Category: Brandpoint Home & Garden

2022-10-11T07:01:00

(BPT) – By Carter Oosterhouse, TV Host and Home Improvement Expert

Between fluctuating gas prices, the rise in green-minded individuals, and new electric vehicle (EV) introductions from major auto manufacturers, EV adoption is skyrocketing. In 2021 over 630,000 EVs were sold in the U.S. alone. In tandem, the recently passed $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act will drive future electric vehicle sales high as it makes clean technology such as EVs more affordable for Americans.

Purchasing an EV can be both exciting and perplexing, as the process of switching from a gas to electric is new to many consumers. Unlike storing a traditional vehicle, preparing the garage for an EV takes a bit more thought — especially when charging the vehicle at home. To prepare your garage for a new EV purchase, here’s a few tips to keep in mind:

Tip #1: Update the Electric Panel

Homes require a tremendous amount of power whether running the air conditioning or heater, catching up on a television show, leaving the lights on, or using the washing machine. Adding an at-home EV charger to the mix can certainly strain an outdated electric panel.

Homeowners should consider updating to a smart electric panel to address this additional load. The Square D™ Energy Center from Schneider Electric simplifies the process of adding an EV Charger to an electrical system and brings unprecedented resiliency and control over a home’s energy use. Acting as more than just a smart electric panel, this solution gives homeowners the ability to change power sources — from utility, to solar, battery, generator, etc. — conveniently through their smartphone to enhance energy resilience and help optimize energy costs.

Tip #2: Create a Climate-controlled Garage

The lithium-ion batteries that power EVs can be very sensitive to temperature fluctuation. Extreme temperatures can also cause damage to the battery and affect the vehicle’s overall performance.

Homeowners should consider updating insulation in the garage to help maintain the condition of the car’s battery and promote longevity of the vehicle. When creating a climate-controlled garage, a few insulation focal points should include the garage door, the ceiling, and around garage windows as those are some of the biggest air leakage spots.

Tip #3: Clean Out the Garage

Sometimes the garage becomes the junkyard of our homes with old items that may no longer be needed. In preparation for an electric vehicle, make space by clearing out old items collecting dust.

To reduce garage clutter, consider clearing floor space by installing pegboards for vertical organization systems, creating individual areas for different garage items, such as gardening supplies or home improvement tools, and removing items that shouldn’t be stored in the garage, like pet food or paper goods which can attract unwanted animals and bugs. Beyond that, a shiny new car always looks better in a clean, organized environment!

Tip #4: Upgrade Garage Security

Garage break-ins are quite common. In fact, a home burglary happens about every 25 seconds in the United States, according to the FBI Crime Data Report. To protect their EV investment, homeowners should consider upgrading their garage security to prevent burglary. Consider putting locks on windows and improving exterior lighting — a poorly lit driveway might entice a burglar to enter. Also, look into upgrading an outdated garage door opener to a modern model.

As EV adoption continues to climb, 27 million of these vehicles are anticipated to be on the road by 2023. Homeowners who plan to invest in an EV should look to create an EV-friendly garage environment to support the longevity of the vehicle. By putting more thought into preparing the garage for an EV, your investment stays protected while you increase your home’s value, and you can make a long-lasting positive contribution to the environment.

2022-10-11T07:01:00

(BPT) – Did you know you and your family might only have two minutes to escape from a fire in your home? Because fires can start and spread quickly, it’s important to take steps to prevent fires from starting, learn about fire safety in the home, and develop an escape plan.

For Fire Prevention Month, take time to bolster safety measures and help protect your loved ones from fire and other threats.

Here are a few tips to help improve fire safety around your home from The Home Depot.

2022-10-11T07:01:00

(BPT) – Take advantage of National Fire Prevention Month

Did you know you and your family might only have two minutes to escape from a fire in your home? Because fires can start and spread quickly, it’s important to take steps to prevent fires from starting, learn about fire safety in the home and develop an escape plan.

For Fire Prevention Month, take time to bolster safety measures and help protect your loved ones from fire and other threats.

Here are a few tips to help improve fire safety around your home from The Home Depot.

1. Install smoke alarms

You should install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including:

• Kitchen
• Every bedroom and outside all sleeping areas
• Living area
• Garage and/or workshop

If you don’t have smoke alarms, you need to cover more areas of your home or your alarms are more than 10 years old, one great option is the Kidde 10 Year Worry-Free Smoke Detector. This device operates on a 10-year, sealed, tamper-resistant lithium battery, using ionization sensor technology to alert you to invisible fire particles, even during power outages. An internal timer alerts you to replace the detector after 10 years. If you’re using a traditional battery-powered alarm, make sure you test it every month, replace batteries at least once a year and replace smoke alarm devices every 10 years.

2. Place fire extinguishers throughout the home

While escaping the house during a fire is vital, it is possible to stop very small fires, such as on your stovetop, from getting out of control. Put fire extinguishers on each level of your home, near fire-prone areas like kitchens, fireplaces, garages or workshops.

Consider a Kidde Full Home Fire Extinguisher with Hose, Easy Mount Bracket and Strap for use in a garage, workshop or shed. Lightweight and durable, this fire extinguisher’s flexible, extended hose makes it easy to aim, and the clear instruction label shows the steps to operate it safely. Replace fire extinguishers every 12 years or after use.

It’s important to remember that fire extinguishers are only one element of a complete fire survival plan. Use your extinguisher only to keep a small self-contained fire from growing, only when the room is not filled with smoke, or to create a safe pathway out of the home.

3. Develop and practice a home fire escape plan

To make sure your family is prepared for emergencies, it’s crucial to create a home fire escape plan for your household — which includes designating two exits from every room.

Once the plan is in place, practice your fire drill twice a year and review tips on how to prevent fires with family members. Your plan should designate a clear meeting place at a safe distance from your home.

4. Assign roles to each resident

Within the plan, each family member or resident of the home should be assigned responsibilities in the case of a fire. For example, one member could be responsible for ensuring all infants and small children are accounted for when evacuating, while another member could be tasked with directing any guests toward pre-approved exits. Once everyone is safely outside of the home, designate someone to ensure all parties remain outside of the home and another to call 911.

5. Protect your home and loved ones beyond fire risks

Once you’ve taken these steps to safeguard against fire hazards, you can also bolster protection from other risks, like carbon monoxide (CO). A great tool to help protect loved ones from multiple dangers is the combination Kidde SMART Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm with Indoor Air Quality Monitor. This all-in-one smart home safety device integrates smoke and CO detection with indoor air quality monitoring. A built-in air quality sensor measures levels of temperature, humidity and Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC) — harmful chemicals in the air that can impact health — plus mold risk notification, which alerts you when humidity levels are high enough to be conducive to mold growth, with recommended steps to remedy the situation.

Ready to protect your home?

In honor of National Fire Prevention Month, The Home Depot is offering up to 30% off on select fire safety equipment in select stores through October. The Home Depot offers buy online and pickup in-store for all the above products, along with secure storage locker pickup for fast and convenient shopping, giving you peace of mind as quickly as possible.

Visit HomeDepot.com/firesafetyevent to learn more.

2022-09-30T15:55:00

(BPT) – As autumn gets underway, leaves change colors, temperatures cool down and days get shorter. During this time of change, your home and wardrobe go through a transition as well. This is the time of year you get sweaters and jackets out of storage bins or the back of your closet, and blankets come out to warm up beds and provide comfy spots on your favorite pieces of furniture. Unfortunately, if you don’t take steps to freshen up your garments and fabrics, your home may end up feeling more stuffy than cozy, and create more sneezing than cuddling.

Here are tips to help refresh your home, so you can better enjoy everything the season has to offer.

1. Air out items that were in storage

From winter coats to blankets, any items that have been stored for several months are bound to smell musty. Take garments and other items out of storage well ahead of when you want to use them to wash them, if possible, then air them out — then assess what shape they’re in before using them.

2. Consider a steam closet to refresh garments, blankets and more

To refresh musty, wrinkled items from everyday clothes and your best suits to winter coats to hard-to-wash items like blankets, pillows and more, the LG Styler^® makes everyday laundry more streamlined and hassle-free. LG Styler uses TrueSteam technology to sanitize, deodorize and refresh your wardrobe and other items so everything’s ready to use or wear. You can quickly dry sweaters that need to be laid flat or refresh delicate textiles to avoid over-washing. Use LG’s Exclusive Moving Hangers to gently shake things off to refresh jackets, dresses and other items. You can even use it to sanitize bags, pillows and stuffed toys.

With no need for complicated hookups, the versatile LG Styler is easy to install not just in laundry rooms but any space: dressing rooms, closets, mudrooms or pantries. Wherever it fits in your home, the LG Styler makes freshening up items every day even more effortless.

Even better, LG ThinQ™ smart capabilities also give users the freedom to remotely turn the LG Styler on and off, select and start the cleaning cycle, check remaining cycle time, download additional cycles and get recommendations on the best cycle for particular pieces of clothing. The app also offers additional specialty cycle settings — even for sports equipment.

3. Be allergy conscious

It’s not recommended to air bedding, clothing and other items outdoors if someone in your household suffers from allergies or asthma, or you’ll just be bringing all that fall pollen indoors. That’s another advantage of using LG Styler to refresh and sanitize everything from bedding and pillows to clothing and stuffed animals, as it is certified asthma and allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) for reducing 99.9% of the allergens, germs and bacteria from multiple fabrics. Once you’ve refreshed your items, bring on the seasonal throw blankets and decorative pillows to create cozy spaces to hang out, read or play games during long autumn evenings.

4. Give floors a deep clean

Before the colder temperatures of winter set in, it’s a great time to do a deep clean of your home’s flooring, including having any large area rugs sent out for cleaning. If you don’t have the equipment to thoroughly clean any carpeted areas, you could consider hiring a cleaning service for a good fall cleaning.

One great option to help clean your floors is the LG CordZero™ All in One Auto Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum. It not only tackles tough jobs, but makes the job easier by charging, storing tools and automatically emptying the dust bin in one sleek docking station.

5. Shed a little light on the subject

As days get shorter, there are things you can do to make your home brighter and more cheerful. For example, have your fireplace cleaned and maintained so you can use it as a warm focal point, and upgrade a few lighting options — even your choice of bulb makes a difference — to keep darkness at bay. If you’re up for a project, consider repainting a dark room in a brighter color, or swap out heavy window treatments with lighter, more translucent options that let more natural light in, to help make the most of daylight hours.

With these tips, you can be sure everything will feel fresh and clean, from the clothes you wear to your bedding and all the decorative touches that make your home comfy and cozy.

2022-09-21T07:01:00

(BPT) – While home maintenance may seem pricey, being proactive about home upkeep can save more money by preventing expensive repair or replacement costs in the future — not to mention safeguarding against damage to your home. The hard part is knowing how often and what type of maintenance to do, and where to start.

According to State Farm, fall is the perfect time to take care of many jobs, whether by yourself or by hiring professionals. Here are some top maintenance tasks to help protect the largest investment you have — your home.

1. Check your smoke detectors

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 96% of homes are now installed with smoke detectors. However, nearly 20% of them have non-working smoke alarms. The NIST estimates that if every home had working smoke alarms, deaths from U.S. residential fires could drop 36%. Why aren’t these smoke detectors working? Primarily missing or dead batteries. Smoke detector batteries need to be replaced at least annually, not just when they chirp. The average claim from a home fire according to State Farm is $57,000. So buy some batteries, and replace those old ones.

2. Trim your trees

Little known fact, you’re responsible for the damage if a tree on your property falls on a neighbor’s house. Or if a dead branch damages your home, it can result in a homeowner’s insurance claim, meaning you have to pay the deductible. For peace of mind, trim the trees on your property every fall. Find tips on tree trimming at StateFarm.com/simple-insights/residence. If you prefer hiring a professional, contact your local State Farm agent and they can help you find an arborist with community roots.

3. Check washing machine hoses

Did you know a washing machine hose holds 70 pounds of pressure? If it fails, it can spray 650 gallons of water per hour into your home. So if you’re away for the weekend and a hose bursts, you may open the door to the equivalent of a 20-foot by 40-foot in-ground pool’s worth of water, which can damage floors, drywall and personal items. Between June 2021 and June 2022, State Farm paid nearly $36.7 million to help customers recover from damage due to washing machine hose bursts, with an average claim of over $12,000. Hose maintenance is easy: Inspect the hot and cold washing machine supply lines monthly, looking for blisters, worn tubing, cracks or loose connections. It’s best to replace supply hoses every 3-5 years.

4. Conduct a generator safety check

A portable generator is handy equipment for when the power goes out, and regular maintenance will ensure that it works when you need it. First, always unplug and turn off all power to the generator. Examine the AC wiring and alternator to clear dirt and debris. Inspect the air intake system and replace the air filter. Oil in your generator needs to be changed every 25 hours of running, or one year unused. When you’re ready to use the generator, take it outside to a well-ventilated area before starting up. Generators produce carbon monoxide from the exhaust and can cause serious injury or death if used indoors, in a garage (including with open doors) or even on a porch.

5. Maintain your HVAC

One of the most critical items to maintain is your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Regular maintenance helps keep the system in working order, extending the life of the system and saving on energy costs. According to HomeAdvisor, replacing an HVAC system costs from $5,000 to $10,000. To save money and extend the life of your system:

• Change air filters regularly. Set a reminder every few months to replace filters. Dirty filters can impede airflow and make the HVAC system work harder, decreasing efficiency and increasing energy costs.
• Schedule regular maintenance checks (spring/fall) from your local HVAC professional. Some HVAC companies and local utilities have service programs where you pay a monthly or annual fee and they will conduct semi-annual maintenance checks. Pros will check the thermostat, clean or replace filters, lubricate moving parts, check refrigerant levels, inspect the condenser and coils and investigate unusual noises. Reach out to your local State Farm agent for a list of reliable HVAC pros.

Take care of your home, so your home can shelter you and your family. These regular maintenance tasks will help reduce the likelihood of unpleasant surprises — and costs — to help give you peace of mind.

2022-09-20T15:01:00

(BPT) – With a shortage of qualified tradespeople, homeowners face new difficulties in finding knowledgeable people to complete repairs. A new survey from American Home Shield uncovers findings around homeowners’ expectations and experiences when it comes to home repairs.

2022-09-16T07:31:00

(BPT) – From a simple hammer to the most complex power tools in your garage, it’s vital to practice constant maintenance if you want to use them as long as possible. The good news? It’s not as hard as you think. Following expert advice for storing, cleaning and maintaining your tools will help you use everything safely, for years to come.

Keeping your tools in top shape

Many tools may look indestructible, but they’re not. Exposure to dirt, grease and moisture could lead to rust and corrosion, making them less effective down the road and even leading to damage. Tools with moving parts that collect dust and debris may not only become less effective but could also be a serious safety hazard.

But with a few simple steps implemented into your regular routine, you can add significant time onto the lifespan of your tools.

“Taking proper care of your tools makes a great difference in their overall usefulness,” said Allen Gerling, a service technician at Northern Tool + Equipment. “Clean and well-maintained tools typically last longer as functional tools and are safer to use.”

Follow these tips to keep your tools in great working order.

A place for everything, and everything in its place

Proper tool storage is not just about being able to find things when you need them (which is a definite plus) — it also helps your tools stay in good working order. Tossing tools haphazardly on a workbench or inside a toolbox can damage them, as well as leaving them exposed to dust, dirt and the elements, which may lead to clogging, corrosion and rust. For power tools, wind up cords and air lines carefully, checking belts and cords for fraying or breaks.

• Keep tools clean, dry and protected from the elements, especially moisture, extreme heat and extreme cold.
• Make sure toolboxes, carts, shelving or wall racks are neat and clean to keep your tools free of dust, dirt and grease.
• Organize tools to make them easier to maintain, plus easy to see — so you’ll spot when anything needs repair.

Create a clean routine

Make a habit of cleaning tools immediately after each use before storing them. This prevents dirt, grime or debris from hardening on your tools, potentially damaging or clogging them over time. Keep rags and other cleaning materials near your tool storage to make clean-up easier.

In addition to your regular cleaning routing, doing a deeper clean on a seasonal basis can make a huge difference, especially for tools with moving parts. Beyond wiping tools clean with a cloth, tackle tough-to-clean areas using oiled cotton swabs or soft brushes. You can also use a can of compressed air to remove dirt from areas inside tools that are hard to reach. Especially for power tools, make sure to follow your manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning and maintenance.

Maintain and watch for signs of disrepair

Many tools require regular oiling and/or sharpening of parts to keep them in top shape. Gather useful cleaning and oiling equipment including rags, all-purpose oil, rust remover and linseed oil (for wood), plus files and sharpening stones. Use safety gear like heavy gloves and safety goggles as you work, and make sure you have sufficient space and a sturdy table to complete your maintenance. Try designating a seasonal or semi-annual weekend for tool maintenance.

As you clean and maintain tools, look for signs of damage or wear that could require repair — or any signs that your tool needs to be replaced.

Get help with repairs as needed

Don’t have enough time, energy or know-how to maintain or fix all your tools? Turn to the experts, like the service technicians at Northern Tool + Equipment who can tune up, repair and help maintain your tools and have access to any part you might need.

Start with high-quality tools

Caring for tools and keeping them in great shape is even easier if you start with high-quality tools in the first place. When you’re in the market for new tools, you can find high-quality brands preferred by the professionals at Northern Tool, including Milwaukee, Lincoln and Stihl — plus Northern Tool-exclusive brands such as NorthStar, Powerhorse and Klutch.

“Good quality tools are an important investment,” added Gerling. “So you should care for your tools just like your car or your home.”

Find tools you need and more at NorthernTool.com.

2022-09-14T01:01:00

(BPT) – You’ve probably experienced this: At the end of a stressful day, you step outside, take a deep breath, maybe sit in your yard and feel the sun and breeze on your face. Before you know it, you’re more relaxed and centered. In fact, scientific research shows that sitting on a patio immersed in nature for just 10-15 minutes can drop stress levels 60%. This is the idea behind biophilic design — incorporating natural elements into design (inside or out) to help satisfy our innate need to connect with nature.

“It’s easier to fully relax surrounded by nature,” said Joe Raboine, director of Residential Hardscapes, Belgard. “More homeowners today are taking full use of their outdoor spaces, making those areas a true extension of their home and a place to just enjoy being outside.”

Basic elements of biophilic design

“Biophilic” means “love of living things,” so biophilic design helps human environments feel more like part of the natural world.

Here are some examples of biophilic principles — and how you can incorporate them into your outdoor space.

Mix and match materials

You can mesh natural materials with made ones to further blur the line between nature and the built environment using mixed materials to embody biophilic design. Entangled design is a popular style in hardscaping that blends the use of pavers into the landscaping, with multiple techniques to choose from, including fading, outcropping and stepping-stones.

For a sustainable, eco-friendly solution, consider using permeable pavers, which allow water to seep back into the ground, filtering runoff of pollutants and controlling soil erosion. A permeable paver system can even be designed to harvest and recycle rainwater.

Prospect and refuge

Harkening back to ancient times when humans lived in caves, this idea is about feeling safe and secure while still being able to look out and view the landscape. You can recreate this feeling by making a semi-sheltered living space outdoors.

For example, you could design an outdoor refuge like a garden room, dining room, kitchen or living room. Belgard Rooms offers templated outdoor living design plans, so homeowners can customize their space to fit their needs and design style. Homeowners can also test different designs with Augmented Reality, instantly bringing various rooms to life in their own backyard. Belgard’s collection of hardscapes, outdoor appliances and accessories can help build a cozy outdoor space customized to your needs — then add a structure like a pergola or sunshade for that sense of shelter.

Organized complexity

Looking up at a tree canopy, you can see the movement of the branches and leaves as the sun filters through. This kind of organized complexity is beautiful to the human eye. Many architectural designs tap into that response, such as the Eiffel Tower.

One great way to invite organized complexity into your space is using nature itself. For example, create a living wall using climbing vines or other plants with a supporting structure like fencing or a vertical garden. This helps define the space using greenery to give you both privacy and that sense of organized complexity that is so pleasing to the eye.

Modes of mystery

When you’re in nature, you’re always wondering. Walking in a forest, you wonder what’s behind that tree or down that winding path. That sense of awe, wonder and curiosity is a big part of the natural world’s fascination.

You can inspire this sense of mystery using winding walkways throughout your yard or garden. To create your wonder-full design, Belgard offers durable, stylish concrete pavers in a range of patterns and textures for your driveway, walkway, patio and more. All Belgard’s pavers offer multiple laying patterns, including contoured paver patterns, giving you flexibility to create a unique look to complement your style and celebrate your love of the outdoors.

Connect with natural elements

Beyond adding greenery to your outdoor space, you can enhance that connection to the natural world through the elements of water and fire. Water features like a bubbling fountain, small pond or water bowl add soothing sights and sounds to your outdoor oasis, with the added bonus that the sound of water can help reduce noise from neighbors or traffic. Another popular choice is building a cozy fire pit to create a great focal point and gathering space for family and guests.

Inspired to embrace biophilic design in your outdoor space? Visit Belgard Rooms for more ideas on how to incorporate entangled and biophilic design into your backyard to effortlessly flow with the natural landscape.

2022-09-13T08:01:00

(BPT) – Since the real estate market started heating up and as the pandemic lingers, alternative housing options are seriously trending. Remote work has opened possibilities for living almost anywhere, even while traveling, which has led to increased interest in options like tiny houses.

A recent survey by Fidelity National Financial subsidiary IPX1031 found that over half (56%) of survey respondents would consider living in a tiny house. Even more surprising, 86% of people who were not homeowners said they would consider a tiny house as their first home purchase, and 84% said a tiny home was an option they would consider for retirement. Other alternatives like modular homes, trailers and converted vans have emerged as potential options for anyone alarmed by exorbitant home prices, rising mortgage rates and soaring utility costs — and for those seeking a greener lifestyle.

Nontraditional homes offer benefits including economy, mobility (tiny houses with wheels or vans, for example), simplicity and sustainability. But they also present challenges. Beyond learning to de-clutter and simplify, you also have to learn how to meet essential needs, including most importantly: plumbing. Any living situation requiring above-floor plumbing solutions demands extra thought, so whatever space you call home is livable, practical — and comfortable.

Fortunately, implementing plumbing in a nontraditional home or even a portable setting is easier than ever, thanks to the development of user-friendly products that make workable bathrooms, kitchens and laundries possible for almost any setting.

Innovative bathroom solutions

For tiny homes, modular homes or other kinds of nontraditional housing, today’s effective above-floor plumbing technology can also improve water conservation. For example, macerators, grinders and drain pumps specifically designed for small spaces allow you to install efficient plumbing systems virtually anywhere, even for portable bathrooms.

Having to connect to a septic system 100 feet away, which was too far for conventional drainage, tiny home builders Mario and Ciarra Soto chose an option that offered the convenience of a traditional flushing toilet. Because tiny homes like theirs aren’t usually connected to a municipal sewer system, the Sotos had to figure out how to connect to their nearby property’s septic tank. The solution? The Saniaccess 2 macerating toilet system from Saniflo fit right behind their toilet, taking up little space. Meanwhile, its half-horsepower pump and macerator blades rotating at 3,600 RPM handled their drainage needs efficiently and quietly — and they even installed the Saniaccess 2 themselves.

Kitchen options for tiny houses, food trucks or basements

In settings ranging from tiny houses to food trucks or even in modular homes, optimizing limited space is key to a successful kitchen setup. Ideally, you’ll want to install a drain pump unit that not only handles drainage of gray water (water used for purposes other than sewage) from your sink and dishwasher, but also fits inside a kitchen cabinet.

One great choice is the Sanivite, about one-third the size of a standard drain pump, which can discharge gray water away from a variety of fixtures up to 16 feet vertically and/or 150 feet horizontally to the drain line. The Sanivite offers quiet performance by emitting less noise and vibration. This solution was ideal for Dane Perkins, project manager and co-owner of GMH Construction. His clients wanted to add a basement bar to their lakefront home — which would have involved breaking through their basement’s concrete floor. Instead, this new unit could drain water easily to meet their clients’ needs for far less cost.

Laundry solutions for smaller spaces

While the ability to do laundry is crucial to daily living, adding laundry facilities often seems impossible in modular settings. With a more compact profile than other drain pumps, the Saniswift Pro is a heavy-duty drain pump made for hard-to-reach, tight spaces common in modular settings — such as beneath a bathroom or kitchen sink. Even better, this unit can handle gray water from up to three fixtures (such as a shower, dishwasher and/or washing machine) and doesn’t store waste, but uses a short-cycle motor to begin draining immediately. The result? More efficient, effective drainage with no unpleasant odors.

If you’re considering a nontraditional housing option or need solutions to above-ground plumbing problems, visit saniflo.com to explore a wide variety of products that can make a difference, no matter what kind of housing you choose.

2022-09-13T07:01:00

(BPT) – “Expect the unexpected” is a common mantra when preparing for emergencies. However, with severe weather becoming more frequent in recent years, nearly everyone can expect to encounter a natural disaster within their lifetime. This uptick means storm-related property damage costs have also been on the rise, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reporting more than $145 billion in damages from weather-related disasters in 2021 alone.

Home emergencies, unfortunately, are not only caused by the weather. The National Fire Protection Association reported that roughly 346,800 home fires occur per year, most often from everyday activities like cooking, resulting in $7.3 billion in total property damage. Knowing how vulnerable many homes are to catastrophe, it’s now more important than ever to plan ahead and invest in dependable solutions.

In recognition of National Preparedness Month, The Master Lock Company, a trusted name in security and safety for over 100 years, is partnering with the American Red Cross of Wisconsin by donating 1,000 SentrySafe Fire Bags to at-risk communities in its home state as part of the nonprofit’s Home Fire Campaign. The security company is also sharing advice on preparing for emergencies to help safeguard everything worth protecting.

1. Know the types of disasters in your area. Different types of severe weather require different types of preparation, making it imperative to find out which disasters you are most at-risk for and plan accordingly. For example, earthquakes can happen in all states at any time of year, while wildfires are more concentrated in forested areas with low rainfall, such as Southern California.

2. Prep your home – and those who live in it. If you know a storm is coming, store lawn furniture or other loose items in a secure location and check if nearby trees should be trimmed to reduce post-storm debris. For added security, consider locking sheds using Master Lock’s Weather Resistant Padlocks and installing hurricane windows if you live in a vulnerable coastal region.

To prepare for non-weather emergencies like house fires, check that your home contains the right number of smoke alarms and that the batteries function properly. Ensure all household members — especially children — know what a smoke alarm sounds like, what to do when they hear it, how to escape from every room and where the family meeting spot is once outside.

3. Pack a “go kit” and secure hard-to-replace items. In case you need to leave your home in a hurry, prepare an emergency “go kit” containing medical supplies, food, water and other essentials. For personal documents and valuables like passports, birth certificates, photos and jewelry, consider storing them in a portable fire- and water-resistant container like the SentrySafe Fire Bag. For a more permanent solution to withstand fires and floods, consider a fire- and water-protected safe like the SentrySafe Combination Fire/Water Safe.

4. Invest in reliable security. Though smart home security systems are now the norm, it’s recommended to keep traditional solutions as backup options. For a compact, portable solution, the Master Lock Folding Door Bar is strong enough to prevent forced entry on hinged, patio and sliding doors, but can also be folded to fit inside your go kit. Lock boxes are also helpful, should friends or family require access into the home to check on a loved one. Consider battery-powered options like the Master Lock Portable Bluetooth^® Lock Box, which can function via smartphone or personal code.

Though there’s much uncertainty when emergencies arise, these precautions are the first steps toward peace of mind. No matter the crisis, households can depend on The Master Lock Company for durable, reliable solutions to protect both the people and the belongings that mean the most to you. For more information, visit insights.masterlock.com.