Summertime just happens to be one of the greatest times of the year! Longer days, family barbecues, and beach trips with friends—the opportunities for fun are endless. With all this excitement, it’s easy to forget even the most straightforward summer safety tips and the dangers that can arise. Starting at home, let’s focus on easy adjustments you can make for a worry-free and safe summer.
6 Summer Safety Tips
[convertkit form=5278487]1. Preparation and Maintenance
Keeping your maintenance in check is something that needs to be done early to avoid delays with summer activities. Consider evaluating what needs to be done or fixed starting in Spring, so that the beginning of summer isn’t spent worrying. Not only does keeping up with your maintenance needs create a safe space for you and your family, but it also saves money in the long run.
The following can serve as a summer safety tips checklist when preparing your home:
- Focus on energy conservation—you will have a smaller energy bill and a reduced carbon footprint.
- Ensure that windows are correctly installed—this will close the door on uninvited leaks.
- Look for cracks and tree branches that overhang—these can be very dangerous upon the arrival of a storm.
- Based on your location, make sure you have the proper insurance for any potential storms or disasters—you don’t want to deal with the damage once it’s too late.
- Equip your outdoor areas with the proper control for unwanted animals and bugs—no one likes being itchy!
- Keep up with yearly inspections for termites—if they never come, you’ll never need to deal with them.
If you have kids running around at home, make sure to set rules with them so they know to avoid any chemicals used for the preparation tips above! Keep all tools and chemicals out of their reach to prevent accidents while they’re having fun this summer.
2. Monitoring Security
Unfortunately, summer months also call for a higher rate of home break-ins and theft. Not to worry, though, as there are many different ways to protect your home without even being there. Some helpful security tools include cameras, motion detectors, automatic lock applications, and alarm systems.
These security resources not only protect your home, but also help monitor the safety of your kids. Some tools even include settings for parents to connect with their children directly, when not present at home. They also work to make life easier while you’re out running errands. It’s important to note that some insurance companies reduce your rates if your home is equipped with smart protection tools—something definitely worth looking into!
3. Keeping Up With Your Home
Home strain can be a big issue when being home more often than not. Our home area and maintenance devices work harder than they are used to, especially during stay-at-home orders. During these times, it’s essential to dedicate time for cleaning your space and appliances more often than usual. Try setting up a schedule to do so at least once a month or bi-weekly.
By following a good cleaning routine, your home appliances will run smoothly for much longer. A routine also identifies issues with your devices before they become a big deal, giving you time to prepare in advance. The last thing you want right now is to deal with a surprise leak or malfunction in your home.
Consider also getting the help of professionals before you tackle any significant repairs. With their expertise, they can catch things you won’t or didn’t even realize were a problem.
4. Grilling and Fire Safety
Barbecues and bonfires are an all-time summer favorite of mine. All fun aside, playing with fire is a very difficult and dangerous thing to do. To ensure everyone is safe while having fun, rules need to be set and followed!
It’s never a good idea to leave a fire unattended, especially with children running around. By leaving the fire, you run the risk of the fire accidentally spreading and spiraling out of control. This can lead to unnecessary injury to your loved ones and damage to your home. To prevent this, remember to keep the fire at least 10 feet away from all structures, trees, and anything flammable.
Once you’re done with your barbeque or bonfire, don’t forget to extinguish the fire fully. Avoid leaving the fire unattended to burn out on its own, as you never know what could happen. A fire extinguisher on deck is excellent for emergencies, but you only really need water to put out the fire. Also, consider keeping a first aid kit close by in case any accidents are to occur.
5. Pool Safe Practices
Pool safety is one of the most crucial summer safety tips that cannot be overlooked! Fun under the sun and in the water is what many first think about when it comes to summer. As fun as the water can be, it can also be equally dangerous. If you have kids, make sure to always keep them supervised while they’re swimming or near the pool. A great idea is to enroll your kids in swim lessons as early as possible. When they are less confident in the water, make sure to gear them up with pool floats or life jackets.
Another great way to promote pool safety is by becoming CPR certified yourself. That way, in case of an emergency, you are ready to take necessary actions. Consider setting up a safety fence around the perimeter of the pool if you have young children. This prevents any unsupervised or accidental dips in the pool without permission. Likewise, make sure to keep your pool covered when not in use to avoid slips and unintentional falls.
Nowadays, with the help of smart technology, you can implement pool monitoring systems in your backyard. A monitoring system will alert you when activity is detected in or near your pool. This is extremely useful, especially if your pool is uncovered or you don’t have a safety fence installed.
6. Establishing Summer Safety Rules
It’s no surprise that children’s safety is incredibly important, but it can be hard to keep up with. Parents are only human and won’t always catch everything right away. For this reason, it’s necessary to communicate with your kids on their limitations this summer and what you expect from them.
Safety and precautionary systems are incredibly useful at home, but they aren’t a guarantee. This is why it’s crucial for your kids to know what kind of play is ok and what’s not acceptable. As kids get older, it becomes much harder to monitor them. They’ll want to venture out on their own and hang out with friends much more often. Even with older children, make sure they’re aware of their surroundings, have them memorize your number, and know what to do in case of an emergency.
A Few More Summer Safety Tips to Keep In Mind
While we tried to cover as many summer safety tips as possible, each family is different. Your safety precautions and rules will be unique to your family and situation, so feel free to incorporate safety tips we didn’t mention here. If you aren’t sure where to start, try doing a walkthrough of your home to identify potential hazards and safety issues.
Make sure to not only do a walkthrough of your home but also your backyard. During summertime, more often than not, most of your time will be spent outdoors. Be on the lookout for holes in the ground, equipment damage, issues with outdoor appliances, etc.
Due to the recent pandemic, this summer will be a little different than others. Although that’s not to say that the fun has to stop here! There are so many fun ways to enjoy the summer season at home. With that being said, it’s more important than ever to keep up with your home and safety. With so many safety tips and tricks, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Check out Hippo for more guidance on how to get started!
Author Bio
Carolyne Guilani is a writer and marketer who loves spending time outdoors with family and friends. She often gets told she has a “friendly face” and loves being around friends and working with children.
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