When the weather gets cold, you may want to cozy up indoors by lighting a candle or two. However, it’s important to keep candle safety considerations in mind when doing so.
All it takes is a single candle mishap to quickly escalate into a devastating fire within your home. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association claims that there is an average of 21 home fires caused by candles every day—with 85% of them being avoidable.
Candle incidents can be avoided by practicing safe candle usage within your home. Learn to use candles safely in your home by following these simple tips:
- Trim the wick—Trim the wick to a quarter of an inch to keep the flame from becoming too large.
- Use a long match or lighter—To keep your hand from getting too close to the flame, always use a long match or long lighter.
- Don’t walk away—Make sure the wick ember is completely out and no longer glowing before leaving the room.
- Secure the area—Never burn a candle near anything that could catch fire. This includes furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper and flammable decorations.
- Keep candles away from kids and pets—Make sure children and pets cannot reach burning candles.
- Avoid drafts, vents and air currents—This will help prevent rapid burning or dripping of your candle.
- Burn for no longer than four hours—Burning your candle for more than four consecutive hours can cause the wick to become unstable and the flame to grow too large.
- Extinguish candles appropriately—Suffocate the flame by using a snuffer or putting the lid on the candle to prevent hot wax splatters.
- Don’t touch or move it—Make sure the candle is completely cooled before touching or moving it.
For more home safety guidance and homeowners insurance solutions, contact Midwest Professional Insurance today.
