Your home is meant to be your safe, secure and happy place – the spot where you feel most at ease. With that said, you want to do everything you can to keep it that way, which means protecting it from damage and potential dangers. A fire can be one of the most devastating events to happen to your home, but the good news is there are many ways you can prevent it from occurring.

Here are some important ways to prevent a fire in your home.

Install an Adequate Number of Smoke Alarms and Test Regularly

While a smoke alarm doesn’t prevent a fire, it acts as an early warning so you can react quickly and hopefully prevent the spread. The home needs to have enough smoke alarms and the battery needs to be tested and replaced regularly. Far too often a smoke alarm “fails” in an emergency simply because the battery is dead. Experts suggest you check the battery every six months, or better yet, replace the batter every six months.

Clean Your Dryer Vent After Each Use

Did you know that a large number of house fires start in a dryer? When lint is allowed to build up it becomes a fire hazard. This is why it’s important to clean out the lint tray after each use, making sure it’s always clear and safe.

Keep Your Oven and Stove Clean

A clean oven and stove are more than just cosmetic, it also ensures safe operation. A build-up of food, grease and oil can spark a fire so cleaning it is essential. Depending on the age of your oven, it may offer a self-cleaning feature. If so, make it a habit to use this every few months.

If your oven doesn’t have the self-clean feature, there are many cleaning products available that you can use that do a great and thorough job. If you’d rather, you can make a homemade cleaner that is just as effective on the grease, oil and food debris.

Keep Combustible Products Away from a Heat Source

Should you have any combustible products such as household cleaners and even hair products, these need to be stored safely. This means they aren’t near a heat source, which could cause them to combust.

What Happens If Your Home Suffers a Fire?

Unfortunately, even when taking a cautious approach and using these tips, the unthinkable can still happen and your home may suffer a fire. If that’s the case, the first step after the fire has been put out and everyone is safe will be to contact your home insurance provider. You’ll also need to look for damage restoration contractors to ensure the house is restored safely and properly. Remember, the damage from a fire isn’t always visible, which is why it’s important to have professionals assess and then properly repair/restore the home.

Fire safety in the home isn’t something to be taken lightly and you can never be too cautious. These tips will help to prevent the unthinkable from happening.