Every season has its own unique risks for fire disasters. During the summer, you likely found yourself hanging out at the grill and possibly shooing away playing children who could accidentally get hurt playing around the grill master. In the fall, preparing for fire safety brings new challenges as summer winds down.

You may be entering Fall with just as many plans to hang out around the grill as the SEC cranks up tailgating season, but fire prevention is a little different this time of year!

Beware of Fire Hazards

Begin by clearing your property of dried leaves, twigs, and other potential fire hazards that have accumulated during the hot, dry months. Pay attention to your gutters and areas around your home. There are indoor fire hazards as well; cooking, HVAC issues, broken electrical outlets, cigarettes, and candles are common fire hazards.

1. Check Fire Alarms

Install or check your home’s smoke detectors and fire extinguishers to ensure they are fully functional. Test smoke alarms every month, and replace the batteries every year. If it is time to replace your fire alarms, consider installing products that can sync to your phone. These can tell you battery strength, alert you to an alarm when you are away from home, and some even monitor carbon monoxide or other hidden risks.

2. Know What to do & Conduct a Fire Drill

Sit down with your family to create a fire safety emergency plan, including a couple of exit plans and meeting points. This may seem scary for children, but remember, they practice these same types of drills at school. When you practice to ensure everyone knows the drill, you can explain to them that it is just like the fire safety drills they do at school.

3. Designate Homework Areas

Create dedicated spaces in your home for homework and study. These areas should be quiet, well-lit, and free from distractions. A clutter-free workspace encourages focus and concentration, helping your children start the year off right! If you work from home, this can also be very helpful to allow you to have your designated workspace that is separate from their designated homework space. If we have learned anything from the last few years of remote work, it is that distractions at home can hurt productivity no matter what age you are!

4. Sort and Organize School Supplies

Does it seem like school supplies just multiply over the years and end up in the most random of places? Anyone who has found a crayon melted into the seat of their car in the heat of a Nashville summer or washed in with your “whites” understands how old school supplies can wreak havoc on other areas of your life.

The best way to keep this from happening is to gather all school supplies and sort them into categories. Dispose of dried-up markers, broken crayons, and items that are no longer usable. Use containers or bins to organize supplies so they’re easily accessible when needed. We could recommend that label maker from earlier, but that may just be us!

5. The Family that Cleans Together

Decluttering and organizing should be a family event. Just as you take your kids with you to shop for new back-to-school supplies, they can help clean out the old supplies. Give each family member their own tasks and turn the process into a fun activity! We may not be cleaning up with magic like Mary Poppins, but it is possible to turn this into a fun activity!

You could look at their new supply list and tell them, “You need crayons; can you find all of the crayons you have now”? Then, if they see they need to discard unused broken crayons, they also see it is an item on their list that they get to shop for on the supply run! Encourage your children to scavenge their personal belongings and help them develop good organizational habits.

Adroit Restoration: No Job is Too Big or Too Small!

For larger clutter challenges or messy areas, consider seeking professional assistance. Adroit Restoration is here to help with big cleanup tasks, ensuring that your home is transformed into a welcoming and organized space!

Adroit Restoration is here to support you in your journey toward a clutter-free and organized home. With our expertise, you can achieve a fresh start that affects your family’s overall well-being and academic success as we enter into the 2023-2024 school year!