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5 Safety Tips for Renovations

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Renovating a home usually means that you have a list a mile long of things to be completed.  One of those things you need to add to that list is fire safety equipment.  Check out our 5 safety tips for renovations to get that list going!
 
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kidde Fire Safety as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
5 Fire Safety Tips for Renovations

The Renovation Is Underway

If you would have asked me in August if we would be completely remodeling the main level of our home during the busiest part of the year, I would have told you that you were crazy.  Yet, here we are, nearly through the entire renovation and making the most out of the insanity that happens when you take everything you are used to and turn it upside down. 

Kitchen Renovation in Action
 
Currently, our kitchen, dining area, small hallway and 1/2 bath are the first contenders in the renovation.  We have done a lot of the projects ourselves and are excited to share the progress with everyone soon!  However, we are also going to be repainting the entire interior of the house (3000 sq ft and 20 ft ceilings, send help), replacing our water heater, replacing the smoke alarms and fire extinguishers, putting in a water softener, updating all the fixtures in the house and hopefully replacing the carpet as well.  It is not a small undertaking, but after 10 years, 2 kids, 3 dogs and a lifetime of memories, it is time for a change. 

Why Replace the Smoke Alarms?

The other day, my colleagues and I were talking about the craziness that is this home renovation and I listed off all the stuff that we still need to get done.  I mentioned that we are replacing the smoke alarms and the fire extinguishers throughout the house and she asked me why. 

Kidde Intelligent Alarm

Our house was built in 2008.  It is just over 11 years old and we have lived here for 10 of those 11 years.  The smoke alarms that were put in the house are the original and although I test them at least once a month, they are at the end of life.  It is recommended that you replace your alarms every 10 years and your fire extinguishers every 5-15 years.  Our fire extinguishers were put in when we moved in. 

Kidde Fire Extinguisher
 
Fire safety is very important to our family, after experiencing 3 fires in one year last year.  We are taking no shortcuts when thinking about fire safety and are being diligent in having working alarms and fire extinguishers.  The most critical moments in a home emergency could be the moments that we take to prepare our family for that situation and with October being National Fire Safety Prevention Month, there is no better time to get those fire safety essentials. 

How to Install a Smoke Detector

Installation of these fire essentials is super simple.  It takes only a couple minutes to put these alarms in, but those minutes could save your family’s life.  We purchased all Kidde alarms and fire extinguishers for our home.  A total of 10 Kidde combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and 4 Kidde fire extinguishers went in over the weekend. 

Easy to Install smoke Alarm
 
Kidde is the brand that we trust.  After using one of their extinguishers to put out the fire last year, we knew how effective they were and absolutely were sold on their quality products.  I purchased all of the alarms and extinguishers at The Home Depot for a great price (right now they have them on sale for National Safety Fire Prevention Month).  Once we got them home, we opened the packages and pulled out the simple install kit.  A mounting bracket, the alarm, and some screws is all that is needed to get the job done. 
 
smoke Alarm Install
 
Using a screwdriver, install the mounting bracket to the ceiling.  Careful not to tighten the screws too hard, to ensure a good fit of the alarm.  The mounting bracket with twist to secure it to the ceiling.  From there, all you need to do is lock the alarm in place, put the batteries in and press the test button to make sure that the alarm is functioning. 
 
Installing Kidde smoke Alarm

5 Fire Safety Tips for Renovations

We have learned a lot over the last year in terms of fires.  With the house being under renovation there is no better time to update everything then right now, however, I did want to share some fire safety tips for renovations.

  1. Install or Replace Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers:  Go with a trusted brand like Kidde and do it now!  It takes very little time and they last for a while.  You can purchase them at The Home Depot or Walmart and they have prices that fit every budget!
  2. Clean As You Go: Renovations can be messy and those messes can lead to major fire hazards (especially when power tools are in use).  One rule to keep in mind is to clean up and dispose of waste as you are working through the project.  Leaving piles of debris is dangerous. 
  3. Store Flammable Materials Properly:  Most renovations come with painting projects and other flammable materials.  Make sure that you are following the directions on the containers and storing these properly. 
  4. Dispose of Saturated Clothing & Materials:  Solvents and other combustible materials that are on rags, clothing and other materials need to be properly disposed of if they are unable to be cleaned.  Do not just ball them up and throw them in a trash can. You can contact a local waste disposal company to help you properly dispose of these. 
  5. Keep Your Insurance Company in the Loop: I have a massive fear of fires after this year.  I now take videos of our home every month and upload them to the cloud, however, when we took on this renovation, we notified our insurance that we would be updating our home and made sure that we were covered in case there was an emergency. 

Check out this link for more information on Kidde Fire Safety Products

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Painters and Decorators Wellington

Wednesday 1st of July 2020

Most renovations come with painting projects and other flammable materials. Make sure that you are following the directions on the containers and storing these properly... Other points you have mentioned here are really important to keep in mind during renovation! Do visit this hoangbachpainting.nz For vital information that can be used again by anyone.

Laura

Wednesday 1st of July 2020

Absolutely storing properly! So important!

Thomas Le

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

OK. Thanks

Laura

Tuesday 18th of February 2020

You're welcome

Thomas Le

Friday 20th of December 2019

Great tips that really very helpful for me. Thanks for sharing with us and please keep posting

Laura

Thursday 26th of December 2019

You are welcome. I did remove your link as it came in as spam to my site.

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