A message from The City of Harper Woods:
If you haven’t gotten around to your spring cleaning yet, don’t worry—we’re not here to judge. What we are here to do is offer a gentle reminder to keep fire protection in mind when you’re cleaning, organizing, and preparing for the warmer months. We talk a lot about fire safety during the fall and winter, which makes sense given all the indoor and outdoor fires, deep-fried turkeys, space heaters, and holiday lights that tend to show up when it’s cold. But now that it’s warming up, there are still plenty of ways to incorporate fire protection into your spring cleaning routine. Here are a few areas to keep an eye on, recommended by us and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
- Smoke Alarms – First and foremost, CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARMS. It’s a task that can easily go forgotten for months, but how convenient that you should change your battery once a year and spring cleaning comes around once a year. Put it on your list of chores for the big clean to ensure that it happens every 12 months. According to the NFPA, a functioning smoke alarm in your home cuts your risk of dying in a house fire by 50 percent.
- Chimneys – As cozy as it was in January and February, come April and May chances are you’ll be less inclined to build a fire in the living room fireplace. As easy as it is to just scoop out the ashes, close it up, and forget about it until November, go ahead and have the chimney inspected as part of your spring cleaning effort. The NFPA recommends having a chimney inspected and thoroughly cleaned at least
once a year anyway, and getting it out of the way this time of year often means ridding it of buildup that would only cause more damage if it hung around until the fall. Plus, chimney technicians will be more likely to have flexible schedules in the springtime. - Kitchen – Keep countertops and stovetops free of grease and clutter. Excess grease on the drip pan or stovetop can easily catch fire. Clean oil and food spills immediately after they occur and wait until the stove is cool to wipe off oil or grease spills. Keep items that can catch fire, such as oven mitts, towels or wooden utensils, away from your stovetop.
- Electrical Cords – Inspect the electrical cords in your home and replace worn or tattered ones. Avoid running cords under carpets or across doorways to prevent them from being damaged. Use extension cords only temporarily and plug major appliances directly into wall sockets.
- Clothes Dryers – The leading cause of FIRES CAUSED BY HOME CLOTHES DRYERS is a failure to clean them. So as tempting as it may be to think, “It’s fine until next time”, as you’re throwing in a load of towels, go ahead and scrape that lint out. And make sure to check the drum for extra lint or any items that may have fallen out of pockets, and keep the area around the dryer free from anything flammable like cardboard boxes and cleaning products.
- Grilling – Nothing says spring and summer quite like grilling out. We couldn’t agree more. But let’s not forget that grilling inherently involves fire, so there are a few things to keep in mind. Before you even turn the grill on, check the propane tank, hose and all connection points to make sure it’s not prone to any leaks. Once the grill is on, turn off the tank and burners immediately if you smell gas. If you’re using a charcoal grill, make sure you’re using charcoal starter fluid, not any other flammable liquids. And once you’re finished, let all the coals cool completely before dumping them in a metal container.
- Stored Fluids – How often do any of us actually organize the cabinets under our sinks, or the black holes of our outdoor storage buildings? If you’re already cleaning the rest of the house might as well put that out-of-sight-out-of-mind space on your list. Make sure cleaning supplies and things like gasoline tanks are stored in a cool, dry place, out of reach of children and pets and far from electrical cords or any other heat-producing apparatus.
- Escape Plan – While you’re at it, go ahead and make spring the time of year when you and your family or roommates go over your ESCAPE PLAN IN CASE OF FIRE. Ensure that everyone knows what to do and where to go in case of a fire, and especially if there are children in the house, do a couple practice run-throughs of the escape plan.
