Fire safety is not to be taken lightly, and every homeowner should have a plan in place in case a fire occurs. In the event of a fire, there are certain things that you need to do in order to maintain your safety. There are also certain actions you can take to ensure that a fire does not occur in the first place. Continue reading to learn several fire safety tips. If you have had a fire in your home, we at Royal Restoration would be happy to provide revitalization options for you. Reach out to us for more information.

Preventative Fire Safety Tips

#1: Have Smoke Alarms

An important part of fire safety is to be able to detect a fire when it happens. Smoke alarms are a crucial part of detecting fire. The right number of smoke detectors depends on the size of your home, as more smoke alarms are important for larger homes. The American Red Cross recommends having at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and outside each sleeping area. Having interconnected smoke alarms is also important because they ensure that all of the smoke detectors will go off if one goes off, which will alert every person in the home.

#2: Make Sure Your Smoke Alarms Function

Smoke detectors are important to have installed, but if the smoke alarms are not installed correctly or are not working properly, they will be of no use to you. It is important to check your smoke alarms once a month. If they do not go off when you try to trigger them, then you may need to change the batteries.

#3: Be Cautious

This tip may be a no-brainer, but it is important to inform your family and children about things that could cause a fire and how to keep your home safe. Be cautious about turning off burners and ovens, always keep an eye on lit stoves or fireplaces, and be vigilant about keeping matches and lighters out of the reach of kids. You may also want to keep a fire extinguisher in your home to put out accidental kitchen fires.

#4: Have An Escape Plan

The next important step is to prepare where you would go if there was a fire in your home. Your windows and doors should be easily accessible and opened and you should have a plan for how to escape every part of your home (especially the bedrooms). There should actually be two escape routes for every bedroom. Have a place to meet after a fire, so that you can account for everyone. And make sure that you stay low out of the smoke when exiting the house. Everyone living in the home should be made aware of these escape plans. We recommend practicing the escape plan at least twice a year.

#5: Call 911

The last fire safety tip that should be planned out before a fire ever happens is that everyone in the home should know how to call 911. Teaching kids about 911 and how calling the number should not be taken lightly is important, but helping kids understand that calling 911 after a fire is crucial is even more important. Getting a fire truck to your home as soon as possible will help decrease the damage to your home and calling 911 can also help you get in contact with medical professional if anyone in your family sustains injuries.

Reach Out To Us For Restoration Services

We at Royal Restoration provide excellent restoration services to homeowners who have experienced home damage due to an accident or disaster situation. If your home has been damaged by a fire or by smoke, we at Royal Restoration would be happy to help you out. Our team is experienced and professional, meaning we will be able to return your home to its original state in a timely and safe manner. Reach out to us today for more information.

Water leaks are one of those problems that can drastically affect the condition of your home in largely negative ways. A house is typically one of the largest investments or purchases that a person will make in their lifetime. Due to the high investment that people put into a house and the fact that most people live in the homes that they buy, there is an enormous incentive to keep homes in the best condition possible. That is why we at Royal Restoration have compiled a list of ways to spot a water leak so that you can avoid drastic water damage. Continue reading to learn more.

Ways To Spot A Water Leak

#1: Check Your Water Meter

Your water meter is your first clue about a water leak. Your water meter is typically located in a manhole underneath a cover near the street. After turning off all of the water faucets in your home and making sure your washing machine and dishwasher are not running, go out to your water meter and make note of the numbers. After an hour, come back to the water meter and check to see if the numbers changed. If they have, you almost certainly have a leak in your home.

#2: Watch Your Ceiling and Your Walls

Another easy way to spot a water leak is to look out for discoloration and bubbling on your walls and ceilings. Water will typically cause drywall and paint to change color. The paint will darken, turning a brown, tan, or black color. The paint or wallpaper may also cave out, causing the wall to look like it is bulging or has bubbles.

#3: Use Your Nose And Your Ears

A tell-tale sign that you might have a water leak somewhere in your home is a musty smell. Mold growth occurs where humidity is and humidity occurs where water is. Mold can create a musty smell, and can occur both on the outside and the inside of a wall. If you hear trickling or dripping sounds, those are also signs of a water leak.

#4: Pay Attention To Your Utility Bills

Every month, your water bill will likely be relatively consistent. So, if you check your water bill and it seems to be unexpectedly high, then one of your home’s pipes may be leaking. If you do not find a leak, reach out to your utility company to make sure that there is not a discrepancy and get those costs squared away!

#5: Periodically Inspect Your Appliances

The main cause of water damage in homes is leaking from appliances that require water. Your sink, toilet, shower, dishwasher, and washing machine are the first suspects that your plumber will check if you call them about a leak, so they should also be your first points of contact when you suspect a leak. Checking your appliances periodically can also prevent potential leaks before they even happen.

Do You Need Water Damage Restoration Services?

If you have discovered a water leak in your home and it has caused damage to your property, we at Royal Restoration would be more than happy to be of service to you. Not only do we provide quick and efficient water damage restoration and revitalization services for homes and businesses, but we also provide services for a variety of other disasters including mold, fires, and storm damage. Our team is quick, efficient, knowledgeable, and makes sure to provide excellent water damage restoration (or other types of restoration) services for all of our clients. Reach out to us today to get your home back to its best condition.

Exciting your home because of a fire can be overwhelming and getting back into the comfort of your home can take weeks or even months. Smoke damage is not something that goes away on its own, and needs to be removed in order to keep your health intact. Your home should be comfortable and risk-free, so having proper smoke damage restoration can get your home back to cleanliness and keep your family healthy. Royal Restoration offers 24/7 services to improve your home at the drop of a hat.

Risks Of Living With Smoke Damage

Harmful Chemicals

There is a high risk of exposure to many things if you have been in your home during a fire or if you have entered your home too soon. Toxins and chemicals can linger from fire and burning materials. Some chemicals that are released during a fire and can linger in smoke damage include:

Sulfur dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon dioxide
Hydrogen cyanide
Nitrogen oxides
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
Benzene
Aldehydes
Acid gases
Toluene
Styrene
Metals
Dioxins

With all of these chemicals that come from fire, your home will not be safe until it is properly cleaned and restored. Removing smoke damaged flooring, furniture, walls, and air filters is the only way to keep these chemicals from affecting your health or causing more damage.

Skin Damage

Skin exposed to fire will obviously experience damage, but smoke can cause skin damage as well. Your skin can become dry, itchy, flakey, and irritated. This can lead to rashes of all kinds, bleeding, cracking, and peeling. Lingering smoke may not be noticeable at first, but it will start to affect many people in your home or business and can linger a lot longer when not handled by a restoration company.

Respiratory Problems

Inhaling smoke can cause damage to your lungs and continuing respiratory problems. Smoke contains microscopic particles that can lodge themselves inside your lungs that will stick around for a lot longer than you can handle. This can lead to health problems such as asthma, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, lung disease, and more. Respiratory problems can make doing daily tasks truly difficult and can make strenuous activities more labored.

Lingering Smoke And Ash

Even if you have opened all the windows and aired out your whole home, there may still be smoke lingering in small spaces. The most popular place for the smoke to linger is in your HVAC system. The air filter can stop most particles but smoke chemicals and lingering smoke can clog up your filter quickly and will not help improve the air quality inside your home. Smoke damage can appear and be seen in damaged walls and health problems.

Air Pollution Inside

Experiencing air pollution causes irritation in the eyes, lungs, and skin while spending too much time outside, but imagine experiencing it inside. Pollution in your home hangs low and is much more concentrated when it takes place in a small space. Pollution should not make your home, its own home so after a fire, make sure to contact Royal Restoration to clear damage from your home.

Work With Royal Restoration

Keeping your home safe and comfortable is our goal here at Royal Restoration. We offer both residential and commercial restoration services to keep your home and business in perfect shape. Restoration with our team is at the top of the Utah County area and can improve your quality of life. Royal Restoration offers other services including

Mold Cleaning
Mold Detection
Black Mold Removal
Frozen Pipes
Basement Flooding
Flood Restoration
Emergency Water Damage
Smoke Damage Restoration
Commercial Fire Damage
Commercial Mold Damage
Commercial Water Damage

Contact us to schedule your service today. We help to urgently handle damage or natural disasters and remove smoke damage from your home.

4 Preventative Fire Safety Tips