Electrical Safety Tips – Baby-Proofing Your Home

Electrical safety must be on top of every homeowner’s priorities list. It is even more important to ensure electrical safety at home when you have toddlers around. A lot of homeowners make the mistake of putting off baby-proofing efforts until the little ones start to become mobile. However, you can’t be too sure. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Baby-proofing your home is not that hard at all.

Here are some ways on how you can baby-proof your home

Use outlet covers or switch to GFCIs Infant electrocutions often happen when toddler stick objects or their fingers into electrical outlets. If you have any electrical outlets at home that are easily accessible to a toddler's range, have them covered. Outlet covers are inexpensive but may actually save your child’s life. A better option is to upgrade to GFCIs or ground-fault circuit interrupters. GFCI outlets prevent serious electrical shock from happening. Avoid using power strips Power strips are handy especially when there isn’t an available electrical outlet nearby. However, when it comes to baby-proofing, you should avoid using power strips. Toddlers could easily pull them out or get strangled especially if the cord is longer. If you really need to use power strips, place them in inaccessible areas. Also, there are other precautions when it comes to using power cords. Ask your electrician to know more. Take time to learn about your circuit breakers Regardless of how long you’ve been living in your home, you should take time to familiarize your electrical panel and the circuit breakers inside. For emergency purposes, you can easily cut power to your home if you know where to go and which switch to flick when needed. In most cases, each circuit breaker is labeled. In case they aren’t, ask your local Columbia electrician for help. Check your GFCI outlets each month GFCIs will only be useful if they work. You can test them out at least once a month to ensure they are working accordingly. Don’t take any chances thinking that they are doing just fine. Test them frequently. Also, don’t forget to reset them once they have been tripped. It is important that the GFCI outlets are working accordingly all the time. Practice these safety measures:

• Keep hairdryers away from areas with open water.
• Always unplug appliances before cleaning.
• Avoid carrying appliances by the cord.
• Don’t overload electrical outlets.
• Don’t run power strips where they can be accessed by your toddler.

Call an expert for better baby-proofing advice For the best baby-proofing solutions, call an expert like CHS Electricians Columbia. Baby-proofing your home is not that complicated. With the right precautions and help from a reliable electrician, you can be certain that your babies are safe and sound. Electrical safety is a must for every household. It is only a matter of proper preparation and implementation.

Need help with baby-proofing your home’s electrical system? Call CHS Electricians Columbia today! You may reach us at (803) 973-7324.

CHS Electricians Columbia Columbia SC 29205 (803) 973-7324 http://electricianscolumbiasc.com

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