5 often-overlooked fire hazards in your home
From laundry lint to light bulbs and towel racks, keep your home safe from avoidable homeowners insurance claims
I thought it was my imagination at first, but I kept smelling this odd burning smell when I turned my Hampton Bay Triple Floor Lamp off. I was ecstatic to have a free lamp from Home Depot’s SEEDS Program the same week that my prior tree lamp completely died. I’d had the old one for so many years I lost track, and it finally tapped out six years after I moved into my condo.
1. Look at your tree lamp carefully.
I loved this lamp tree not only for the minimalism but also because I could turn on individual lights instead of having to turn all three on at once. This helped when I just wanted a lit room versus enough lighting for reading. I didn’t think the smell was coming from the tree lamp at first — until I heard a clicking noise. I’d already paid my electrician to have my baseboard heaters removed after my dog saved me from a fire, and this time around, I had an electric fireplace. That fireplace makes a low ticking sound like Girl Scout campfire, but this sound was unfamiliar.
Recommended Read: “Electric baseboard heater on fire, speedy lesson in how to use a fire extinguisher ~ Once again, I learned why I should always listen to my dog”
Finally, I started looking around and through process of elimination, I noticed that the clicking sound only seemed to happen when I turned the Hampton Bay Triple Floor Lamp off, not when I turned it on. While two of the lamp shades were facing me, one in the back was not and was aimed at my plants. I twirled the lamp tree around and realized the bulb and the shade were burning while I was none the wiser. Oddly, the other two shades and bulbs were cool to the touch and had no signs of discoloration.
It wasn’t like I could return this lamp tree for a new one. I didn’t buy the first one to begin with; it came in the SEEDS program. But this was a second lesson learned (that my dog didn’t have to teach me) about things I should get into the habit of doing on a regular basis to prevent potential fires. Besides checking lamp tree shades, and the temperature of lamps in general, here are four more of the most underrated heat hazards in your home.
Recommended Read: “If You Leave Lint In the Clothes Dryer, You're Creating a Fire Hazard”
2. Get your clothes dryer ducts cleaned and lint removed.
If you live in a multi-unit building such as a condominium, there are multiple people using a washer and a dryer at various times. This means there is even more of a chance to have lint and dust clogged in the ducts, not just people who refuse to clean out the lint trap. If you don’t have a handy person in your building who knows how to do this job, hire an appliance professional to clean your dryer ducts on an annual basis.
Recommended Read: “6 underrated maintenance tasks to do in every laundry room ~ From avoiding fire hazards to dogs overpowering appliances, make sure your washers and dryers can have longevity”
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3. Check your electric fireplaces and portable heaters for defects.
This is a tough one to figure out because it may look “normal” from first glance, similar to how my electric baseboard heaters looked like they always look to me — except my dog clearly disagreed. If you know how it operated when it was new, this is much easier to do because you’ll notice oddities. In my case, my electric fireplace was a donation from Freecycle, so I had to look up the exact machine as soon as I got it.
First, make sure that there are no visible signs of discoloration on the fireplace plug and outlet area.
Second, if you have a room thermostat, check to make sure that the temperature in your home matches the temperature on the fireplace (or is at least close).
Third, make sure the flame settings are actually matching at the level you set them to. If you’re seeing no flame when you turned on the flames or all flames when you didn’t turn on the flame display, something is wrong. Unplug it.
Fourth, remove dust and debris regularly to avoid any kind of buildup. You can easily use a sock to dust off the vent.
Fifth, take note of any unfamiliar smells. Unplug it immediately if it smells like something is burning.
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4. Look at the gauge on your fire extinguishers.
This is one of those items that you may buy and ignore until you need to use them. Unless you’re on a condo board or live in a multi-unit building, you don’t have to pay anyone to test the extinguishers and replace the annual tags. So your fire extinguishers could be completely empty, and you won’t realize it until it’s too late. Just look at the little display on them to make sure it still says full, and the factory seal has not been removed. Replace immediately if needed.
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5. Check the temperature on your heated towel racks.
A heated towel rack comes in super handy to avoid wet towels that take forever to dry. In windowless bathrooms, this can especially become a problem. Sure, you have the cool walk-in shower and the fancy sink faucets, but wet towels are a magnet for mold and mildew. This is exactly why heated towel racks are a good investment. But like any other heated appliance, check these too. When they’re not in use, unplug them. And when they are in use, make sure they’re working as intended. Any kind of discoloration or plug defaults should be addressed immediately.
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Stay safe this winter and beyond. While there are always reminders about checking smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, putting insulation around window areas, and making sure to avoid busted pipes from frost, these five tips above are too often the last thing on a homeowner’s mind and can be a headache to get money back from homeowners insurance, mainly because they could’ve been avoided.
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out my Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “BlackTechLogy,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color,” “One Black Woman’s Vote” and “Window Shopping” too. Subscribe to this newsletter for the monthly posts on the third Friday.
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