A laundry room could look a lot less harmful or hazardous than any other room in the house, however, that is not always the case, especially if you have children around. Surveys have shown that an awful lot of household fire incidents can be traced to the laundry room. These accidents can be either due to human carelessness or mechanical malfunctions. Besides fires, there are other incidences that can occur in the room, or the laundry space; depending on the size of your apartment. These incidences can include, but not limited to accidental poisoning due to ingestion. Children mostly fall victim of this because they almost always mistake colorful detergent packets for candies or snacks.
So, how do we safe guard our laundry room or laundry areas? These tips below will help;
Prevent lint buildup.
When home dryer fires occur, lint is often the culprit. Clean out lint screens after every load, and inspect vent pipes, the space behind the dryer, and ducts outside your home to ensure that lint isn’t choking the venting system.
Replace water hoses and dryer ducts.
Experts advise replacing rubber hoses with reinforced braided ones to prevent a hose from cracking, bursting, and potential flooding. If your dryer vents with a foil accordion duct, you should replace it with a rigid metal duct that won’t collect as much lint.
Ensure that all products are tightly sealed.
It’s incredibly important to make sure all bottles and boxes are sealed and stored out of the reach of children, including candy look-alike detergent packs. Many children have fallen victims to this. Keep laundry items very far away from the little ones.
Mark all detergent containers.
Whether you buy and pour into other containers, or if you produce your detergent or stain removers yourself, like a lot of people do these days, never store them in a bottle previously used for food or drink, because someone else, even an adult can mistake it for water or salt or anything else edible and ingest it, which can lead to a major disaster or even fatality. So please, apply a lot more caution.
Never leave pre-treated garments unattended.
Having children at home means one has to be extra careful with all items. So in the case of laundry, ensure that pre-treated clothings are not within sight or reach of the little ones, because they are mighty inclined to putting everything into their mouth. You do not want that to happen.
Keep machine doors locked, even when the cycle is off.
To small children, the washer and dryer might seem like ideal hiding spots. If your models don’t have built-in safety locking, you can buy a child-safe lock to prevent little ones from climbing inside and getting stuck.
Don’t ignore the warning signs of a faulty machine.
If your clothing comes out of the washing machine soapy or won’t get dry in the dryer, there may be something wrong with your machine. Often, metal objects left in pockets can get stuck and cause mechanical problems.
Maintain machines wisely.
Routine maintenance for laundry appliances should be a no brainer. Regularly get a technician to check your appliances; this way, you can ensure that all parts are in proper working order. If you’re prone to forgetting, post a note by your machines to remind you of previous maintenance days so you can know when next to fix another appointment with the technician.
Carefully read all manuals, care tags, and cleaning product labels.
One of the biggest dangers in a laundry room is an uninformed consumer. Read your machine’s user manual, pay attention when mixing chemicals, and always note if a fabric shouldn’t be washed or dried. Follow instructions to the latter.
It is very important to follow all of these tips as it could literally save your life and that of your loved ones.