Home Health & Safety Tips

• This Common Household Appliance Causes 15,000 Fires A Year
• How To Properly Store And Prevent Damage To Furniture.
• Family Healthy!

This Common Household Appliance Causes 15,000 Fires A Year

Unknown to most families, clothes dryers cause 15,000 fires a year and $75 million in property damage.

What's the major cause? The major cause of these fires is blocked lint traps. The best defense you can take against a dryer fire is to clean the lint filter after every use.

You'll also want to vacuum lint from the exhaust vent on a regular basis. Make sure that the exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and that the outdoor vent flap is open while the dryer is in operation.

Do not leave your dryer running when you are out of the house or sleeping. Be sure to have your dryer maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

How To Properly Store And Prevent Damage To Furniture.

When it comes to storing furniture, there's a little more to it than throwing a bed sheet over the furniture and putting it away. The main goal of covering furniture is to protect it from light and dust. This protection will preserve the wood and upholstery.

First, you'll want to drape the furniture's fabric with acid-free tissue paper. This will keep the color from fading. Then spread a tightly woven, unbleached drop cloth on the floor and wrap the entire piece of furniture inside it.

If you plan on storing furniture in the basement, store it on an elevated platform, and cover wrapped pieces with plastic to prevent any moisture damage.

To prevent musty odors in your fabric, it's a good idea to let your furniture air out every few months.

FAMILY HEALTHY!

The United States Department of Agriculture says it's not a good idea to reuse zip-sealed plastic bags.

Why? It is difficult to clean the bags thoroughly and properly.

Using them to hold different types of food could cause cross-contamination with illness-causing bacteria. To be on the safe side, it's best to dispose of the used bags and use a fresh one.