Our kitchens are at the heart of our homes – the place where we entertain loved ones and unwind while preparing a family meal. So it can be easy to forget just how full of hazards they really are. We tend to trust blindly that accidents won’t happen, appliances won’t malfunction and that we won’t find ourselves dealing with scary situations like burns having to find a personal injury lawyer. But when you think about the combination of things such as sharp blades, boiling water, and hot fat, you begin to realise why thousands of injuries occur annually in kitchens across the nation. Luckily, staying safe is mainly a matter of common sense and not letting your guard down too much.
Keep Your Smoke Detector In Good Condition
Most of us don’t give a lot of thought to these little devices sitting innocuously on the ceiling, but they save millions of lives across the globe annually. And homes that don’t install smoke detectors are twice as likely to have a fire – most of which start in the kitchen. Early detection makes all the difference, so start by making sure that your smoke detectors are up to date, fully operational and have working batteries if they aren’t wired into the mains. Use your calendar app to schedule a yearly test.
Keep A Fire Blanket
How many of us keep a small fire extinguisher or a fire blanket in the kitchen? No one expects a fire to start when they’re coming, but it only takes a few moments of inattention for a disaster to happen and quickly escalate. Keep a small domestic fire extinguisher in an easily accessible location in your kitchen and make sure you know how to use it.
Always Do A Quick Cleanup
We all know that life gets in the way of the best laid plans, but if you get into the habit of doing a quick cleanup as soon as you’ve finished in the kitchen, before you sit down to eat, so much the better. If you’ve spilled anything on the floor or the surfaces, it’s best to clean it straight away and avoid a slip hazard, especially if you have small children running about or elderly relatives. Grease or oil from cooking is especially problematic, but water or mud tracked in from outside is equally a worry.
Keep It Clean
Sanitisation and air quality within kitchens are also a big health hazard that many people don’t consider. Bacteria proliferate more in the kitchen than any other place in the home, so make sure to regularly use a disinfectant cleaning spray which kills resistant bacteria. Each night, take any sponges or cleaning cloths and leave them in a sink of water with something like Zoflora to sanitise and freshen, or pop them in the microwave for two minutes on high inside a pyrex jug of water and disinfectant. Make sure your kitchen is properly ventilated as well, because good air quality is hugely important for the prevention of respiratory disease.
This is a collaborative post.
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