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Top Reasons Why a Flame Retardant Mattress Should Be Part of Your Fire Safety Procedures
Home fires are commonly caused by electrical issues. The good news is that, in many cases, the fire can be avoided by undertaking annual electrical inspections which will identify any issues and give you the opportunity to fix them before they cause a problem.
But, if a fire does occur in your home you’ll be surprised by how quickly it can spread. That’s why you need to adopt as many safety measures as possible to protect your home against fires. Alongside the standard smoke alarms and fire shutters, you need to be looking at your soft furnishings and ensuring that you have a flame retardant mattress.
What Flame Retardant Means
Flame retardant products are designed to withstand exposure to flames. Of course, they won’t survive indefinitely but they also won’t burst instantly into flames. This can seem a little excessive as if you’re not aware of the fire by the time it reaches your bed, it’s probably too late to get out safely.
Bedroom Fires
But, that’s assuming, the fire starts in the electrics, possibly near the fuse box or the kitchen. However, the truth is that fires can just as easily start in the bedroom or living room. It only takes one lit cigarette to start a fire if the material it lands on is flammable. In the past, mattresses and couches were all made of flammable material.
In short, if you fell asleep and the lit cigarette hit the fabric the bed or couch would be up n flames in seconds, giving you no tie to escape. A fire retardant mattress will smolder, ideally, you’ll be alerted by the smell and be able to extinguish the issue before it becomes a proper fire.
The fire retardant mattress can save your life.
Chemical Risk
Of course, adding chemicals to anything creates concerns regarding what those chemicals can do to the human body. Research has shown that fire retardant chemicals can infiltrate the body and even accumulate in breast milk.
This leads to the question of whether they have negative effects on humans. Although research is ongoing the indications are that it can be detrimental to your health. The good news is that there are natural flame retardant mattresses that you can use. These are generally made of wool or another organic material that is known to be fire retardants. Choosing a mattress made from a natural substance means you’ll have an early warning system in times of fire without risking your health the rest of the time.
To ensure you’re getting the best value and health avoid mattresses that contain boric acid, antimony trioxide, PBDEs, or melamine. Some of these items are now banned but you still need to be aware of what they are.
Extra Protection
Don’t forget that the flame retardant mattress is only part of your protection from fires. A good smoke alarm, fire shutters, extinguisher, and a practiced escape plan will all help to ensure you and your loved ones escape safely, should the worse happen.