How you can keep your home appliances safe

Electricity is one of the major causes of accidental fires in UK homes, contributing upwards of 20,000 instances each year.

Whether it is the fault of the user for disregard/improper care or not, fires are extremely costly and potentially lethal. Home emergency insurance coverage will help to cover costs if the worst were to happen.

That said, it’s always best to stay on the side of caution when using electrics, ensuring the safety of you and your family in the long term.

Look ahead for some of the top tips on how to keep safe when using your electrical appliances.

Water and electricity - Do not mix

Keep your appliances, the wires and the socket that they’re plugged into well away from water.

Water and electricity will cause sparks, this can and will lead to a fire that can become out of control extremely fast, out of the blue.

Avoid overloading sockets and extensions

It’s often said that extensions should be avoided altogether, no matter how many things are plugged into them. However, sometimes there are just not enough sockets for everything you need.

So an extension may be necessary, however, it’s always a good idea to avoid plugging too many things into sockets or extensions. Leaving one or two plugs open, and unplugging devices when they’re not in use will help to avoid overloads.

Once more, overloading a socket or extension lead can cause sparks and then a flame which can grow to a dangerous level swiftly.

Keep appliance instruction and information booklets

Appliance information booklets provide lots of useful info including contact details as well as wiring and fuse specifications that can come in handy in the future.

If you’re replacing a fuse, ensure that you replace it with the correct type and make sure that you understand why it blew in the first place.

Switch off at the wall when not in use

Is it that much extra effort to turn the plug off at the wall when it’s not in use? Well, for some it may be, but doing so can save you money and reduce the risk of fires in places around the home.

Turning off or unplugging from the socket will eliminate any chance of faults with electrical devices causing fires anywhere in your home.

Keep an eye on recalls

Even the most trusted, reputable manufacturers make mistakes. In recent years we’ve seen smartphones, dryers and irons recalled as the manufacturers cannot guarantee the safety of their users.

You can register the majority of your electrical devices, ensuring that should a product recall be put out, you’ll be on top of it as soon as possible.

Keep check of wire fraying and other signs of damage

Malfunctioning or damaged electrical products and their wires are at fault for up to 26% of electrical fires in the UK.

It’s vital to keep on top of all the devices in your home, along with their wiring. Check for wire fraying, scorch marks and loose connections. All of these can be a sign of danger and should be fixed as soon as possible.

Exposed wires to children and pets

If your house has an abundance of electrical devices with lots of wire, ensure that young children and pets cannot access them. Wire safety goes further than fires, pets and children may chew on or play with exposed wires which can be fatal.

Takeaway

Home emergency insuranceis always a good idea - in case of an emergency, you’ll have the coverage there to help you out.

However, preventing disaster in the first place is especially important to protect not just you but all of your household.

Following the tips suggested above will help to protect your household from some of the dangers that electrical appliances can present.