This is a collaborative post
Home is where the heart is, home sweet home, home is where you make it – there are tons of quotes and sayings about the places we call home.
I do believe that the concept of ‘home’ is more about who it’s shared with more than where it is or what it’s like. Having said that, there is nothing more lovely than ‘coming home’ after a period of time away.
What I hope for my children is that ‘home’ will always be that place they come back to, the safe place where they can always be 100% themselves. A warm, loving place where they enjoy spending time.
So how do you keep your home safe? Is that something you even give much thought to?
Safe from fire
Firstly, we can make sure we have installed and well maintained smoke alarms within our homes. You could also think about adding things like a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket, perhaps in the kitchen for example.
Make sure things are turned off, heaters aren’t covered and flammable fabrics are kept to a minimum.
You might want to consider adding a fire door in a particular part of the house, if your type of home warrants it.
Take care with candles and manage open fires correctly. There is loads of helpful advice online, if you want to check that you are doing as much as you can.
Safe from carbon monoxide
Often known as the silent killer, carbon monoxide is something you need to think about in terms of protecting your family and your home.
Place a carbon monoxide detector in your kitchen, beside your boiler and anywhere else you feel it might be needed. If you have a garage and you park your car inside, don’t run your car in the garage, and make sure you have your gas appliances serviced on a regular basis.
Safe from intruders
No one likes to consider this an option do they? It’s one of those things that happens on the TV, or to other people right? Wrong! Sadly this does happen, homes are broken into, people are hurt and property is damaged.
It’s thought that a break in happens every 40 seconds in the UK – yes, I said seconds! That is astounding and worrying and means that we should take home security seriously.
So what can you do to keep your home safe in this respect? Things like locking doors and windows might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people say they don’t always do this.
Don’t place keys to your property within view of the letterbox, and consider some good outside lighting, a well lit property can deter a burglar.
You could consider installing an alarm system, with or without CCTV. There are tons of options out there, for a range of budgets and needs. It really will depend on the type and size of your property.
Don’t leave ladders accessible, if you do it’s a bit like putting a massive sign on your house saying ‘break in here’! Make sure any fencing is well maintained and lock any gates when you are out and an night time.
If you do go away, consider if there is anyone you can ask to keep an eye on the property for you in your absence. If there are regular comings and goings that could make a positive difference. You can even utilise established house sitters like Global Guardians if you don’t have anyone personal to check on your home.
If there is no one you can ask, you could use timers on light switches and radios. Also, leaving a car on the drive when you go away can help. If you are flying, can you take a taxi to the airport and leave your car at home?
Safe from floods
If you live on a hillside, you’ll be thinking this doesn’t apply to me. Hopefully it never does. Before you buy a property you’ll be able to establish the flood ‘risk’ in your searches, if it’s low risk, great, but that doesn’t mean it’s no risk.
Check all drains are clear. If you have a few days of heavy rainfall, make sure that all drains are still flowing well. We do live on a hillside, but there are low spots, our driveway is one of them. After heavy rainfall this morning, I have been out and unblocked a drain on the driveway and swept all the excess collected rain water down.
If your garden tends to get boggy, go out with a tent peg and put a few holes in it to help the water drain away more efficiently.
If your garage takes a battering during bad weather, pop some waterproof paint on the outside of the bricks, again, making sure there is somewhere else for the water to run.
How ‘at risk’ do you consider your home to be from these things? Don’t think that because nothing has happened before it never will. Be proactive and take charge of the dangers.
