Although no prevention plan is 100% effective, there’s plenty you can do to protect your home and family during meal preparation.

The following tips are well worth following, especially around the holidays and throughout the winter months when we tend to use the stove and oven more often.

• Keep appliances serviced, clean, and in good repair. Dump the crumb tray and clean out the crumbs periodically from the toaster or toaster oven. Clean the inside of the microwave, keep the stovetop and oven clean, and unplug appliances when not in use.

• Install a smoke detector near, but not in the kitchen. You don’t want a small amount of smoke or steam to constantly trigger the alarm — but you do want it to sense a kitchen fire.
• Use caution when lighting the pilot light or burner on a gas stove. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Don’t use metal in the microwave. The sparks can turn into fire or can seriously damage your microwave.
• Don’t overfill pots or pans with oil or grease. Hot oil and grease can splatter and start a fire.
• Wipe up spills and don’t cook on a dirty stove. A clean stove is a fire-free stove.
• Different types of stovetops require different deep-cleaning techniques. On a glass stovetop, use baking soda and a damp towel to soak and loosen the build-up before scraping it off.
• Roll up long sleeves and tie back long hair when cooking. You don’t need your beautiful, flowing silk sleeves trailing in the spaghetti sauce, and you certainly don’t need them to catch on fire!
• Never leave cooking food unattended. Stay in the kitchen during meal prep, especially if you’re cooking with grease or if the oven is on high. Turn off the burner or oven if you need to leave the kitchen or house.  Even a phone call can be enough of a distraction to allow an accident to occur.
• Keep an oven mitt and metal pot lid nearby while cooking. In case of fire, turn off the burner and then slide the lid over the fire and hold it there until it feels cool. If you lift the lid too early, the fire could start again.
• Keep dish towels, potholders, and paper towels away from the stove. You might have left a burner on by accident, and built-up heat could ignite combustibles left near or on the stove.

Not to put a damper on things, but electrical fires can break out anywhere in your home. Once again, prevention is the best medicine, and one great way to prevent electrical fires is with an annual electrical safety inspection conducted by Excel Electric. Our inspection will help ensure your home is safely wired and that there are no accidents waiting to happen.  Contact us today or anytime to schedule service.