It is said that the kitchen is the heart of the home, a place to gather and make memories, a place to express your love and share your culture. This can also be a place with many unexpected hazards. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), safety in the kitchen becomes more important around Thanksgiving Day when there is a lot of activity and other friends and family at home.
Here are 10 safety tips that will keep you passing the Mash instead of a fire extinguisher.
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop – Many kitchen fires can be prevented by simply staying within eyesight of the food being cooked.
- Stay in the home when cooking your turkey – We’ve all done it, we are preparing the “Big T” and realize we have run out of Thyme (pun intended). We quickly run to the store and lower the heat on “to be safe”. It is better to turn the heat all the way down and loose a few minutes of cooking time than to come home to a much bigger problem.
- Keep children away from the stove – while we all want to teach our kids and they want to share in the experience of cooking, kids should stay 3 feet away from the stove. Want the kids to participate? Have kids help by washing veggies, and cracking eggs or laying out the cookies on the cookie sheet.
- Help the young children pour gravy and other hot food items – Even after the food is cooked, it is important to keep in mind that food stays hot and can cause serious burns even after it’s been off the stove.
- Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip – Groceries, toys and even kids can cause a trip hazard in the kitchen. You don’t want to be scraping Deviled Eggs from the ceiling and backsplash because of a misstep.
- Keep knives out of the reach of children – This is also true for other sharp items like turkey forks, kitchen scissors and turkey basters with syringe tips.
- Tidy up electric cords from coffee makers, warmer plates or mixers – Kids, animals and even adult humans can easily get entangled on these cords and cause you to switch from a buffet style dinner to pizza delivery.
- Conduct a safety check on your appliances before the big day – It’s a good idea to quickly inspect your appliances for usability and safety. Utility lighters, stove tops, ovens hot plates and other kitchen appliances should be in good working order with all safety mechanisms working. Disabling any of the manufacturer’s safety features can be dangerous.
- Never leave lit candles in unattended rooms – Ah the fragrance, the warmth, the….FIRE! A study by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that 85 percent of candle fires could be avoided. In fact, accidental candle fires account for approximately four percent of all U.S. residential fires.
- Make sure your smoke alarms are working – It’s time to push some buttons…test buttons. Go around to all of your smoke alarms and make sure they are in working order. If they are defective or over 10 years old, replace them. While you are at it, test your carbon monoxide detectors as well. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including the basement and installed inside of every bedroom and outside of each sleeping area.
Keeping Your Kitchen Safe
One key part of fire safety is making sure that your smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment stays in good working order in case you need them. The Castra Realty Team can help you find the pros you need for preventative maintenance, fire extinguisher inspections and more essential fire prevention services. All you need to do is give us a call, send us a text or use the Contact Us form to email us.
Castra Realty Team - (951) 384-0656 *
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