Follow These Steps to Prevent Your Basement from Catching Fire

Basement of the house is used for multiple purposes. It’s a place where you store heaters, coolers and other utility controllers. It is okay to use basement for storage purposes, but you must have a good understanding about the placement of things around it. For eg, If you keep a flammable object near furnace, it will definitely catch fire.

Prevention is better than cure and we all know that. But despite that, basements tend to catch fire when things go wrong with pipes and wires. During such times, a fire damage restoration company can come to your rescue. There are certain steps that you can follow to prevent your basement from catching fire. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Undertake lint cleaning

It’s quite common for people to do laundry in the basement. Washing machines and dryers are set up in the basement as there is enough space and convenience. Lint filters of the dryers catch fire when they are not cleaned at regular intervals. Lint usually gets accumulated around the drum area of the dryer. Make sure you clean the lint filters after each cycle of drying to prevent accidents from happening. You can also hire professionals to ensure thorough cleaning every year.

Invest in a smoke alarm

If your basement is vulnerable to catching fire due to heat equipment, make sure you buy a smoke alarm and set it up in your basement. The smoke alarm in the basement should be connected to the central system so that you can know of mishaps even when you are not in or around the basement. Don’t forget to check and maintain the alarm from time to time and ensure that it works properly.

Declutter the flammables

Oily rags, paints, empty deodorant bottles, alcoholic beverages etc can be considered highly flammable products that can erupt fire. Declutter these things and keep them a few feet away from heating equipment. Even dry trash can catch fire easily. So refrain from storing trash including debris, papers, textiles etc in your basement.

Avoid the cord chaos

Basement is sometimes a hub of different equipment. And you also might have a situation when they are all running at once. But that pit of cords might prove to be dangerous. Make sure that you keep the wires of machines and dryers plugged into the wall sockets. Overloaded extension cords can also ignite fires due to severe heating.

Install Arc-fault Circuit Interrupters

Arc-fault Circuit Interrupters, abbreviated as AFCIs, prevent the fires that are caused by electrical switches. They usually shut off the circuits when an unintentional discharge of electricity occurs within the circuit. By installing these, your basement remains safe from fire caused due to electricity. So make sure you install these little saviors in your basement.

Keep the staircase clear

Staircase is the only route that leads you up to the house and it is your mere way to escape the fire in the basement. If you are in a habit of keeping baskets, toys, water bottle cartons etc on the stairs, you need to let go of this habit. Such obstructions are unsafe and can stop you from making an easy escape. Moreover, you can trip and fall causing another accident. Avoid cluttering your staircase at all costs.

Safety comes first. And if you follow the above steps, your basement will remain fireproof. You can also get in touch with fire restoration professionals to know more about prevention techniques. Keep safe!

About The Author

Karin Glassner is the owner of Service Master By American Restoration Services, Inc, a franchised restoration and cleanup service provider operating in long Island, New York, specializing in fire damage restoration services. Karin leads a team of emergency cleanup services professional and frequently shares tips on water and fire damage restoration.

Karin Glassner is the owner of Service Master By American Restoration Services, Inc, a franchised restoration and cleanup service provider operating in long Island, New York, specializing in fire damage restoration services.