Problems arise when you own your home. It is normal and in some cases expected to have problems, especially if you own an older home. A leaky or wet basement in older homes is much too common, and you should take care of the issues as soon as you can for health reasons.
How do you keep your home safe other times of the year? During the holiday season, families travel all across our nation to reunite with families and friends leaving their homes empty and unprotected. If you are traveling during this time of the year, here are some tips that may help you safeguard your home.
Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe This Holiday Season
If the gift of an ill-fitting hand-knitted sweater from a close relative is your worst surprise this holiday season, you might want to count your blessings. Imagine the shock of returning home after holiday travels only to find that your house or apartment has been robbed. For the 93 million1 Americans traveling this holiday season, their empty and unprotected homes make for easy burglary targets.
However, there is an easy and inexpensive way to keep an eye on your home even when you’re not there.
Stay safe this holiday season with some easy-to-use network tools and safety tips from D-Link:
- Tip #1 – First Things First: When you’re about to leave home on your holiday trip, make sure your doors and windows are securely shut and locked. And if possible, place a hold on mail and newspaper delivery. Few things make a house look unoccupied more than a stack of newspapers on the front porch or mail jammed into an overstuffed mailbox.
- Tip #2 – Stay Connected Anywhere, Anytime: According to Home Security in My Area, most burglaries occur between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.2, when people are less likely to be home.
Family health: Follow these child safety precautions for holidays
Montana winter holidays are magical and memorable, but also can present unique child safety issues many of us neglect to consider. We decorate our homes, host guests and indulge in a frenzy of activities that create unintended safety hazards for children.
To keep the holidays happy, safe and injury-free, please consider the following child safety precautions:
• Ensure that all electrical cords are in good condition and out of walking paths around your home (including not placing them under rugs). Electrical burns and falls from tripping on cords are among the most common holiday injuries for children.
• Be mindful of delicious but hot holiday drinks – though tasty, they can lead to scald burns when left unattended and within reach of a young child. It is particularly important to remind guests of this if they are not accustomed to being around young children.
• Candles invoke a festive feeling during the holidays, but are responsible for a significant increase in home fires during this time. Candles should be kept a minimum of 3 feet away from anything that can burn, monitored at all times and out of reach of children and pets. Battery-powered candles can be a safe alternative.
Tips to prevent home fires this holiday season
This year alone, Georgia has already had 15 deaths related to cooking. Across the United States, there are more than 26,000 electrical fires at homes each year. We’re on your side with how to protect yourself and your home this holiday season.
If they haven’t already, many homeowners will soon be turning on their heaters or furnaces as the temperatures continue to drop, but this can potentially cause a fire in the home if homeowners do not take the necessary precautions.
As fire trucks and ambulances head to emergency situations, there are some precautions you should take to make sure the next stop isn’t your home. Sergeant Brad Jordan at the Columbus Fire Department said around the winter months they see more fires related to heaters, furnaces, and cooking.
“If you’re turning on your heat or your furnace for the 1st time when it gets cold, always make sure it’s working properly and if you don’t know if it’s working properly always call an expert or certified technician or what not,” said Sgt. Brad Jordan at Columbus Fire and EMS.
