Collaborative Post
Our homes have always been important, but the pandemic has underlined the impact of feeling safe, secure and happy at home. While it’s wonderful to flex your design skills and creativity to produce stunning interiors, it’s also crucial to focus on health and safety when turning a house into a home. In this guide, we’ll explore some top tips to help you ensure that your home is a safe haven.
Protecting against natural disasters and unpredictable weather
We all know that the weather in the UK can be unpredictable at the best of times. While we may not be subjected to tropical storms or hurricanes, it’s not unusual for towns and villages to flood or for high winds to cause damage. As a homeowner, it’s natural to want to protect your home. When taking steps to reduce the risk of damage and costly repairs, analyse the risks based on where you live and the age and condition of your home. If you live in an area that is susceptible to flooding, for example, and you have an old house, there may be solutions you can employ to keep your home safe if water levels start to rise or forecasters predict heavy downpours. It is possible to use landscaping techniques to minimise damage and to position sandbags outside of the house to prevent water from breaching external walls. It’s also critical to keep a close eye on your roof and to address any issues or weaknesses promptly. If you have loose tiles or worn patches, for example, powerful winds and heavy rain could cause tiles to fall off and water to get into your home. Seek expert advice and try and invest in preventative measures where possible.
Hygiene and cleanliness
Hygiene has never been more important. As many of us mark a year of staying at home, washing hands throughout the day and listening to news bulletins dominated by Covid-19, it’s more critical than ever to prioritise cleanliness. It’s not possible to keep your home pristine at all times, especially if you have children or pets, but adopting a tidying and cleaning regime is a great idea. Brush and mop kitchen and bathroom floors frequently, remove dust and dirt from carpets, wood and vinyl flooring with the vacuum cleaner and keep on top of cleaning surfaces and appliances. Clean your microwave regularly, wipe down and disinfect kitchen counters and keep your sink, bath and toilet clean. Encourage every member of the household to wash their hands frequently and wash bedding, towels and tea towels and cloths at least once a week.
If you spot signs of damp or mould while cleaning, this could be a sign that excess moisture is getting into the house. There may be a leak in the roof, gaps in the external walls or a lack of ventilation in bathrooms and cloakrooms. You can buy cleaning products to tackle mould, but it’s also wise to seek advice if you do notice patches of damp or there’s a musty smell in your home.
Photo by Avery Evans on Unsplash
Accidents and injuries
Accidents happen, but often, they can be prevented. It’s important to try and be proactive in reducing the risk of injuries at home, especially if you have young children. Keep stairwells clear of obstacles, use stair gates and cupboard locks to keep toddlers and babies safe and make sure medicines, pet food and cleaning products are stored out of the reach of children. Secure cords for curtains and blinds and swap candles for LED candles.
Reducing the risk of burglaries
Our homes are our sanctuaries. Nobody wants to think about the prospect of somebody breaking in, having a snoop around and stealing treasured possessions. Unfortunately, burglaries happen. There are multiple steps you can take to secure your home and reduce the risk of thieves breaching your defences. One of the most effective ploys is to utilise deterrents. Burglar alarms, doorstep cameras, gates, security lighting, fences and CCTV can all put people off. It’s also beneficial to make sure all your doors and windows are locked, to leave a light on if you’re popping out and to cancel deliveries if you’re going away. Try to avoid leaving keys within reach of the front or back door and if you post on social media, make sure your settings are private. If you’re sharing holiday snaps with anyone and everyone online without realising, you could be extending an open invitation to opportunists.
We all want our homes to be safe havens where we feel secure, relaxed and content. Follow these steps to boost health and wellbeing, reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and illness, keep your home safe from burglars and minimise the risk of storm and flood damage.