Winter and Holiday Safety for Your Cincinnati Home

Wintertime in Ohio can mean lots of cozy hours spent with friends and family, staying warm by a crackling fire, eating great food, and preparing for the holidays with festive decorations. When you’re having a great time, it’s easy to let your guard down, but it only takes a moment for major damage to happen to your home.  A grease fire can erupt while making gravy, a rough storm can lift shingles and allow water or snow to leak inside, a broken chimney flue can fill your living room with smoke, or you could return from a lovely winter vacation to find a broken pipe has turned your Cincinnati basement into a disaster.

No one wants to handle an emergency or restoration services to their home during the holidays. Doing some legwork goes a long way to prevent water damage, fire, or smoke damage. Here are some practical tips to make sure your home is safe this winter and holiday season.

1. Keep Kitchen Fires at Bay

Many families put their kitchens to serious work preparing their favorite holiday dishes. Make sure you are prepared:

• Test smoke alarms
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Place a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, and know how to use it
• Make sure dish cloths, apron strings, or cookbooks are out of reach from hot stoves or gas burners

If a grease fire breaks out, know what to do:

• Do not try to move the pan or take it outside: this can splash oil, causing severe burns and spreading the fire
• Turn off the heat
• Cover the pan with a metal lid or cookie sheet (glass lids can shatter)
• Use baking soda or salt to extinguish flames, not flour
• Use a Class B or K-rated fire extinguisher
• Remember, NEVER throw water on a grease fire!
• If the fire is unmanageable or spreading, evacuate and call 911 immediately

2. Enjoy Your Fireplace Safely

What’s better than gathering by a warm fire on a cold Cincinnati day? Keep these things in mind to enjoy your fireplace safely:

• Have your fireplace and chimney serviced annually to remove buildup
• Make sure your damper works properly and is open before lighting a fire
• Use a fire screen or glass door to keep popping sparks contained
• Burn dry hardwood, not wet, soft wood or paper and cardboard products
• Always put the fire out completely before leaving or going to bed
• Create at least 3 feet of clearance around the fireplace
• Keep children or pets away from a burning fire
• Have a carbon monoxide detector in your home when burning wood or fuel

3. Look After Your Plumbing

Ohio winters can be cold, and freeze-thaw cycles are tough on plumbing. Especially in older Cincinnati homes, you want to look out for your pipes:

• Turn off outdoor faucets at their shutoff valves, disconnect hoses, and drain pipes
• Insulate pipes in unheated home areas like garages or basements, or use heat tape
• Keep your garage door closed to protect pipes in adjacent walls, or add insulation
• Seal cracks or holes where pipes enter through exterior walls
• Don’t forget to flush your water heater once a year — this will help warm water flow more efficiently to pipes in your home

4. Keep Water Outside

The last thing anyone wants is water entering their home, causing water damage, or a mess. There are many areas of your home to consider keeping water out:

• Check your roof for lifted, missing, or damaged shingles
• Have gutters cleaned and downspouts cleared for proper drainage
• Trim overhanging branches that can damage your roof
• Check your attic for damp insulation or signs of leaks
• Inspect chimney flashing and vents to make sure they are water-tight
• Move snow away from basement windows
• Inspect window seals
• Check your pipes and appliances for any leaks
• Seal any cracks in the basement and check for signs of seepage

5. Extra Steps When Leaving for Vacation

If you’re heading out of town for a few days or weeks, don’t sleep on home safety. Here are some things to remember before you leave:

1. Unplug electronics, holiday lights, and space heaters
2. Leave the thermostat between 55–60˚to prevent frozen pipes
3. For extended trips, you may wish to shut off the main water supply, then open faucets and flush toilets to drain the pipes; also, shut off the water heater
4. For short trips away, you may wish to let some faucets drip to prevent pipe freezing, and keep your water heater turned on
5. Ask a neighbor or friend to check on your home periodically

Know Who to Call

If things go wrong this winter or holiday season and you find yourself with smoke, fire, or water damage, you have a local resource ready to help. Dry Ally is your experienced Cincinnati restoration team, ready to respond quickly, mitigate damage, and get your home back to a safe, comfortable condition. With some preparation and the right help, you can relax and enjoy the holidays, knowing your home and family are safe.