Household Electrical Safety

Electrical safety tips to implement at home 

For any Cincinnati home owner, electrical safety is among the list of things that they should check. It is important that before purchasing a home, you ascertain the safety of the home during the inspection. Ensuring that you regularly test the electrical safety of your home is also very important.

Only a certified electrician should handle electricity issues; it is important that you have an expert do it for you. 

Power wise, some of the things to inspect are:

• Electrical wiring

should have high rankings and should a fuse blow, you should immediately turn off the lights at the circuit breaker. Regularly check on the condition of the circuit breaker.
When you have a faulty fuse, do not ever replace it with a coin or in the dark. Your circuit interrupter for all sockets should be outside the house and preferably be ground fault circuit breaker. Inspect the condition of your power outlets often and during wiring, check where your power outlets are located. They should not be too close to your gas supply outlet.
• Electrical appliances
Many people forget to unplug their devices after they are done using them. Unplugging your appliances does not only save you power bills but also ensures your safety. When disconnecting these devices, always ensure that your hands are not wet. Remember to keep all your power tools away from water.
• Cords and extension plugs
Naked cords, plugs or extension cords are a huge electrical hazard. Always ensure that your cords do not run near a source of water or heat. You should also know when to replace your wires, at the first sign of wear, get a new extension cord.

If the wiring in your home is done in haste, then it leaves room for mistakes. When it comes to electricity, even the smallest mistake can cost you and your family dearly. Check that the wiring is properly done and no bare wires are running through your house. Ensure that you have safety fuses.
• Circuit breakers, fuses and outlets
All fuses in your house should be in great working condition; they should never be loose. They

If you have any issues with electricity, do not try to fix them yourself. Always call an electrician to take care of your power problems and avoid electrical accidents. 

Rodent Problems in Ohio

Typical rodent problems Cincinnati Ohio

Rodents are an age old problem in, most homes. They are frustrating unpleasant little creatures that can cause you the greatest embarrassment of your life. Rodents are no one’s friends, they eat through everything and leave a huge mess in their wake.

Rats and mice will drive you insane due to their recurrence. There are steps you can take to rodent proofyour Cincinnati house. However, there is no guarantee that they will stay out forever. Ensure to invest in the best rodent eradication methods as soon as you spot signs of rodents.

Rats and mice cause problems like:
• Eating through electrical wires
Rodents are just generally destructive, once you have a rat or mouse in the house, the electrical safety of that home is at risk. They eat through electrical wires causing power to malfunction. While eating through wires, they may link two wrong wires together and lead to a fire which is very hazardous.
• Asthma and allergies
While they terrorize your possessions, they also leave a lot of their fur behind which trigger allergies in many people. Rodents have also been found to be a leading cause of asthma, especially in children.
• They cause flea, tick and lice infestation
It’s not enough that these rodents already keep you up at night, they bring you more bugs to address. Having rodents in a home increases the chances of having fleas, ticks, and lice since rats and mice carry them. These additional bugs also bring with them many health risks.
• They cause many diseases
Rodents cause salmonella. Their feces carry this bacteria which when ingested causes food poisoning in humans. Trichinosis is another health hazard you face when there are rodents in the house. Rodent urine is full of leptospirosis which is a harmful bacteria when it embeds itself in human organs like kidneys. Stepping on rodent urine barefoot is how people come into contact with the bacteria.

• Eat through clothes and furniture
Your favorite suit, dress or piece of furniture is not safe from rodents. Neither are your accessories, bags, jewelry, shoes, and rugs. There just isn’t anything that rodents will not soil with their stinky urine or tear through. 

Five ways of preventing mold in Cincinnati 

Mold is a very recurrent problem in many Cincinnati apartment buildings and home. Being an unwelcome visitor, mold can be hard to get rid of completely which is why prevention is better. There are many dangers of mold which extend to your health. Some people only get mold allergies while to others it affects their respiratory system. 

To stay healthy and safe from mold, you can prevent it from ever forming through this easy steps: 

• Lower the humidity levels in your house Humidity is the biggest attractor of mold in your house and to keep away mold; you need to ensure that the humidity levels remain at 50% or lower every day, never higher. To effect this step, an air conditioner can help regulate the humidity levels in the house. Changes in humidity occur throughout the day as the moisture in the air increases or decreases. You will, therefore, have to check on the levels more than once each day to ensure that they do not exceed the recommended levels. • Fix all leaks in the house A leaking roof, faucet, wall or any other part of your home is a gateway to the formation of mold. Any leaks should be immediately fixed to ensure that no part of your house has moisture all the time since it is the essential ingredient for the growth of mold. Your home plumbing system should always be in great shape. 

• Your home needs adequate ventilation If there is the inadequacy of ventilation in your house, mold will come knocking. It is important to have ventilations and use them accordingly, open the windows to let in fresh air and also use exhaust fans in bathrooms and the kitchen. 

• Use mold inhibitors Using mold inhibitors is a common way of ensuring that mold never bothers you. It’s an easy solution that works long term, all you need to do is mix the inhibitors in the paint and then paint your home. The inhibitors block the growth of mold, but it is also important that you keep the walls in good shape to avoid leaks. 

• Use mold killing products to clean your bathroom If not properly cleaned and dried, bathrooms tend to be the first place that you notice mold growing. Ensure that when cleaning the bathroom, you use products that kill mold to kill off any forming mold and prevent the growth of mold in your house.

Radon Gas in Cincinnati Ohio

Addressing radon gas in Cincinnati Ohio

Every house in the US has been found to contain trace amounts of radon gas. 1 in every 15 homes has dangerous levels of the gas, and it is important that it is addressed immediately. Radon gas is among the most feared gases here in Cincinnati due to the health risks it poses to humans. The dangers of radon gas include lung cancer, especially in people who smoke. 

Studies are also
trying to figure out the link between the gas and leukemia.
All the dangers of radon gas can be averted by conducting a home test to find out if the levels are very high. Radon gas is both odorless and colorless which makes it impossible to detect without the proper testing tools. There are test kits that offer short term testing capabilities and take between two and seven days to give results. Long term kits take 90 days to give a full report on the levels of the gas all year long.

Radon gas testing is highly recommended anytime you make some significant adjustments to your homes like installing new doors and windows, changing your heating or cooling systems and anything that could change the pressure and ventilation of your house allowing more gas to enter.
Once you have the test kit, place the container in an area of your home that has less traffic. Once the duration of the test is up, seal the container and take it to a lab. When the results come in, check that your levels do not exceed 4.0 pCi/Li. If they do, it is time to call a contractor to help you contain the gas. 

The gas can be contained through:
I. The installation of a suction system in the house. The system will remove the gas that is already in your home and significantly lower the levels to working levels that are safe for people.
II. If there are any cracks in your foundation, they need to be fixed to block the entrance of radon gas into your home.
III. Change your ventilation choices. In as much as your home requires adequate ventilation, investing in the right kind to prevent radon gas is important. The pressure in your house should also be balanced. 

Childproofing doors and windows in Ohio

Childproofing doors and windows in Ohio

So many accidents involving children happen at home. Even the most standard items in the house can cause fatal accidents to children which are why childproofing is very important. Do not wait until after the baby is born and starts crawling; prior preparation is better.

Doors and windows are some of the areas that you cannot keep children from wanting to look through or open. It is therefore prudent to get child locks on all doors and windows to prevent children from hurting themselves, going outside or falling off from windows. 

Best Home Inspection Cincinnati

When it comes to childproofing your doors, you should consider the following: I. Get Door knob covers

When children start supporting themselves on furniture and doors so that they can stand, they hang on to things for support like the door knob. With door knob covers in place, you can relax knowing that the child will not be able to turn the door knob.

Door knob covers are easy to use; when adults want to turn the knob, they do not need to remove the lid, pressing it in enables you to use the door regularly.

II. Have finger pinch protectors

Leaving doors open is a risk since children might hurt their fingers or toes while trying to close the doors. Finger protectors on doors ensure that your doors do not shut tight leaving space for the child’s fingers.

Window protection for children includes doing the following: I. Install window locks

All windows in the house should be locked as long as there is a baby in the house. This is to prevent children from opening the windows and falling over or hurting themselves as they try to shut the windows. Locks are available for every window type, and they are easy to install.

II. Childproof window blinds

Curtains seem so harmless, yet they could kill your child in a matter of seconds. When children get entangled in blinds, they can easily strangle themselves accidentally. Blind cords are also a big hazard to young children.

Some parents opt to warn their children against doors and windows. While this may be useful in some cases, it is better to childproof the doors and windows and still talk to your kids.