Sometimes when our smoke alarm goes off as it does when Mick is cooking toast because he likes his toast charred, I get fed up. The shriek of the smoke alarm is piercing. Nearly as bad is the noise out dog makes as she runs around hysterically. But would I be without the smoke alarm? No way!
They are a great invention. In Australia all new homes must have smoke alarms installed. Sadly, not all older homes have them but they should be mandatory.
We have one just outside our bedroom door and near the front hall. That’s the first one to react if anything gets smoky in the kitchen. The other one is toward the end of the house near the bathroom.
Some other things you need to be careful of are not putting curtains too close to heaters and making sure they are not flammable material. The same applies to children’s clothes. And never drape clothes over an airer close to a heater or over the heater itself.
If your home doesn’t already have it installed, a circuit breaker is a good idea. That way if an item like an electric blanket, fridge or some other appliance is faulty it will trip it and let you know there is a problem.
Another thing you need is gutter guard to stop leaves accumulating in your gutters, as these then bank up and can end up causing problems with water and electricity.
Make sure all switches and appliances are off when they are not in use, and it will reduce your electricity and also be safer. These can cause problems if there is something faulty as it may overheat.
Don’t fiddle with electricity but get a qualified electrician out if you are having problems. Make sure they are a licensed electrician.
Don’t turn off switches with wet hands. I always use my dry towel when I come out of the shower to turn of the exhaust fan in the bathroom.
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