home safety – TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

August 23, 2021September 13, 2021 Movers Who Blog Uncategorized

Safety tips to keep in mind when you own a home

-Written by Christina Baker

Moving into a new home gives you and your family a chance for new beginnings. You may be feeling a mix of emotions such as excitement and stress – after all, a new home means more responsibility. There are many different safety precautions that must be taken before you move, and we’re here to help break a few of them down for you!

Use this checklist to ensure proper safety precautions are taken before you move into your new space!

Smoke alarms and detectors

Make sure your home has enough smoke detectors throughout the entire house. Then, make sure each detector has batteries and test them to be sure they work properly. Keep some backup batteries just in case! It’s also a good idea to put carbon monoxide detectors on each level of the home.

Electrical

The best safety tip to live by for the electrical in your home is if it doesn’t look quite right, check it out. If you’re unfamiliar with electrical work, call an electrician to double check that everything is how it should be. Since frayed wires and cords can easily start fires, it’s best to make this a priority for your new home.

Water and pipes

In case of an emergency such as a broken pipe or flooding, it’s best to know exactly where you can shut off the water to your house. You should also have the pipes of the house inspected to make sure they’re fully equipped to work properly without any leaks or breaks.

Home protection system

A home protection system may not be needed by everyone, but it’s a great investment for those who would like a little more peace of mind. Since home burglaries are unfortunately quite common, finding good home security will help to keep the chances of someone breaking in lower.

It’s also crucial to double check the locks on all doors in your house, including the garage.

Have an emergency plan

Have a discussion with your family on exactly what you will all do incase of an emergency. This can include plans for a fire, flood, etc.

If everyone has an idea of what they need to do and where they need to be in case any of these events take place, your family will feel slightly more at ease and in control.

Miscellaneous emergency items

Several stocked first-aid kits around the house
Keep all the emergency phone numbers somewhere safe and visible in the house
Use this comprehensive guide from the American Red Cross to create an effective emergency kit

Once you’ve taken the proper safety measures, you’re ready to make your new house a home!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

June 1, 2020June 22, 2020 Movers Who Blog Uncategorized

Important safety measures to check as a new home owner

If you’ve just purchased a new home, then you’re well aware of the feeling of excitement around your purchase as you’ve made a huge step in your life.

From setting up the home purchase and closing to going through a move and settling in, there is much to celebrate when becoming a home owner, but there is also a great deal of responsibility as you begin to take care of your new home. This responsibility includes making sure it’s safe as there are several important areas to consider.

We’ve been helping people into new homes for more than 35 years, and have picked up on a few of the important safety measures you should check upon moving in. Follow this helpful safety checklist to make sure your new place is ready to go!

Electrical

When it comes to anything electrical in your home, there’s one simple rule to live by: if it doesn’t look right, it’s best to get it checked out. It could be anything from a cord or wire that is damaged or an outlet that doesn’t look right. It might seem like nothing, but these little details can potentially lead to a fire if something goes wrong.

If something looks wrong, call an electrician to ensure everything is working properly. Also, familiarize yourself with the electrical box in your home and figure out the best way to shut off electricity in case of an emergency.

Water and Pipes

Scan your new home and find where the water shut off is located – this will come in handy if there is a situation where you need to shut off water quickly, such as a broken pipe or flooding.

Go around the home and check all areas with water or pipes for leakage, corrosion, or rust so you can get out in front of the problem and fix it before it becomes serious.

Smoke Alarms and Detectors

Be sure your new home has the proper amount of smoke alarms and even more important – make sure they work.

If they aren’t working right, get some new batteries installed in them immediately. It’s not a bad idea to test smoke alarms regularly to make sure they are working right, which will provide you peace of mind that you’ll be alerted if there’s a fire.

Also – another detector that should be checked when moving in is a carbon monoxide alarm, which should be located on each level of the home.

Home Protection

This isn’t so much a checklist item, but something to consider is buying a home protection alarm system. It’s unfortunate, but burglaries and break ins happen – installing a new alarm system in your home could be the difference in stopping anything from being stolen.

Be sure to also check locks and bolts on all doors around the home.

Create an Emergency Plan

Much like the point above, it’s not so much a checklist item, but it is a good idea to develop an emergency plan for you and other members of your home. Talk it over and determine the best escape area in each part of the home and make sure everyone is on the same page with a designated meeting place outside.

Miscellaneous Emergency Checklist Items

-Have a first-aid kit readily available in your home.

-Develop an emergency kit that can be easily accessible in case of an emergency. Use this comprehensive guide to building one from the American Red Cross.

-If there are senior citizens living at the home, consider the possibility of a medical alert system.

-Make note of anything that is broken, damaged, or not working properly when moving into your home so it can be fixed.

May 20, 2019June 10, 2019 Movers Who Blog Organizing, Uncategorized

Home safety guide for new homeowners

Few things are as exciting as becoming a new homeowner. After working hard to set up the home purchase, closing on the home, as well as going through a move and getting settled in, there’s a sense of responsibility that comes over you as you prepare to take care of your new place.

With that responsibility creates a new list of things you need to think about, and one of the most important areas to consider is home safety. This is a broad term, but it’s important to examine all areas of your home, develop safety precautions, and have emergency plans in place should anything go wrong.

This safety checklist is a good place to start!

Water and pipes

It’s a good idea to look around your home and find out where the water shut off is located. This will come in handy in the unfortunate situation where you would need to quickly shut it off, such as flooding or a broken pipe.

Be sure to go around the home and check for leakage, corrosion, and rust on pipes in your home so you can get a jump on the problem and fix it before anything serious happens.

Smoke alarms and detectors

Make sure each area of the home is equipped with smoke alarms, and most importantly, test them to ensure they work properly!

If they are not working, install new, fresh batteries that will last for a while. It’s a good idea to test smoke alarms every month or so to provide peace of mind that you’ll be alerted should a fire happen. For added safety, also consider purchasing a fire extinguisher for your home.

Another detector that should be checked into is a carbon monoxide alarm, which should be located on each level of your new home.

Electrical

The best rule to follow when it comes to all things electrical in your home is that if something doesn’t look right, it’s best to get it checked out and fixed. This could be anything from a cord or wire that is frayed or eroded, an outlet that is damaged, and so on. These issues could become potential fire hazards if something goes wrong. Feel all of the outlets in your home to see if they are warm, and if they are, have an electrician take a look.

Find the electrical box in your home and familiarize yourself with it, and also check to make sure nothing looks unusual. Figure out the best way to shut off the electricity in your home in case of emergency.

Home Protection System

Not so much a checklist item as it is something to consider, but a home protection alarm system might be worth looking into. Unfortunately, home burglaries happen, and installing a new alarm system on your home could be the difference in protecting your items.

It’s also important to make sure you have working locks and bolts on all doors around your home, and keep things such as cars, garage doors, sheds, and gates locked.

Emergency plan

It’s better to be safe than sorry, and the first step to following this rule is having an emergency evacuation plan for your home and your family. Talk it over and figure out what the best escape area is in each part of your home and make sure everyone is on the same page, with a designated meeting place for when everyone is outside.

Another important emergency plan to discuss is what to do in case of a weather emergency like a tornado.

Miscellaneous emergency checklist items

-Have a first-aid kit readily available in your home.

-Develop an emergency kit that can be easily accessible in case of an emergency. Use this comprehensive guide to building one from the American Red Cross.

-If there are senior citizens living at the home, consider the possibility of a medical alert system.

-Report anything that is broken, damaged, or not working when moving into your home so it can be fixed.

August 13, 2018September 10, 2018 Movers Who Blog Downsizing, Home Sweet Home, Moving, News, Organizing, Spring Cleaning, Tips and Tricks, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, Uncategorized

Making sure your new home is toxin free

You’ve found the perfect home, packed up all your belongings, and you’re hitting the road! While it’s important to keep track of all your belongings to ensure they make it to your new place in one piece, it’s worthwhile to keep a few other concerns in mind. The house might be new to you, but there could be decades worth of bad decisions you could potentially have to deal with and should be on the lookout for.

Chipping paint

Peeling, cracking, and chipping paint may be more than just an eyesore. If your new home was built prior to 1978, the paint may contain lead. Toxic paint is still present in millions of homes across the United States, but has often been covered with layers of newer paint over the years. The paint is rarely an issue when it’s in good condition, but ingesting old paint chips or dust can eventually cause lead poisoning.

Lead accumulates in the body and is stored in the teeth and bones. Although anyone is susceptible to lead poisoning, children face an especially high risk.

Signs of lead poisoning include:

Anemia
Hypertension
Renal impairment
Damage to the reproductive organs
Impaired IQ and cognitive function in children, believed to be irreversible

It is impossible to determine if your paint contains lead just by looking at it, so it may be best to have your home inspected by a professional before doing any renovation work. There are two types of tests that can detect lead-containing paint – an inspection and a risk assessment. Completing the inspection can alert you to sources of potential lead exposure to assure the paint maintains good condition.

Detectors galore

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, tasteless, invisible gas released whenever fuel is burned. No one is immune to carbon monoxide poisoning and more than 400 Americans die each year from unintentional poisoning.

Common symptoms of CO poisoning include:

Headache
Dizziness
Weakness
Upset stomach
Vomiting
Chest pain
Confusion

Appliances should be serviced every year by a qualified professional to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. As an additional safeguard, install a battery-operated CO detector in your home and check the battery each spring and fall when you change the time on your clocks. The detector should be placed outside of the bedroom so it can wake you up if CO levels exceed safe limits, and needs to be replaced every five years.

Airborne issues

Americans spend 93 percent of their time indoors, so maintaining good indoor air quality is important. If your home was built between 1930 and 1980, there may have been asbestos used during its construction. Asbestos is a naturally-occurring, microscopic mineral able to resist heat and most chemical reactions. Due to those properties, it was used in a variety of items such as insulation, flooring, ceiling tiles, furnaces, broilers, and wallpaper. Asbestos is the only known cause of mesothelioma cancer and has been outlawed in more than 60 countries.

Asbestos causes problems when materials and products containing it are damaged, allowing fibers to become airborne and possibly inhaled. If inhaled or ingested, the asbestos fibers may become embedded in the lining of the organs, including the lungs, heart or abdomen. In many cases, it can take 20 to 50 years for symptoms of an asbestos-related disease to manifest. Although mesothelioma is rare, its prognosis is poor.

If your home was built between the 1930s and 1970s, it is in your best interest to have an abatement professional inspect the space. If the asbestos-containing materials are in good condition, they can be monitored and encapsulated to prevent further problems from occurring. If the products are in poor condition, they may have to be completely removed. Removal is not cheap, but it pays dividends later on.

Damp disasters

Whether it’s on bread or in your bathroom, mold can enter your home through open doorways, windows, vents, heating and air conditioning systems. It can also be brought indoors on clothing, shoes, bags, and pets. Typically, mold will grow in places with heavy moisture due to leaks in roofs, windows, or pipes, and paper, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products are all good conduits for growth. In other cases, mold can grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpeting, fabric, and upholstery.

If you find mold in your home it is important to not only address the growth, but fix the source of the moisture. Mold can be controlled through decreasing humidity levels, and promptly fixing leaky roofs, windows, and pipes. Shower, laundry, and cooking areas should also have proper ventilation to discourage mold growth. Keep moisture in check to preserve your new home.

A safe start

A new home is a new adventure and arming yourself with facts can only help make the transition go more smoothly. Hire professionals to inspect your home prior to moving in and make sure you’re well aware of any secrets that could be hiding in your dream home. Address the issues and then set yourself up for a happy and healthy house!

May 2, 2018May 21, 2018 Movers Who Blog DIY Projects, Downsizing, Home Sweet Home, Moving, Organizing, Preparing to Move, Uncategorized

Home safety checklist for new home owners

This is a guest blog post by Reviews.com

Becoming a homeowner is an incredible and rewarding experience. However, as quickly as the excitement rushes over you, the reality of the responsibilities that accompany homeownership become apparent. To ease this process and avoid finding a costly hazard down the line, it’s important to take a moment to get acquainted with your home, run over a few safety precautions, and make an emergency plan. This checklist will help get you started!

Electrical system

While you’re still getting to know your home, this is a crucial part to pay attention to. If anything looks odd, it’s best to check it out ASAP to avoid what could become a potentially dangerous fire hazard. Get to know where important features like your meter and fuse box are, and watch them for anything that looks unusual.

Make sure you know how to shut them off in an emergency, although it’s highly recommended you reach out to a professional when dealing with your electrical system. If you don’t know where to start or what to look for, this article can help you identify important features to be watching for and can help you assess fire hazards and risks.

Pipes and water

Know where the shut off is! You almost never think of this until it is an emergency but when your toilet is suddenly flooding or a pipe under your sink bursts late at night, you’ll be grateful you took the extra time to identify where your water shut off is. While you’re giving your new home a good look over, also check for things like rust, corrosion, and visible leakage. It’s good to identify these potential problems and deal with them as soon as possible.

Detectors

This one is simple – make sure you have them, test them, and monitor them! Both smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are crucial for a safe home. Make sure they are evenly dispersed throughout the entire home and always in working order. While on that note, it also doesn’t hurt to keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Protocol for emergencies

Make a plan! If an emergency occurs, it helps to have important paperwork and other valuables in a fire safe/waterproof locked box. They’ll be safe if the house is on fire or if there is flooding, and will be all kept together and easy to grab in the case of an emergency evacuation. Make a plan with your family of what an emergency evacuation would look like. This might mean installing escape ladders to any window not on ground level and establishing a meeting place. Additionally, if it’s applicable for where you live, it’s important to identify a severe weather shelter.

Make a kit! The basics are a first aid kit, radio, and food and water for each person for three days. The Red Cross has a comprehensive list of what to get together for your emergency kit as well the option to purchase emergency supplies and kits directly from their site.

Protect your home against break-ins and burglary

Two million home burglaries are reported each year in the United States. To help protect your family and your new home, there are simple measures to take. Buy and install an alarm system or a home security system. Install new locks and bolts, especially if your home has had many previous owners or people that might have had access to the home. Use caution leaving spare keys outside and rather leave them with a family member or a trusted neighbor. Lock things like sheds, gates, and garages and don’t leave valuables in cars. Lastly, do not publicize vacations or other times your home will be empty; have a neighbor or friend watch the house, and collect newspaper or mail create the illusion that someone is home. The best way to protect your home is to be proactive.

Miscellaneous hazards

If applicable, watch for tripping hazards (loose flooring, poorly lit staircases, etc.) Consider a medical alert system if applicable for those in your home.
Know how to turn it off. We touched briefly on knowing where the water shut off is but you should know how to turn off all your major utilities in the case of an emergency https://blog.allstate.com/20-days-to-ready-utility-shutoffs/

Be thorough, be proactive and be cautious. Being a new homeowner is an incredible and exciting thing, don’t let anything put that in jeopardy.

Reviews.com was started in 2013 by a small group of minds that were unhappy with how hard it was to find truly helpful guidance about products and services they were thinking of purchasing. You can learn more about the company here.