Hello Wanderer UK

Autumn Walks round Bedgebury

Household Hazards You May Be Missing And How To Catch Them

Let's think about the things that we consider unsafe. Walking through a bad neighbourhood late at night - that's unsafe. Going swimming in shark-infested waters with an open wound - unsafe, and frankly baffling to boot. Driving while using a phone and singing along the radio - definitely not a good idea.

Image from Wikipedia

When we think of the perils in life, the worst of them are almost existential threats. We think of natural disasters, accidents on the roads or - in our melodramatic moments - plane crashes or serial killers. While there is no argument about the scale of these threats, the likelihood is small. Unless you happen to leave in a serial killer prone city, on an earthquake fault line, beneath an airport. If that applies to you: maybe move?

The bizarre thing is that it's the familiar that are most likely to cause us harm. Accidents and hazards in our homes are the things that we should be worried about, but no one is putting "candles" on the list of things they're wary of. No one bats an eyelid if you say you've had a shower that morning; they'll probably thank you for it. But the chances of these causing issues are far more likely than the dire prophecies mentioned above.

Of course, like avoiding that bad neighbourhood or building your house away from the volcano - you have control. You have choices; options to help prevent disaster. When you're aware of the potential hazards, you can avoid them. So! Let's terrify you with some of the potential hazards - but we'll go through the fixes as well.

Carbon Monoxide

A byproduct of central heating, carbon monoxide is a silent killer, with those in danger not even knowing it until it's too late. It can either straight up kill you the moment there is a problem, or make you so unwell beforehand that you wish it'd killed you first. If you have gas central heating, get a carbon monoxide detector and maintain it. And we mean actually maintain it. Not assume you will, lose the manual and forget it exists.

Candles

Image from Pixabay

They don't sound dangerous. They're pretty! They smell nice! Yet burns account for a frankly staggering amount of at-home accidents. Some of those will come from cooking, but candles not only burn in use, but when knocked over. Studies have shown candles were the cause for a staggering 6% of home fires, with 3% leaving to fatality. If you'd rather be alive and have something pretty, then opt for products such as flameless candles from Radiance London or other suppliers. Same decorative impact, more light in your home, none of the horrid consequences.

Contamination

Contamination is the stuff of disaster movies, but a shocking amount of people are lax about it. The major area to focus on is the fridge. Most of us stock our fridges like we're playing Tetris, edging things in where we can and feeling accomplished if we manage it. Yet there is actually a pretty ruthless way you should organise your fridge, particularly when it comes to meat. Raw meat should be as low down as possible, and keep it far, far away from any cooked meats.

Image from Wikipedia

Despite common perceptions, veg and eggs don't need to be refrigerated in most cases, so keep those well out of the way.

It might seem like a dose of unpleasant food poisoning is the only consequence, but food poisoning in its most virulent forms can kill you.

Bathing and Showering

Necessary to not being a social pariah, this is actually one of the most hazardous things that you do every day. There are two forces at work here: one, it's wet, ergo slippery. Secondly, you're probably distracted. Showering is an exercise in practiced routine. We shampoo, we don't repeat because that's silly, we clean, we sing and we daydream. What we don't spend much time doing is looking at the floor.

Image from Pixabay

If you don't want to go down the route of using shower shoes, then make sure everything in your bathroom is non-slip. The floor of your shower applies here, too. You can rough the surface for better grip with adhesive tape or use specific liners to keep you upright. Furthermore, make sure that you have something to hold when you're stepping around with wet feet. This isn't a time to try and live your dream of being a balance beam gymnast, though the consequences of being bad at it are similar.

Washing and Drying

So you can now get your body clean without harm, but what about your clothes and cutlery? Well of course, that has its problems as well. The washing machine and dishwasher are two of the most potent items you own. The problem is heat, and the amount they generate to get things clean. Anything that creates heat should be guarded carefully, yet we all happily put a wash on while we're out or run a dishwasher cycle at night. Then we're standing in the ashes of our home and wondering what we did wrong. Always monitor these items, so you can rectify them if there's an issue.

If you have a tumble dryer, this is an even bigger concern. Clean the vent every time you use it. Every single time. Not done it recently? Go and do it now. Right now, we'll wait. Lint-filled vents are one of the biggest causes of fire in the home, so we're not kidding. Go clean it out. Then keep doing it!

Picture Frames and Artwork

Image from Pixabay

Or more noticeably, the glass they are contained within. You might think this is an easy one to avoid, but again, the statistics show a different story. When these items shatter, it's usually from height, meaning they hit the ground with a huge thump. They then splinter, spraying shards everywhere and sending people to A&E units across the land. Opt for plastic where possible, and never sit directly beneath where a picture might fall. It goes without saying that they should be secured to the wall as well as possible, but even the most robust of fixings can fail.

So, now your home isn't a hazard anymore. Now all you have to do is learn to dodge serial killers and hold back the forces of nature - and you'll live to get your 100th birthday card from the Queen. Or King, by then.

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, by Chloe Rhianah