Your Home’s Safety Checklist to Spring Forward
Posted Thursday, March 6, 2014
Daylight Savings Time begins at 2:00 AM on Sunday, March 9, 2014.
Setting your clocks forward means it’s time for a seasonal safety check!
As you circle your home, setting clocks ahead, make sure to do this short safety checklist.
Change the batteries: Batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors need to be replaced. Also check batteries in thermostats, phone accessories and portable electronics. Don’t throw those batteries away! Old but still working batteries can be used in children’s toys, electronic devices and remote controls.
Buy new alarms: Replace any smoke alarms older than ten years; replace any carbon monoxide alarms older than five years. Sensors in these units degrade and lose their effectiveness over time.
Replace light bulbs: While you have the step-stools and step-ladders out to reach the smoke detectors, check for light bulbs that are out.
Find the flashlights and replace their batteries: Having the flashlights where you need them is the first step to being able to use them. Change their batteries to make sure they work when you need them!
Check first-aid kits: With spring and summer coming, bumps, scrapes and stings will be on the rise. Check your first-aid kit and replace any missing supplies. Don’t forget your car’s first aid kit – buy one or replace any missing items.
Check and discard expired medications: Expired medications can cause medical problems due to change through aging.
Clean the dryer vent: Check and clean the dryer vent for buildup that can become a fire or carbon-monoxide hazard.
Reset timers on outdoor lights: Avoid wasting electricity by resetting timers on outdoor lights so they’re not on during daylight hours.
Replace the water filter in your refrigerator: Isn’t it hard to remember to do this? Why not make it another time-change activity. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for replacing the water filter.
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Links:
Change the batteries
http://www.ehow.com/how_7278740_change-detectors-changing-clocks-back.html; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYjLr3BQaTs
Check and discard expired medications
http://www.ismp.org/consumers/throwAwayMedsSafely.asp