How to Fireproof Your Home
Did you know that 354,000 residential properties caught fire in 2019, as reported by the US Fire Administration? The primary causes for these fires were cooking, heating, carelessness, and electrical malfunction. However, you can prevent a disastrous cooking episode and even protect your home from catching fire due to the increasing wildfires. Follow these simple steps to make your home more fire-resistant.
Refurbish Your Home with Fire Retardant Material
It's not every day that you decide to redecorate your home and give it a whole new look. So, when you are remodeling, consider using fire retardant materials, i.e., those that are less likely to catch and spread the fire. Now, who doesn't love a wooden deck in their patio? But, materials like brick, tiles, and stone are much safer in terms of fireproofing your home. Similarly, the wall exterior and roof make the foundation of your home, so it's essential to go for fire retardant materials like steel, stucco, and concrete. Double layering the windows protects your home from catching fire, too, unlike single-layered ones that shatter on excessive heat contact.
Keep Your Smoke Alarm and Fire Extinguisher in Check
Most homeowners forget to install smoke alarms and fire extinguishers when moving into a new place, even though it's the first and foremost checklist for safety-proofing your home, especially with kids. Some might even have these two essentials installed already, but they're outdated and need replacement or maintenance. A functioning smoke alarm and fire extinguisher on the go can prevent the risks of fire and reduce the damages if there happens to be one. Also, when it comes to these handy fireproof equipment, it's best to research and go for the most effective and efficient ones instead of saving money. You wouldn't want a faulty smoke alarm or fire extinguisher to save a couple of bucks.
Don't Overlook the Backyard
You've got the wall exteriors and inside of your home all safe and sound, but you probably forget the one area which still makes your home vulnerable, the backyard. Vegetation and trees like conifers not only catch fire but spread it more quickly in surrounding areas. What can you do? Firstly, ensure your trees and shrubs get the pruning they need every year. There should be no overgrown trees or hanging branches; that's the last thing you would want. You need to consider some aspects before adding greens to your home, like going for fire-resistant trees such as Live Oak, Agave, Sycamore, etc., to give your home an extra shield barrier against fires. Keep an eye on the gutters in your backyard as well. We suggest cleaning them out weekly, too, since they can trap dry vegetation and combustible materials.
Invest in Fire Doors
Fire doors can save your life, quite literally. Fire doors have become a raging trend, and all for the right reasons too. These doors made of fire-resistant materials can stop a fire from spreading or at least prolong the spread for about 30-60 minutes, giving you enough time to call the firefighting team and get out safely. If you have the budget, replace all the regular doors in your home with fire doors. If not, the entrance, garage door, and back door are the areas where fire can spread inside your home, so tackle them first.
Grab Your Hands on Fire Proof Fabrics
Like your home's foundation, aka the exteriors, certain materials come in handy when talking about making the inside of your home fireproof. Indeed, we're talking about fireproof fabrics! Each fabric has different fire resistance, but some are solely made fire-retardant. So first, search for natural and synthetic fireproof or fire-resistant materials. Once you've done that, replace traditional fabrics of large surface areas in your home like upholstery, curtains, and carpets with fire-retardant fabric. Don't forget to deep clean these surfaces according to the instructions too!
Final Take
These simple tricks can make a whole lot of difference when it comes to keeping yourself, your family, and your home safe from fire. Meanwhile, most of these are a one-time investment that'll have your home safe and protected for years to come.
