One of the deadliest and most silent killers would be carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be deadly for those who are exposed to it. The issue comes with the fact that carbon monoxide is odorless and tasteless unlike other types of fuels. Because of this, it is easy to have carbon monoxide in the home and not even know it. Be sure to consider these five tips in order to protect your family from carbon monoxide poisoning.
1. Never Heat Your Home with a Gas Stove
While those chilly winter nights might cause you to want to have another source of heat, you should never heat your house using a gas stove or oven. Putting on the oven and opening the door without any food inside of it can cause carbon monoxide fumes to enter the house.
2. Don’t Use Gas-Powered Tools Inside
Even though the winter months can be cold and hinder you from doing projects outside, this doesn’t excuse the fact that gas-powered tools like mowers, snow blowers and generators can give off carbon monoxide fumes in enclosed areas when they are used.
3. Install a Carbon Monoxide Detector
A carbon monoxide detector is an inexpensive and highly beneficial way for you to be alerted if there is carbon monoxide present within the home. The alarm will go off if it detects even a trace of carbon monoxide in the air so that you can act accordingly.
4. Always Make Sure that Heaters are Well-Vented
According to East Side Ventilation Ltd., if you have a wood-burning stove, pellet stove or gas-powered heating system in your home, you need to make sure that these machines are vented to the outside of the house. This prevents fumes from wood and fuels from entering the home and causing carbon monoxide buildup in the air.
5. Don’t Idle Your Car in the Garage
You should never idle your vehicle in the garage of your home, especially if the garage door is completely closed and there is no way for carbon monoxide fumes to escape. The fumes can overtake the entire garage and even enter the house if you have a backdoor going from the garage to the home itself.
Keeping your family safe from carbon monoxide poisoning is your responsibility, and it can also be a lot easier than you might think. The key is to invest in a good-quality carbon monoxide alarm that will alert you if there is a problem in the house. Next, you need to make sure that any and all fuel-powered machines and items are either well-ventilated to the outside or not used at all inside of the house to protect your loved ones.
