Happy New year! In addition to making your New Year’s Resolution here are a few things you should do to start the new year off right:
(1) General Household Safety
- Check your Smoke Detectors and CO2 detectors
- Smoke Detectors are usually good for about 8-10 years (you should check your manual and/or the sticker on your unit to be sure). Batteries should be changed annually, so now is a good time to get fresh batteries in all of them.
- Inspect your fire extinguisher and check expiration date.
- Does your house have visible address numbers? You might not be worried about the mailman not knowing your address, but what if you had an emergency? Be sure that you have large, clear, visible numbers on both sides of your mailbox and clearly displayed on the front of your house. This is a huge help to emergency responders.
- Refill your emergency preparedness and/or disaster kit (flashlight, radio, first aid kid, cash, batteries, food and water for 72 hours)
(2) Review your household emergency / evacuation plan with your family/children.
- Be sure that your children and other family members know what they should do and where they go in the event of an emergency. If your family has a code word, it's a good time to refresh everyone's memory on what the word is and when it should be used. (Click HERE for information on creating a family fire safety plan)
- Update emergency contact information. Placing a list of neighbor's phone numbers in an easy to find location is a good idea as well.
(3) General House Maintenance
- Vacuum your refrigerator coils – dirty coils use more electricity.
- Change the direction of your ceiling fans.
- Change your furnace filters and set a reminder to change them monthly, or every 3 months, depending on the filter instructions.
- Winter-proof crawl spaces and outdoor faucets.
- Check outdoor electrical outlets to be sure they are closed and waterproof.
- Do a general walk around the outside of your home to check for any safety or maintenance items you may not have noticed. Check for dead trees or anything else that could fall and damage your house, shed, fence, etc during an ice storm.
(4) Other tasks:
- Trash clutter. (Click HERE for an article on how to get started)
- Clear out your computer of junk.
- Make a list of your bills and see how you can reduce them.
- Toss any make-up or hair products that have been open for over a year.
- Minimize your closet contents. Try turning all of your clothing hangers backwards. Once you wear the clothing, turn the hanger back the correct direction. After 6 months (or when you switch out clothing at the end of the season) anything that is still on a backwards hanger hasn't been worn and can be donated.
- Schedule car maintenance and put a reminder in your calendar for upcoming inspection and registration dates. No one likes to be pulled over for expired plates or stickers!
- Schedule your annual physical (and ladies your mammogram!)– some offices take months to get an appointment so don’t wait until something happens and have to struggle to get in to see your preferred physician.
