Is your home a safe haven for your family? This is especially important if you have small children. Watching children grow is a great joy for parents, but ensuring safety can be a challenge. All households with small children should have a gate to prevent them from wandering into the kitchen. These gates can be painted or stained to match the existing décor.
Storage Areas: Cabinets and drawers pinch little fingers when they close unexpectedly. Options are available to make a drawer close more slowly, like the Soft Action Drawer Close System by Merillat. Another option is to install automatic closing slides, which prevent a drawer from bouncing open again once it’s shut.
Both cabinet doors and drawers must be equipped with internal locking devices.
Electrocution: According to the 911 Infobook, children between the ages of one and four make up 86 percent of electrocution injuries. These injuries usually happen at meal time, likely because the safety covers aren’t on electric sockets. Installing self-closing covers is a good choice, because they close automatically.
Other safety measures include:
Keeping electric cords out of children’s reach Installing a slide-out drawer for appliances with recessed power strip
Cooking Safety: Many burns happen when the child pulls hot food or liquid on top of themselves when tugging on a table cloth. Use skid resistant place mats small enough not to hang over the edge of the table instead.
When cooking on the stove, always turn the long handles of pots and pans toward a wall to prevent accidents.
Appliance Features: Glass top stoves are an ideal option because the there’s no fire involved. Many also have warning lights for when the surface is hot. Use the stove guards as well to prevent your kids from reaching onto the stove.
Ovens with knobs toward the back of the unit are an ideal choice when shopping for appliances. If you can’t find one, purchase knob covers to use. Because oven doors can heat up during cooking, look for the Cool-Touch option. If your oven doesn’t already have a lock, buy a separate lock to keep kids from exploring.
An easily forgotten rule is to avoid keeping goodies by appliances or above the stove.
Through using these tips and common sense the kitchen will become safer for the entire family. We at Iron River Construction want your home to be a safe and enjoyable retreat for you and your loved ones. If you’ve got some home improvement ideas on your mind and need a little advice, give us a call.
