We are currently living in a time that can feel uncertain and overwhelming. While we’re all social distancing at home, it’s important to try to stay safe and healthy. We want to provide you with some home safety tips and healthy habits to keep you well.

5 Home Safety Tips While Sheltering at Home

Stop germs before they spread.

The easiest way to stop the spread of germs is to take precautionary steps. These are often simple things like:

• Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly
• Keep your hands away from your face
• Never cough or sneeze into your hand – always use a tissue, handkerchief, or your elbow
• Don’t go out if you’re sick or have come into contact with a person with symptoms

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has a helpful household checklist to make sure you keep your family safe by taking proper precautions.

Watch out for children’s safety.

Even though you’re home with your children all day, it doesn’t mean you’ll be able to keep your eye on them all the time. Tiny tots can easily get into trouble in little to no time. Keep things out of the reach of children such as:

• Hot items (pots from the stove, fresh coffee, etc.)
• Small items which can be swallowed
• Sharp objects such as crafting scissors
• Cleaning supplies
• Plants which can be poisonous if ingested
• Electrical wires

Older children can get into trouble as well if left to their own devices for too long. Be sure to check on children of all ages at least every 15 – 30 minutes if they’re in a separate room than you.

The health benefits of kitchen safety.

The health benefits of the kitchen don’t wholly revolve around healthy and unhealthy foods.
Since you’re at home all day, you’re probably cooking a lot more often. You can save lives by following these few simple steps:

• Keep any flammable objects away from the stove and oven
• Do not leave anything on the stove unattended
• Leave extra space around appliances for ventilation
• Do not drape electrical cords across (potentially) hot surfaces
• If you smell gas coming from your oven or stove, turn off any burners, turn on the hood vent, open windows, and get everyone outside while the fresh air flushes the house – call a professional if you deem it necessary

Fire safety.

While you’re staying safe from coronavirus, there are still other dangers in your home that you need to guard against. A home fire occurs every 87 seconds, and they’re one of the top ten causes of accidental death.

Test your smoke detectors to make sure they’re all in working order. Keep one in your kitchen, at least one in or near the bedrooms, and one on each level of your home.

Test carbon monoxide detectors as well since carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and is especially dangerous while you sleep.

Stay healthy.

An important part of the public health initiative is staying healthy at home, too.

• Keep your home clean by disinfecting common surfaces such as light switches, countertops, doorknobs, and remote controls frequently.
• Stay physically active with all family members by going on walks, using YouTube video workouts, frequenting your in-home gym, or taking advantage of the many wellness apps available on your phone.
• Keep a well-balanced diet, and keep snacking in check.
• Don’t ignore your mental health — get plenty of sleep, take breaks from reading or watching the news, and make time to talk or video chat with friends and family.

Killeen is Still Here to Help

While you’re staying safe in your Cleveland area home, you may have some issues pop up. If you have a plumbing issue, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. As an essential business, we are open and practicing safe service. We are also providing as many distancing options as possible, whether that means emails with pictures or videos, FaceTime, or any other apps so we can help you limit the number of trips we need to make into your home.

We are so thankful for the kindness and support we’ve seen for small businesses like ours during this time, and it means a great deal to us. We want to continue to use our services to support you during this chaotic time.

Contact Killeen Plumbing today to schedule any service you may need.