As a parent or older member of a family, one of your top priorities is going to be keeping everyone in your home or family safe. And though certain things are going to be out of your control, there are quite a few things you can do around your house to help make it a safer, more secure place for everyone who lives there.
If you hope to ensure that you’re taking all the necessary steps to protect the people you love, here are three home repairs you can make that will help to keep your household safe.
Check Out Your Hot Water Heater
One item in your home that you probably never think about until something goes wrong is the hot water heater. When it’s functioning correctly, we all tend to take it for granted.
But if it starts to sputter out, this can be a big problem for most families. So to ensure that your hot water heater is working right, try to inspect it yourself on a regular basis, or have a professional come in to check it every year or so.
In addition, Jeannette Moninger, a contributor to Parents.com, says that you shouldn’t keep your hot water heater set to above 120 degrees if you have children living in your house, because anything hotter than that could potentially scald a tender little human.
Clean Out Your Chimney
Another part of your home that you should be checking more often than you probably have is your chimney. Even when you’re not regularly using it, such as in the summer months, you still need to be aware of the fire hazard it can pose.
According to Ronda Kaysen, a contributor to The New York Times, chimneys can also house dangerous gases that can be toxic to the inhabitants of your home. To ensure that a fire or dangerous materials don’t wind up hurting your loved ones, make sure you get your chimney cleaned and not allow for too much buildup to occur.
Take the Stairs Safely
Especially when you have little children around, you ought to be extra careful about how your stairs are laid out. Stairways are an area of the home where many accidents and injuries happen, so you want to do your best to prevent those kinds of incidents in your home.
To help with this, State Farm recommends doing things like securing the handrails to the wall, adding flooring that will make the steps less slippery, making sure to keep the stairwell well lit at all times of the day and night, and never leaving anything on the steps that presents a potential trip-and-fall hazard. Doing these things will should make your stairways much safer.
If you want to make your home safer for your family, look into performing these small but important home repairs.