When Saving Money Puts Your Home at Risk of Fire

Saving money for rainy days is good, until your preference for cheaper substitutes to goods and services in order to save invites life-threatening situations, such as a fire, in your home.

This Fire Prevention Month, let’s review these habits disguised as “saving money” that put your home at risk of fire:

Your gadgets’ chargers will give up at some point due to age or overuse. Because original chargers may cause a dent on your budget, you may opt for counterfeit chargers which are way cheaper and more accessible.

However, these counterfeit chargers may not have passed safety standards and may not bear the CE marking, which “indicates that a product has been assessed by the manufacturer and deemed to meet EU safety, health, and environmental protection requirements.”

Unfortunately, markings may be faked too, so you may rely on warranties to keep you guarded of defective chargers. Chargers that come from untrusted companies don’t have warranties. They may be easier on the pockets, but they are fire hazards you so easily carry inside your home.

Extension cords make life more convenient on a daily basis, but using it beyond its intended life span can pose serious risks. If it begins to overheat faster, bears exposed wiring and loose connectors, and is already discolored, it’s time to let go and buy another one.

Avoid overloading your extension cord too as a safety precaution and as a way to give it a longer life.

Just like chargers and extension cords, your appliances have a set lifespan. It may be harder to let go of appliances because of their sentimental value, but the cost of using them despite wear and tear might be bigger than you think.

If an appliance gives off a burning smell, or produces a weird sound when used, you should either have it checked and repaired or replaced completely.

Clutter is detrimental in more ways than one. Aside from contributing to your family’s health issues, clutter, dust, and grease make it easier to ignite fire. Check your home, especially your kitchen, for flammable materials such as paper, plastic, and fabrics and make sure they’re properly sorted and safely kept.

If you find it difficult to put deep cleaning in your schedule, you can always hire professional cleaners to do the job for you.

Maintaining a home requires you to schedule a regular pest control. This ensures a clean, sanitary, and safe home, as rodents may feast on your electrical cords while you sleep. Damaged electrical cords expose wirings, which make huge fire hazards.

Just as you have first a first aid kit for immediate response for light injuries or emergencies, your home must also have a fire extinguisher to function just the same. It’s a common misconception that a fire extinguisher is expensive, but not having one in your home can bring about incalculable damages.

Research on reliable suppliers of fire extinguishers, know how to maintain them, and teach everyone in your home how to use them properly.

It’s essential to know how to DIY common home repairs, but some electrical problems need more experienced hands. Don’t undermine the value of a few hundred or thousand pesos if it means securing your home and your loved ones from a dangerous situation such as a fire.