Did you know that most household fires originate in the kitchen? Keep reading the fire prevention tips in this post by Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services in St. Croix County to keep your kitchen safe.

The kitchen is the heart of your home. Although it's mainly equipped for food preparation, its purposes go beyond cooking. The kitchen is a family gathering place, a space for hosting and entertaining guests at parties and get-togethers. As the center of your home, you expect your kitchen to be a safe, hazard-free space; yet, most home fires occur there. According to recent data from The National Fire Prevention Association, 44% of home fires that occurred between 2015 and 2019 happened in the kitchen. Given such a statistic, it's important to recognize the importance of preventing fires from originating in the heart of your home. To learn more on how to keep your kitchen safe and fire-free, read the tips below.

A fire can be devastating to your property. If you require a reliable clean-up service after such damage, call Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services at 888-436-3499 promptly and get the best cleaning and restoration services in St. Croix County.

Tips to Prevent Kitchen Fires

Stay in the Kitchen When Cooking

For many, it's not unusual to leave a sauce, soup, or stew heating on the stove while sitting in another room of the house resting or working on something else. Yet, unattended cooking is a leading cause of kitchen fires. That's why we recommend you keep an eye on what you're cooking whenever you're grilling, boiling, or frying. If you have slow-cooking foods in the oven or on the stove, use timers to keep track of them and check your kitchen. The important thing is to stay alert, as many cooking ingredients can catch fire. For example, suppose you leave a pan of cooking oil unattended on the stove. The oil could overheat, splatter, spill, and start a fire in a few minutes.

Keep Flammable Items Away From the Stovetop

Fires in the kitchen can spread within minutes if flammable ingredients or items are near the burner flames. For example, imagine you have an unattended frying pan splashing overheated cooking oil. If such a pan were to catch fire, and there were flammable items around, a fire would be almost inevitable. In the face of such a risk, keep the stove's surroundings clean and clear of things like kitchen towels, coffee filters, food containers, flour, or sugar.

If your home needs a reliable restoration service after damage caused by fire, water, smoke, or mold, call Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services at 888-436-3499 to get the best cleaning and restoration services in St. Croix County. Their restoration experts will arrive promptly to conduct a damage assessment and outline a plan of action to get your home back to its pre-damage condition.

Keep Small Children Away From the Stove

If you have children, you know that cooking in front of them can make them curious, which is why they may peek at the stove to see what you're cooking before dinner. However, the kitchen is full of risks for them. That said, talk to your children about kitchen safety. Teach them to avoid the stove whenever you are cooking and explain the risks associated with playing near the stove.

What to Do if a Fire Occurs While Cooking?

• Water is the first thing on people's minds when they see a fire. Yet, when it comes to putting out a burning oil pan, the worst thing you can do is throw water on it, as the mixture of flames, grease, and water is explosive. That said, avoid using water to put out grease fires in your kitchen.
• Also, avoid extinguishing flames with cooking ingredients such as flour or non-dairy milk. After all, you never know if something might contain alcohol or flammable chemicals.
• For small flames, smother them by covering the pan with its lid. Then turn off the burner and wait a few minutes for the pan to cool.
• As for high flames, go outside your home and close the doors behind you to prevent airflow from worsening the fire. Then call 911.

What to Do if Your Clothes Catch Fire While Cooking?

Another serious risk associated with cooking is that a spark of fire may reach your clothes and ignite them. In such a case, it's important that you do not run, as movement can contribute to the fire receiving more oxygen to spread. Instead, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands, and roll from side to side to smother the flames on your clothing. Once the fire is out, call 911 for medical attention immediately.

Call Archer Cleaning & Restoration Services at 888-436-3499 if you require the best cleaning and restoration services in St. Croix County. Rest assured they offer 24/7 services, so don't hesitate to call them whenever a fire, water, smoke, or mold damage wallops your home.