Although you can always get help from a fire restoration company if you have a fire in your home, experiencing such an incident is obviously something every family would like to avoid. While small fires that do not require major fire damage restoration work occur frequently, catastrophic home fires occur all too frequently and can easily be started by accident. That’s why you should take certain precautions to significantly reduce your chances of having a house fire.

Below are five home fire prevention tips that will be helpful to anyone.

1. Set up smoke detectors

The best way to know if there is a fire in one part of your house is to install smoke detectors in almost every room. That ensures that if there is a small fire in a bedroom, bathroom or in the kitchen, the sound of the alarm will alert you quickly. In fact, most homes should have smoke detectors.

Some homeowners even connect their smoke detector to their emergency alarm system, which alerts a security company if there is a fire incident. They can contact you quickly, ask if everything is okay, and even call 911 on your behalf.

2. Check heating sources

Periodically have a professional check the heat sources in your home, making sure you don’t experience a house fire as a result of your furnace. The last thing you want is to spend time and money hiring a fire restoration company, even if you have a good homeowners insurance policy.

3. Keep your cooking area clear

Stove fires can get out of control very quickly, especially grease fires. Even if you have a smaller kitchen, you should do your best to clear things from around open flames. Always keep a fire extinguisher handy and check it regularly to make sure it doesn’t need to be replaced.

4. Maintain your clothes dryer

Be sure to clean the lint section of the clothes dryer after each use. People think that area is there for show, but if lint builds up in the lint trap, you can end up with excessive heat in the machine.

Some dryers shut down if the temperatures get dangerous, but that’s not usually a feature of older dryers.

5. Avoid burning candles too long

Most people would be surprised to learn that a significant portion of house fires in the winter are the result of candles left burning too long. The candle can often burn to the end, which can break the candle box and cause a fire. Be sure to note the time when you have lit a candle, as you may remember to put it out after 45 minutes to an hour. That ensures that you will never leave a candle burning so long that it goes out.

If there’s a fire in your home, you’ll need help getting your property back into serviceable condition. Be sure to consult with professionals who handle fire damage restoration work, as they provide the best opportunity to achieve a quality result from this process.