Child Safety and Heating the Home
As summer fades into the fall, and winter begins to creep up on us, most of us will be stoking our fires, programming the timers on our boilers or turning our radiators up to full power. But those of us with young children should be taking extra precautions because every heating appliance is a potential burn hazard.
Storage Heaters
Storage Heaters, fan heaters, or any other type of heater that expels heat from grills, can get very hot on top; so it is vitally important that we warn children not to leave anything resting on the lid of these appliances. A toy left on top of a heater could reach a temperature capable of delivering a minor burn in very little time.
Radiators
Radiators can be covered fairly easily with wooden radiator covers. You can buy these covers from a variety of DIY and homecare stores and most of them are well designed and quite attractive; also, being made of wood, you can paint them to match your own interior design. The covers work by allowing heat out through intricate carved designs in the wood. The grooves and cuts in the wood are far too small for children’s hands to reach through meaning you get all the heat with none of the danger.
Fires
Real fires add a certain romance to a home and, if you are lucky enough to have one, they almost make the cold weather a treat. That said; if you have small children then fires are the most dangerous method of heating your home. Mesh fireguards that cover the mouth of the fireplace are the most common safety device for coal or wood fires but they are not designed to guard against small children. Mesh fireguards are light and could be easily moved by a child. They can also get quite hot themselves presenting a further risk of minor injury. The best types of fire guard for children are guards that surround the entire fireplace thereby preventing children from getting anywhere near the fire. These larger fireguards are usually designed to be as unobtrusive as possible but, if you want to enjoy the original splendour of you fireplace, then look out for models that you can fold away when the kids are not in the room.
By taking precautions like the ones above, you can have that extra peace of mind with regards to your children’s safety whilst still enjoying a warm home this fall and winter.
This post appears on behalf of The Economy Radiator Company.
