A home is a sanctuary. A house, on the other hand, is a structure — and danger can lurk in the most obvious or unlikely of places. Tens of thousands of people are hurt badly or killed every year doing mundane things or making home repairs in the place where they spend most of their time. Kids, adults, and seniors alike would be wise to watch out for these hidden household dangers.
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More than 50,000 people die from accidental poisoning in their homes every year, according to the National Safety Council — that’s 57% of all preventable injury-related in-home deaths. The items most likely to injure or kill, and that should be secured as tightly as poisons, include medicine, cosmetics, cleaning products, laundry detergent, medical creams, pesticides, products containing alcohol, glue, paint, drain cleaners, and automotive liquids such as antifreeze and windshield washer fluid.
Once poisons are out of the picture, falls kill more people — more than 24,000 a year — than anything else in the home, according to the NSC. When it comes to bad falls, staircases are the biggest culprit. Although older adults are most prone to falls, the danger is significant across all age groups. Keep staircases well-lit and free of toys, shoes, and other objects. Remove loose carpeting and focus on functionality over cosmetic appeal when choosing banisters and railings.
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Carpets, rugs, and other flooring are second only to stairs when it comes to causing falls — and cause more than 2 million a year, according to the National Floor Safety Institute. Most of the more than average 617,000 emergency room visits in typical years from flooring mishaps are for injuries to the head, face, and lower body. Choosing the right rug pad can go a long way in preventing falls on carpet. Wood, linoleum, and other hard surfaces should be kept dry at all times, too.
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About 10 people die in non-boating drowning accidents every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with pools being the biggest hazard. Many more near-drowning victims require hospitalization and suffer long-term health problems. Children are especially at risk, and boys and men are much more likely to drown than girls and women. Learn to swim, learn CPR, and make sure your children do the same. If you have a pool, invest in a high-quality lockable barrier, supervise children whether they can swim or not, swim in groups or at least pairs, don’t substitute floating pool toys for safety devices, and abstain from alcohol until the pool is retired for the day.
Treadmills hurt thousands of children and adults every year. Gaps between the belt and frame can trap little fingers, while the belt itself can send children or adults careening off the treadmill at high speed. Dangling power cords can entangle children, too. Retired boxer Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter was killed by a treadmill cord in 2009. Unplug treadmills when not in use, keep all cords tidy, and don’t let kids near them without supervision.
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Garage doors are one of the largest and heaviest moving objects in a home — and one of the most dangerous. Garage doors injure up to 30,000 people a year, mostly adults, with fingers being the most commonly injured body part. The electric eye and reversing mechanism are the main safety features; test them once a month by closing the door with a roll of paper towels underneath it.
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Unsecured furniture such as bookcases, shelving units, and dressers seriously hurt more than 33,000 people between 2010 and 2015, many of them young children. To prevent tipping, secure heavy furniture to studs in walls or with anchors in drywall.
For babies, toddlers, and small children, dangling window cords are among the most deadly hazards in the home. Deaths and serious injuries are so common that organizations exist solely to educate the public about the danger. Use cordless window coverings or a product such as the Safe-T-Shade Fashion Wand to eliminate dangling cords.
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Stovetop accidents are one of the most common causes of serious burns, especially among children. Keep pot handles turned inward and away from the edges of stovetop ranges, and cook on the rear burners when possible. When cooking with oil, be especially careful to keep children a safe distance from the stove.
A home catches fire every 93 seconds in the United States. The best way to prevent injury is to have properly placed smoke detectors that are tested regularly. Cooking, smoking, and carelessness are the top three most common causes of residential fires.
The flammable material that is dryer lint is in a fire danger category of its own because it’s so common and so commonly overlooked. Swipe the lint trap in your dryer regularly. If lint builds up, it can catch fire whether you use a gas or electric dryer. Store flammable liquids away from the dryer and don’t run the dryer when you’re not home.
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Beyond the obvious flames and smoke, fireplaces breed a hidden danger called creosote, a toxic byproduct of wood-burning that collects in the chimney. Over time it gets caked on and disrupts the chimney’s performance, which makes fireplace accidents more likely. There are secondary dangers, as well. When creosote particles enter the air, they can irritate the skin and eyes and even cause respiratory damage. Maintain your chimney, getting it inspected and cleaned on a schedule.
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More than a quarter-million people older than 15 visit the emergency room in a typical year for injuries suffered in the bathroom. The danger is especially acute for senior citizens. Since most falls occur while getting in or out of the tub, those who are older or otherwise prone to injury should consider installing grab bars or other support aids.
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More than 3,000 people are hurt in dishwasher-related accidents every year. Add child-safety locks if you have small children, place knives and other sharp objects facing down, don't crowd glassware to prevent breaking and chipping, and close the door when not in use.
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Often smelly and always gross, mold is usually a warning that a part of the home has too much moisture. Serious health problems and fatalities from dangerous toxigenic mold are actually quite rare, according to the CDC, but the presence of mold can aggravate health issues and cause irritation and allergic reactions. The agency has a big and thorough guide on identifying, managing, removing, and preventing the re-growth of mold. If you see unusual spots or if a room feels damp or smells musty, its mold tutorial is a good place to start.
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More than one-third of toy-related choking deaths involve common latex balloons, making balloons the No. 1 cause of all choking deaths in the United States. Use mylar balloons instead of latex, and if you do choose latex balloons, don’t let children under 8 inflate them. Always discard latex balloons when they break or become deflated.
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The small button batteries commonly used in remote controls, watches, cameras, toys, and other devices are potentially deadly. They can get stuck in the child’s esophagus or airway, which is more than just a standard choking hazard in this case. Trapped in the body, they can leak corrosive acid and quickly cause horrible internal burns and sometimes death. Always secure button batteries out of the reach of children.
Like button batteries and balloons, small magnets pose a serious choking hazard to children — their unique properties, however, make them more dangerous than your average, run-of-the-mill small thing. When more than one is swallowed, magnets can attract each other and bond together inside the body, even when on different sides of an intestine. If that happens, intestines can rupture and require immediate, life-saving surgery.
Carbon monoxide can leak from dryers, ovens, fireplaces, water heaters, boilers, and furnaces. It’s odorless, colorless, and tasteless, so it often goes unnoticed until its effects set in. When they do, those effects can be easy to overlook because they tend to mimic the flu or common cold. Invest in carbon monoxide detectors in your home, place them strategically, and test them regularly, just as you would with smoke detectors.
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Unlike the rest of the hidden dangers on this list, guns are most dangerous when they’re not hidden. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute, there are guns in 1 out of 3 homes with children, and 1.7 million children live with guns that are loaded and unlocked. Nearly nine out of 10 accidental shooting deaths among children occur in the home, and homicide rates also go way up with easy access to firearms. If you can’t follow basic firearm safety in a home with children — keeping guns stored unloaded and secured, with a lock no child has the key or code to — don’t own a gun.