Be safe and sound at home
in just seven days
Making your home a safe haven for your family should be a top priority. But according to the Home Safety Council, less than one-third of homeowners make any safety improvements. Luckily, updating your home safety doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Within seven days you can make your home safe, sound and secure.
Day 1: Bathrooms
Locate medicines and dangerous chemicals, like nail polish remover or mouthwash, and place them in a locked cabinet. Next, install grab bars to help prevent falls. Moen Home Care offers a variety of designer grab bars, including three grab bars with accessories. These “disguised” safety devices include a grab bar with a paper holder (to assist getting on and off the toilet), a towel bar (to hold towels while assisting getting into and out of the shower or tub) and a shelf (to keep shower items handy and keep a firm grip in the shower).
Day 2: Kitchen
Start your safety update by ensuring hazardous items are out of reach. This includes: knives, scissors, cleaning supplies and any cords from small appliances. Next, if you have young children, install childproof latches on all cupboards, oven doors and stove handles. Finally, keep a fire extinguisher within arms’ reach of your oven.
Day 3: Hallways/Stairs
To prevent against falls, ensure there is bright lighting near stairs and remove or secure any tripping hazards from the area. Next, be sure working smoke detectors are in the hallways on each floor—and change their batteries every six months. Finally, provide secure railings on both sides of the stairs.
Day 4: Electrical/Heating
Place safety plugs in all electrical outlets. Next, create barriers around any hot surfaces, such as baseboards, radiators and fireplaces, to keep small hands from being burned—while also ensuring that there is a clear distance from other objects that could catch fire.
Day 5: Bedrooms
If you’re in an older home, be sure that the walls have a safe, non-lead paint. Next, look for any dangling cords from blinds and pin them up to remove strangulation hazards. Window guards are also available to prevent accidental falls from open windows.
Day 6: Family Room
Place all large equipment on a wall and make the wires and cords inaccessible. Next, secure any shelves or bookcases to the wall to avoid tipping hazards. Finally, if you have toddlers, be sure to add corner pads to any furniture with sharp corners.
Day 7: Rest and Enjoy
Now you can sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that your home is safe and sound for your family.
More information is available online at www.moen.ca. www.newscanada.com
2600 John Street, Unit 207, Markham, ON L3R 3W3 T: 905.475.5222 F: 905.475.6369
