Indoor Home Safety Guide

How to keep your home a safe haven for the ones you love most.

Why Indoor Home Safety Matters

Home is supposed to be a safe space; the place a family of any size feels the most secure and at ease. However, no home is immune from potential safety threats. Flammable materials, flooring defects, household chemicals, and other hazards put families and pets at significant risk.

However, there are plenty of ways homeowners and renters can minimize these risks by taking recommended safety precautions. With the right knowledge, safety within your household is always sustainable.

Keep the Kitchen Trouble-Free
Fire Safety By the Numbers
Bathroom Safety Basics
Children and Seniors: Safety Resources
Love Your Life In the Living Room

General Home Safety Resources
Garage Safety 101
Fire Safety Resources
Sleep Soundly In a Safe Bedroom
Home Safety By the Numbers

Keep the Kitchen Trouble-Free

Despite its importance within the household, potential safety hazards abound in the kitchen. Electric and gas appliances such as the stove, oven, and refrigerator present fire concerns, and sharp utensils are often found in drawers and on countertops. Here are some tips on how to stay vigilant when cooking up your culinary masterpieces on the daily.

Never leave metal cans or lids in the sink, as they may have sharp edges that can cause cuts.
Handle knives extremely carefully. Store them in a knife block as opposed to loosely in a drawer.
Store other sharp-edged or pointed utensils and appliances in drawers and cupboards. Install safety locks to prevent small children from accessing them.
If possible, place your stove away from covered windows. Keep flammable items such as towels, dishcloths, curtain panels, food containers, paper towels, clothing, and chemicals away from the stovetop at all times.

Clean your oven’s broiler pan regularly to reduce the risk of crusted-on food catching fire.
Never put metal of any kind (including aluminum foil) in the microwave, as it may combust and cause a fire hazard.
Cover exposed counter corners with foam edging to prevent possible harm to children.
When washing dishes or using a sink sprayer, try to keep all water in the sink. Wipe up water that spills on the floor immediately to prevent slipping.

33%

of people admit to disconnecting their fire alarm because it was too sensitive.

Disabling your fire alarm is a severe potential threat to your family’s safety should a fire occur in your home. Sensitive or not, it’s your first line of defense against fire or extreme heat, warning you before the risk becomes too great and giving you time to escape.

If you simply can’t stand that your fire alarm goes off too easily, consider switching it out for a new one that suits your home a bit better.

Source: ADT Security Survey

Bathroom Safety Basics

Slippery surfaces and cleaning chemicals make the bathroom a place for extreme caution. Because it’s a room that gets probably some of the most use each day, you can implement the tips below to keep your bathroom as the place where you merely sing, not slip, in the shower.

Never leave a child unattended in the bathroom. Even small amounts of water pose a drowning risk.
Install locks on toilet lids if you have small children in the house to prevent access to toilet water.
Add non-slip decals to the bottom of the bathtub or shower floor to minimize the risk of injury from a fall. In the homes of the elderly, handrails are always a good addition to the bathtub or shower.
Use an absorbent bath mat or towel to soak up water from the tub and shower. Be sure to wipe up any water that gets on the floor to prevent slipping.

Always monitor small children during bathtime to avoid them accidentally scalding themselves with hot water.
Keep appliances such as hair dryers, straighteners, and curling irons away from the sink and bathtub/shower. Store them immediately after use.
Keep toilet bowl cleaner, glass cleaner, and other cleaning products with harmful chemicals stored away from the reach of children and pets.
Never mix cleaning solutions together to avoid certain chemicals producing dangerous gases.

Children and Seniors Safety Resources

The youngest and oldest members of a household are often the most at risk of accidents and health hazards. Protecting your more vulnerable loved ones should be a daily priority. Fortunately, many resources are available that provide valuable tips and information for the children and senior members of the household.

Bathroom Safety for Older Adults

Home Safety Tips for Children and the Elderly

Bathroom Safety for Kids

Children’s Bedroom Safety

Love Your Life In the Living Room

You might not necessarily associate the living room with danger; typically, it’s a place for games, movies, and family time. Though hazards in the living room tend to be more subtle, they are absolutely present. Below are some ways to always make sure life in the living room remains enjoyable.

Repair defects to loose carpeting immediately to prevent trips and falls.
Secure loose rugs in place with gripping strips to prevent tripping.
Never run cords under carpets or throw rugs, as the cords may cause the carpets to bunch up and, as a result, become a tripping hazard. Running cords this way also poses a fire risk.
Keep all outlets and electrical wiring up-to-date. Outdated equipment can pose a distinct fire or electrocution hazard.

Never plug too many items into the same outlet. Use approved power strips to avoid overloading outlets and starting a fire.
Keep all walkways free of furniture, cords, toys, and other objects, as they increase the risk of trips and falls.
If you have reclining furniture in your living room, always make sure the footrest is clear of pets, children, and small objects before putting it down.
Bolt large furniture such as bookshelves, entertainment centers, grandfather clocks, cabinets, and display cases to the wall to prevent them falling over onto children, pets, and adults alike.

General Home Resources

It’s nearly impossible to be too informed about home safety. From the tip of the roof to the far corners of the basement, it pays to educate yourself about potential safety hazards that exist throughout your home. Below are some helpful resources that will help you maintain the safest home possible.

Household Safety Checklist

Healthy Homes: Keeping Your Home Healthy and Safe

A Guide to Home Safety

Fall Prevention: Simple Tips

Garage Safety 101

This room is probably one of the most obvious in terms of hazards. The garage houses automobiles, lawn mowers, home improvement materials, gasoline, and cleaning products. Your garage can prove significantly unsafe if not secured properly, and is often targeted by intruders as a source of theft or entry into your home. Here’s how you can keep your garage secure and risk-free.

Remove items such as lawn mowers, tractors, and other machines with engines from the garage before starting them. Buildup of gasoline fumes can pose a serious risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Never leave your car running with the garage closed. If you need to warm it up in the wintertime, pull it out of the garage. When pulling into the garage, cut the engine as soon as possible.
Install a carbon monoxide detector in the garage for added safety.
Store as little gasoline in the garage as possible, and only in a container specifically designed to store it.
Never dispense gasoline inside the garage—again, fumes pose a safety hazard.
Do not dispose of gas by pouring it down the drain or in a toilet. Check with local officials to determine the proper way to dispose of it.

Keep power tools locked in cupboards or stored in high cabinets or shelves so that children cannot reach them.
Store dangerous chemicals in locked cabinets where children cannot reach them.
Install a lock to the garage door to prevent potential break-ins or access by a child.
If storing boxes in the garage, ensure shelving is stable and that you do not stack them too high to prevent them falling over.
Install a door sensor to detect when the garage door opens without your knowledge.

Fire Safety Resources

There’s a reason fire drills are taught in schools and work spaces. Fires can be incredibly destructive, and can often have seemingly unassuming causes. Like your children’s school, it’s important to have a plan in place in the event of a fire in your home. Learn more about how to keep your home as fire resistant as possible with the resources below.

Gasoline and Propane Safety

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Public Education: Heating

Home Fire Prevention and Safety Tips

Sleep Soundly In a Safe Bedroom

The average person spends 26 years of their life sleeping. That doesn’t even cover activities such as reading in bed or scrolling through your smartphone. It’s safe to say that a good portion of a person’s life is spent in the bedroom, and as perhaps the most private, personal space, it’s important to keep it a place where you feel absolutely secure. Below, find out how you can do just that.

Install smoke detectors in bedrooms and test them regularly to ensure that they’ll work in the event of a fire.
Purchase flame-resistant bedding and curtains to reduce the risk of spreading serious fires.
Repair defects in wood flooring, as they can injure children playing on the floor or pets walking through the area.
Similar to the living room, never run electrical cords under carpeting or rugs to avoid potential fires or electrocution.

Inspect carpeted rooms regularly to ensure there are no serious defects, and to prevent tripping. If defects occur, repair immediately.
Do not put children’s beds or cribs below a window. The glass is a severe hazard should it shatter, and any blinds with cords pose a strangulation risk.
Inspect children’s bed frames and mattresses regularly to detect problems as soon as possible.
Bolt furniture such as dressers, bookshelves, and nightstands to the walls to prevent them falling over onto children, pets, and adults alike.

26%

of parents report that they have used a security camera to monitor their children while they are away from home.

Doorbell and indoor cameras can help you keep tabs on your kids when you can’t be home to watch over them. Greet them when they get home from school, let them in if they forgot their key with smart locks, and check in regularly on a live camera video feed to ensure all is well at the house.