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Make Your Home Safer

Real Simple researched the leading causes of home injuries — from slips and falls to smoke and fires — to compile this complete guide to minimizing domestic mishaps

David Buttigieg

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Kitchen

Fire
statistic: Cooking is the number one cause of home fires.

Don't leave pots unattended on the stovetop.

Turn the handles of pots and pans inward so you'll be less likely to knock simmering food off the stove.

Keep a lid close to the stove to snuff out cooking fires. Don't use water, which can spread burning grease around the kitchen.

Keep pot holders, towels, and other flammable items away from burners.

Use only dry oven mitts — wet ones are a scalding danger.

In case of an oven fire, turn off the heat and keep the oven door closed. If there's a microwave fire, keep the door closed and unplug the microwave.

Childproofing

Attach safety latches to drawers containing knives, scissors, and sharp utensils. (Safety 1st cabinet and drawer latches, $3, available at most hardware stores.)

Use appliance knob covers to keep kids from turning on stove burners.

Install a safety cover on your garbage disposal to protect kids' hands. (Plumb Pak strainer guard for garbage disposal, $3, www.lowes.com.)

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