Fire Safety for Renters.

This is not about design. Or food. Or parties. This is, however, a brief informative post about fire safety for renters, which can protect our design, food, and parties. =)

We live in a two level end unit townhome. Due to the fact that our buildings and balconies are made from wood, our complex has strict rules against having firepits or grills, even if they are kept inside. We do, however, all have chimneys. So after moving to this place, fire safety became more important to us.

I didn't realize how inexpensive it can be to really prepare for a fire related emergency. And renters may be less likely to think about some of these things, since they don't own their home. Since there are surely others out there who also don't have this information, I figured I'd share!

The first thing we did was get renters insurance. This is such an important and inexpensive thing to do (if you have car insurance, adding renters insurance is easy and will likely be under $15-20 a month). *Tip: Shop around if your rate is higher than this. We couldn't believe how much we saved when we switched insurance companies this past year!

Secondly, we stopped by home depot to pick up a fire extinguisher. We don't have a lot of room, but for only $20 at Home Depot we purchased a "mini" extinguisher that was easily tucked away. I've never had to use it, so I guess I can't speak to its effectiveness, but I'm relieved to have it nonetheless. *Tip: An escape ladder will cost you a bit more (closer to $50 for a three-story ladder), but is also relatively easy to store.

As I mentioned, we have a wood burning fireplace in our home, which we use often. Fireplaces can become dangerous if too much creosite builds up along the sides of the chimney, as this creosite can subsequently catch on fire. To cut down on creosite build ups between cleanings, these creosite sweeping logs are a low cost cleaning option. *Tip: If it is time for a full on cleaning, try creating an Amazon Local account for deals and discounts! I've seen several advertised since we've gotten into fall.

Available from Amazon.com for about $30 for a two pack!

Did you know that the majority of house fires are caused by the dryer? Most of the time this is because the lint filter is not cleaned after every use (seriously, EVERY use people! It matters!). But I was surprised that my storage habits may also have been putting us at risk. I have a stacked washer dryer, and store things on top of the dryer since I have no storage in this house. But be careful: laundry products such as stain removers and other products such as paint are flammable and should be kept away from heat sources. Let's just say I had some rearranging to do...

I hope this information was helpful to some of you! It doesn't take a lot of effort or money to be fire ready, so please take some time to do so before winter comes!