Items don’t have to be made of cloth to be flammable. Many of the most flammable things in your home right now probably aren’t even made of cloth and they aren’t just kept in your living room or kitchen. Candles and unattended stoves can start a fire, but these aren’t the only items you have to keep an eye on when it comes to preventing a house fire.
Under your kitchen or bathroom sink right now, for example, there are probably a handful of flammable chemicals. Many of these sprays are combustible and when they come in contact with an open flame, can start or strengthen a fire. The most common types of these items include bug repellent, bathroom cleaners and hairspray. For safe storage they should be kept in a cool location either inside the bathroom closet or underneath the sink in a secure cabinet.
When it comes to fire, your laundry room can be particularly dangerous. Not only are there flammable items used in washers and dryers but also these machines have heat sources attached. A heat source combined with a flammable object can easily start a fire. Sure clothes catch fire, but that will likely happen after the stain removers, detergents or bleach, which all contain alcohol, are consumed with flames. It’s also important to state that built up dryer lint is especially flammable. Lint traps should be cleaned regularly to prevent a fire started by lint.
Even a bigger risk than your laundry room however is your garage. This area of the home, which rarely has a fire detector, stores all sorts of flammable liquids. From gasoline to herbicides to paint all of these items can quickly catch and spread fire. Best kept in the rear of the garage in metal cabinets, flammable liquids should be stored far away from water heaters and furnaces at all times.
Knowing which household items are flammable can help you keep them away from potentially hot situations. Four other flammable items that might be floating around your house are silly string, mothballs, Ping-Pong balls and black shoe polish. Any of these trinkets can catch and spread a fire. For families with small children it’s even more important to keep flammable items out of reach and never have open flames unattended. Taking precaution when it comes to flames and flammable household objects can almost always prevent house fires.