginning sparks of fire never developing into anything more.
Check Your Smoke Detectors
This is about as basic as it gets, but you should never let your home be devoid of working smoke detectors in each room. Smoke detectors don’t just save your life, they can alert a potentially large fire disaster before it has a chance to get that big. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that three out of five home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms.
Place Fire Extinguishers Strategically Throughout Your Home
You should keep fire extinguishers throughout the home in at least the kitchen, laundry room, and main bedrooms. Having one close by could make all the difference if a small fire breaks out in your home when you are around.
Smoking Inside The Home
Smoking inside your home is a bad idea for a plethora of reasons. One of the most concerning is that it can set your entire house ablaze if you aren’t careful. Put simply, there is no real safe way of smoking inside your home even if you are meticulous about using ashtrays. Fire damage and smoke damage are two significant risks that your home will suffer from smoking indoors.
At Aladdin’s Cleaning in Lapeer, our fire damage restoration experts hope you find these tips helpful for preventing fires in your home. Nonetheless, freak accidents do happen. If one happens to you and your home catches fire, don’t hesitate to give us a call for our fire damage restoration services.