No matter where we are in the world, the home should always be where we feel the safest. It wouldn’t hurt to install top-grade security systems to protect us from intruders. It’s also a good investment to make sure we have high-tech smoke detectors and other alarms.
But there are just some hazards that no amount of technology can protect you from. And what’s funny is that these are the simplest things we can easily solve. As parents, it’s our job to make sure that our kids—and everyone else in the house, really—are safe from these most common household hazards that we tend to overlook.
Clutter Around the House
This seems so mundane. How is it hazardous (or even deadly) to have some of our clutter lying about the house? That seems a bit so far-fetched. Well, it may not be deadly but it certainly does hurt. After all, stepping on a piece of LEGO while walking around barefoot could feel as if it’s the worst thing in the world. But clutter is more harmful when it’s in the least ideal place: the stairs. It’s so easy for someone to trip over a stray trinket while running down the stairs.
To make sure that clutter doesn’t build up, integrate some minor cleaning into your daily routine. The solution is as simple as that.
Tall and Heavy Furniture Tipping Over
This one is a bit more alarming than clutter around the house. Did you know that one child dies every two weeks because of furniture tipping over? Data shows that 34% of children die because they climbed over the furniture. This is one of the most common reasons. So, yes, your tall shelf overflowing with books or your cabinet full of fancy China can literally kill a person.
There’s also a simple solution to this. You just have to attach the furniture on the wall so it wouldn’t tip over. If you have a wide-screen TV set on a table, then it would be better to mount it on a wall instead.
Poisonous Indoor and Outdoor Plants
Surrounding yourself and your family with some plants have many benefits. It improves your mood. It boosts creativity. And it helps the environment by having more plants that can absorb some carbon emissions. But what can be dangerous is that your toddler and pets may eat them with none the wiser.
There are some plants that, when eaten, can be poisonous. Examples are calla lily, daffodil, and tulip. That’s right—who knew that beautiful flowers could be harmful? So you have to be careful with how you select which plants to nurture at home.
Puddle Outside the House
When it rains or snows, we often worry about it while it’s happening. We worry about how strong they are. We struggle to keep ourselves warm. And we worry about possible leaks. But after the strong weather passes, we feel calm and that everything’s back to normal. But we shouldn’t be too comfortable because after it rains and after the snow on the ground melts, what do we have? Puddles. And these puddles could cause anyone to slip and fall on the pavement.
What you can do is another simple solution: clear up the puddles. But for a long-lasting solution, you can make sure that you have a good drainage system that can clear up puddles. Having the proper galvanized trench grates for stormwater should be the way to go.
Old Appliances
We all have that one or two appliances at home that we’ve had for years. They could be, say, the coffee machine and the microwave. We keep them in our homes because they still work. We’re even attached to them, believing in their sentimental values. But they can be dangerous. They could easily spark and cause electricity to shut down. Or worse, they could cause a fire.
There’s only one solution to this problem: replace those appliances.
Slippery Bathroom Floor
Bathrooms can be the most dangerous room in the house if it’s not maintained properly. Slipping on the bathroom is such a scary experience. It could easily lead to a serious head, back, or hip injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 235 thousand people end up in hospital emergency rooms because of incidents in the bathroom. Almost 14% of them end up hospitalized.
What you can do is have no-slip mats on the floor, and just keep it dry and maintained at all times.
These household hazards may seem so simple and ordinary. But don’t be fooled. They can harm you and your family. But with just a few simple acts of maintenance, you can ensure that your home is safe at all times.
