During the lull between the busy holiday season and the warmer months ahead, it can be nice to kick back and relax at home with family and friends. Especially with isolation, quarantine, and COVID-19 threatening upsets in the outside world, home is often thought to be more than just a place to unwind—it’s a place of safety, too.
But there can be dangers in your home, too—both hidden and in plain sight—that can turn your home into a danger zone. One spot in particular? The kitchen. The heart of the home can be host to a wide variety of risks—even besides cooking tools and contaminated foods. Here, we’ll break down some of these dangers, and let you know how we can help.
Fires
A warm crackling fire in the hearth, a thermostat set toasty warm, or a hot meal from the stove or oven are all part of the winter season—but those heating elements can be dangerous. There are about 358,000 residential fires every year in the US—with a full 50% beginning in the kitchen.
The debris—like food particles or grease—left in the bottom of your oven after holiday meals—can ignite and cause a fire. But that’s not the only way that a fire in the home can start. About 44,100 of those home fires are caused by something going wrong in the home’s heating system. While this is especially true of homes heated by fireplaces or chimneys, it’s important to have your home’s heating system inspected to make sure no problems have arisen during the warmer months when it isn’t in use.
Other ways you can keep your home safe include practicing good fire safety habits around any fireplaces—ensure the flue is open to promote ventilation, and make sure to clean the fireplace properly to prevent buildup. Always keep an eye on fires, too, to prevent sparks jumping onto the floor. And whether you have a fireplace or not, all homeowners should ensure they keep the oven and stove clean and free of debris, and keep the home’s heating system in good working order.
Gas and Carbon Monoxide
A malfunctioning heating system can pose dangers besides a fire—a damaged furnace in your home can begin to leak carbon monoxide, which can cause severe illness or death. Other sources of carbon monoxide include gas-powered fireplaces or stoves, exhaust from cars, or an unvented gas-powered space heater. The carbon monoxide poisoning can begin slowly—with symptoms like a headache—before leading to trouble breathing or loss of consciousness.
There are steps you can take to prevent it, though—installing and testing carbon monoxide alarms can help to ensure safety. The kitchen is a good place to put one—this can catch gas leaks from gas and propane-powered appliances like the stove. Make sure not to let a car warm up in the garage—the fumes can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Emergency generators, like those used during a power outage, should never be run indoors, either—they have to be set up outside the house and garage.
Broken or Frozen Pipes
When temperatures drop very low, you run the risk of pipes in your home freezing—which can be an expensive and messy problem. This happens when water in the pipes freezes and expands. This causes a buildup of pressure—and when the pressure builds up inside the pipe, it can burst, leaving you with a damaged water line and a watery mess that can easily turn into health-hazard mold. Attics and basements, or other unheated spaces, are the area where this is most likely to happen, but your kitchen (and bathroom) pipes can easily freeze, too.
Luckily, you can take some easy preventative steps. Adding insulation to exposed pipes in unheated areas can prevent them from freezing. When the temperature is going to drop below 20 degrees, leave cabinets—like the one below your sink—open, to let the warm air of your home circulate around the pipe. On nights when you’re expecting a cold snap, you can leave the faucet open and a trickle of water coming out to prevent freezing.
Germs
Cross-contaminated food that can cause illness poses one danger in the kitchen—whether you’re cooking up a summer barbeque or a holiday turkey—but those kitchen surfaces can harbor other germs, too. Faucets, kitchen counters, doorknobs, and handles on cabinets or drawers are sometimes called high-touch areas—those small areas that get a lot of use and can harbor lots of germs.
One good step towards fighting germs—whether foodborne, cold and flu, or other types—is to keep high-touch areas, like countertops, faucets, and sinks clean. A quick sanitizing wipe-down can go a long way towards keeping your family healthy.
How can counter and sink reglazing near me help?
The Tub Pros is the leading refinisher in the Mid-South—and refinishing sink, counter, and tile surfaces does more than just make your home look its best. Cracks, chips, and damage can make it harder to clean surfaces properly, and can make even the most attractive porcelain sink or granite countertops look dirty and worn—which can drive you to spend less time in the kitchen and make the steps that can keep your home safe harder to do. After all, who wants to spend time in a room they don’t like?
That’s where our refinishing services come in. When you’re looking for sink refinishing Memphis residents love, or counter and sink reglazing near me in the Greater Mid-South region, we’re here to help with reglazing that can help make your kitchen (and bathroom) beautiful and functional. Our services can get your surfaces looking good as new—and can even update the color of your fixture so you can bring the newest kitchen trends into your space.
So if you’re ready to get started, give us a call at (901) 871-8827 for a free project estimate or use our online contact tool to take the first step towards making your home as beautiful and functional as it can be. Read our online articles with additional free information here.
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