Reducing fire risk while you’re cooking is critical because cooking is the culprit for the majority of home fires.
The holiday weekend is upon us, and a lot of people will be cooking a lot of different dishes in order to feed large groups of family and friends. Getting together and enjoying a delicious meal is one of the best things about the holiday season, but it’s important to note how dangerous cooking can be if you’re not careful. Cooking accounts for 49% of all home fires, and 42% of home fire-related injuries. Taking some precautions is always a good idea to keep your home safe and your holiday happy.
Monitor Your Stove
When you’re cooking, keep an eye on your stove. The holidays are a very busy time of year, and it can be easy to get distracted by other things if you’re doing a lot of cooking in preparation for a holiday party. Keeping an eye on your stove gives you the most time to react if something happens to keep it from getting out of control. If possible, enlist some help to handle other things that may come up so you can stay focused on the task at hand.
Keep Your Cooking Area Clean
The area on and around your stove needs to be kept clean in order to stay safe. Remove anything that is at risk of catching fire, such as wrappers or even oven mitts. Also, be sure to keep your stovetop clean of spilled food and grease. Spills on your stove are at risk of causing a fire, especially grease spills. Always clean up grease spills right away and clear out any grease buildup inside your oven.
Carefully Clean Up Spilled Grease
When you clean grease spills, you need to be careful. Avoid cleaning up hot grease with paper towels or a rag, as these could catch fire. Instead, the grease should be absorbed with baking soda before you scoop it up. Hot grease is dangerous and should be set aside to let it cool before you throw it out. Throwing hot grease into your trash can cause a fire. It’s also important to avoid sending grease down your sink disposal or drain.
Do Not Use Your Oven For Storage
Unfortunately, it’s pretty common for people to use their ovens for extra storage. This should be avoided because you might forget about these objects and start the oven with them still in there. It’s also possible an unsuspecting guest could turn on your oven without knowing there are items inside. This is a potential fire hazard, and it can also ruin your oven.
Fire Protection Services from Fireline
Whether you need smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or an automatic sprinkler system installed at your commercial property, Fireline has you covered. We have been protecting
people and property from fire damage since 1947—and our experience shows in our excellent work! We are known for our superb customer service, our expertise, and our reliability. For more information on how we can help your residential or commercial property, visit us online or give us a call at (800) 553-3405. We are in Baltimore, MD, with a second office in Leesburg, VA. For more fire safety tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.