Anyone who’s experienced in the kitchen can tell you how quickly a sudden flare-up can evolve into a spiraling inferno and cause harm to anyone too close to the flames. These events are even more tragic when you know that so many of their causes are completely preventable. To ensure your home remains a safe place in your day-to-day life, use some of these tips for preventing kitchen fires in your home.
Maintain Your Appliances
When you’re not familiar with the technical aspects of your kitchen’s appliances, it can be easy to miss even the most common cooktop issues, which could allow those issues to grow into full-blown hazards that place your kitchen at greater risk of breaking out into a fire. It may seem like a burden when your schedule is split between working and parenting, but it’s important that you find the time to keep your appliances clean and to stay diligent about potential issues. If you do spot a problem with your appliances, don’t hesitate to call the appropriate professionals to diagnose and repair the problem.
Wear the Appropriate Clothing
You don’t need to have a chef’s uniform at the ready, but one of the most-forgotten tips for preventing kitchen fires in your home is to wear clothing that’s appropriate for the task. For instance, you shouldn’t wear breezy morning robes or flowy fabrics while you cook because they’re at greater risk of getting caught in flames and bursting alight. On the other end of the spectrum, you don’t want clothes that leave too much skin unprotected because intense heat or boiling liquids can cause burn injuries.
Install Smoke Alarms
Really, the primary cause of most kitchen fires is negligence. You should ensure your attention is always focused on cooking, first and foremost, but it’s easy to become distracted in the kitchen when you’re trying to multitask. Make the effort to set precautions such as smoke alarms in place—they act as safety measures that can quickly alert you of trouble if your attention is diverted elsewhere. Smoke alarms don’t prevent fires themselves, but they give you a greater chance of catching and preventing fires before they can spiral out of control or at least allow you to evacuate before the situation becomes more dire.
