Six Simple Changes You Can Make For A Safer Home Home Decoration Home Improvement Home Security by Anita Ginsburg - March 27, 2015November 18, 2015 Six Simple Changes You Can Make For A Safer Home Accidents in the home are, unfortunately, common. You may not realize it, but there’s a good chance your home is actually fraught with danger. Thankfully, creating a safer home is relatively easy. Once you’re done, you’ll be able to rest knowing that many hazards have been eliminated. Water Heater Many homeowners turn the temperature up to elongate available hot water. Besides shortening the lifespan of the unit, this practice is also dangerous. After all, it’s far too easy for children to be scalded. For safety, keep your water heater turned to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Secure Medicines You need to secure all medications in your home. While it may be convenient to keep them in a bathroom cabinet, it’s far too easy for children and teens to gain access to them. Children primarily ingest medication thinking it’s candy. Teens, on the other hand, may take medication for recreational purposes. To play it safe, keep all medications, including over-the-counter products, in your home under lock and key. Smoke Detectors Ensure that every bedroom and common area has a working smoke detector. Please remember that these units do need to be replaced. Many homeowners don’t realize that the older the smoke detector is, the more likely it is to fail during an emergency. This is a good time to make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector that is working properly as well. Image source: http://l2-anons.com Fire Plan In addition to working smoke detectors, you home also needs a fire plan. Talk to everyone in the home about how to evacuate during a fire, teach small children about firefighters, and decide where you all will meet outside. Rooms on a second floor or higher should have escape ladders. Fence Consider putting a fence around your property. Besides preventing small children from wandering away, fences keep unwanted intruders out. Before starting work, however, make sure to obtain any necessary permits from your city or county government. These permits are critical to ensure that the fence stays on your property line. Emergency Preparedness Finally, always keep basic emergency preparedness items on hand. Experts recommend that you have at least a week’s supply of food and water in your home at all times, working flashlights beside all beds, and a wind up radio. These basics will help you be ready in case of any sort of emergency. Remember, safety in your home is a continuous process. Systems will need to be updated and plans will need to be reworked as your family changes. However, you can prevent a number of common accidents with just a little planning. Informational credit to Mills Fence.