While no one wants their food party to go up in smoke, kitchen fire accidents do not discriminate. You do not need a commercial-sized range to feel the heat and be a victim of cooking fires. You might have the most expensive or cheapest range or cooktop, but this will not decrease or increase your odds of experiencing kitchen fires. At the end of the day, your practices will still determine your chances.
So let’s talk about how to prevent kitchen fire accidents to protect you from this alarming disaster.
How to Prevent Kitchen Fires
Cooking is a prominent cause of home fires and fire-related injuries. Whether you’re preparing breakfast, lunch, supper, or a quick snack for your household, practicing safe cooking behaviors and preventive measures can keep you from harm. Below are five valuable tips for preventing kitchen fires to keep your home safe.
1. Keep your appliances tidy
Look for food buildup or grease on your counters and kitchen appliances like deep fryers, toaster ovens, electric grills, and toasters. These appliances might develop a dangerous buildup of combustible substances after numerous uses, so check these surfaces from time to time. Use a mixture of baking soda and dish soap or oil-based cleaner to remove the food particles and grease.
2. Stay in the kitchen when cooking
This may look obvious, but the National Fire Protection Association says unattended cooking is among the major causes of kitchen fires. If you need to leave a stove unattended to do something urgently, turn off your range or cooktop and move the cooking pan to a cool burner or surface. Simple forgetfulness and negligence can set your kitchen on fire, so never ever leave your kitchen unattended when you’re cooking.
Otherwise, you’ll need to employ fire and smoke restoration specialists to fix the damage caused by cooking fires.
3. Unplug home appliances that are not in use
Air fryers, mixers, oven toasters, coffee makers, and the like continue to draw electricity when plugged in, even when not switched on. If their wiring is faulty, old, or beginning to tear apart, a fire may break out, so always unplug appliances when not in use.
4. Set up smoke alarms
Technically, smoke alarms do not really prevent fires, but they are still an important preventive measure that can save you and your family later. It’s an important device for fire safety and a reliable first line of defense. If your house does not have one, do not delay installing one. Regularly check your smoke alarm to ensure it works properly, and remember to change its batteries twice a year when you do the same for your wall clock.
Having a smoke alarm at home can save you money from hiring smoke restoration firms, as it makes you proactive and responsive in extinguishing a fire before it becomes big enough to consume your home.
5. Keep your kids and pets at a distance
If you have kids, keep them at least three meters away from the stove for their safety. Pets should also be kept away from cooking surfaces, so they do not catch fire or push objects into the burners. Wooden utensils, curtains, food boxes, towels, and potholders should also be moved away from the stove to avoid fire accidents.