Safety Tips for the Furniture in Your Home

Safety Tips for Furniture

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You expect to be safe and comfortable inside your own home. Unfortunately, dangers could be lurking around every corner. It’s especially difficult when those dangers come from items that you normally don’t think twice about—like your furniture.

Defective beds and furniture can cause serious injuries in your home, while not using other pieces of furniture according to their directions can leave you more susceptible to accidents.

Don’t let your bed or couch be the reason why you find yourself in the doctor’s office! Follow these safety tips and you can make sure the furniture in your home doesn’t sabotage your health or your safety.

Be Aware of Recalls

Defective products aren’t as uncommon as you think. From car seats to blinds, household products, and tools, there is a long list of items that have been recalled at one time or are currently being recalled.

It is important to make sure your furniture isn’t on that list. It is especially important if you share your home with an infant or a young child. You don’t want to experience a devastating loss because you used the wrong baby swing or rocker.

The best way to stay on top of recall information is to register your products. Most products come with a card that contains the instructions to have it registered online. Provide the company with your contact information and they will get a hold of you immediately should there ever be a recall.

Secure Top-Heavy Furniture to the Walls

Securing top-heavy furniture to the walls is a good idea if you live with small children or small children regularly visit your home, but don’t think a toppled bookcase isn’t also a possibility for teens, adults, and seniors!

It’s a good idea to secure large pieces of furniture to the walls if you have young children, and you should secure top-heavy items to the wall, no matter how old the people in your home are.

A few items you will want to consider anchoring to the walls include:

  • Tall dressers
  • Bookcases
  • Tables with spindly legs
  • Narrow benches

While you’re at it, you should consider securing your TV! Have it mounted to the wall or secure it to the top of the TV stand so it can’t be tipped over.

Less Is More

We all have a way of collecting things as we get older. Before you know it, you’ve got a house full of furniture and you have forgotten what your floors look like!

Clutter can have a negative effect on your mental health, but it can affect your physical health too. If you have too many pieces of furniture in your home, you are more likely to trip when walking across the room.

Make sure you have adequate seating and surfaces in your home, but if it has been years since someone has sat on grandma’s old wingback or an end table has seen a single drink, it’s time to get rid of it.

Keep It Away From Hot Surfaces

Most furniture is flammable. Some furniture is more flammable than others. That’s especially the case if your furniture has been treated with chemicals. It is important to practice fire safety inside your home because both upholstered and wooden furniture can quickly go up in flames.

Within a four-year period, over 7,500 homes experienced fires in the United States that were started by candles. Cigarettes can be a huge fire hazard too. Make sure candles are on flat, even surfaces out of reach where they can’t accidentally be knocked over, and consider stepping outside to smoke your cigarette.

You should also keep your upholstered furniture away from radiators and fireplaces!

Be Extra Careful With Recliners and Rockers

It is especially important to pay attention to the recliners and rockers in your home. They are among the most dangerous pieces of furniture for seniors, but they can be dangerous to all ages because rocking mechanisms can become broken or defective. It’s important to inspect them often and to dump chairs as soon as the mechanism doesn’t work like it should.

If you have kids in the house, recliners and rockers should come with rules! They can easily be tipped by overexcited children.

Your furniture isn’t deadly by any means, but it’s not necessarily as safe as you think it is either. Regularly inspect your furniture and keep your eyes peeled for recalls to make sure the furniture in your home isn’t responsible for causing a serious accident.