The 10 Most Dangerous Threats in Your Home

If you're like most people, your first and strongest instinct is to keep your family safe, and that's especially true when you are all at home. Unfortunately, the average house contains many things that can threaten to do us harm. Some of these threats can compromise the house, itself, indirectly putting your family in bigger danger. You could even be put in serious financial risk because of these threats! But just by knowing about these common hazards and exercising a little bit of preventive safety, you'll manage to protect your family and loved ones infinitely better.

Here are the 10 most dangerous threats in your home (in no particular order):

1. Lead

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that causes a range of dangerous health problems – and commonly shows up in older homes. If traces of lead are ingested or absorbed into the body, it can interfere with brain function occur, even causing permanent damage to the brain, nervous system and vital organs.

Before it was outlawed, many household products contained high amounts of lead. Once lead was discovered to have adverse health effects, it was banned from use in 1978. So if your home was built before 1978, you might have traces of lead-based paint lurking under newer layers of paint. Lead presents the biggest risk to children, who might put lead-based paint dust or paint chips in their mouths or hands, or breathe it if someone is sanding or doing construction and the particles go airborne. Both children and adults are at high risk of lead poisoning.

2. Termites

Rats, mice, other rodents, wasps, bees, spiders, and snakes are no fun to have around, but there are far more dangerous uninvited guests that may try to take over your home. For example, termites and other wood-destroying pests can cause mass damage to your dwelling. Unfortunately, infestations and the insects themselves are so small and hard to detect, the damage often is invisible in wood framing, below subfloors, structural beams, or inside any other wood that makes up your home.

Subterranean termites are the most common variety – and they also happen to cause the most damage, but damp-wood termites, dry-wood termites, wood boring beetles, and carpenter ants can also invade a home, even rendering it unlivable if unchecked.

3. Mold

Toxic mold can grow in unlikely places in your home wherever there is moisture, often hidden behind the walls, attics, and under the floors. The most dangerous types of molds emit mycotoxins, which can cause illness and respiratory problems, or even hospitalization and death in extreme cases.

Mold can only grow where there is a steady source of moisture, like leaky seals around plumbing or roofing, or even where groundwater seeps in your basement. It grows fast, requiring only 24-48 hours to mature, so mold should be handled with extreme caution.

4. Home fires

We have a home fire every 10 seconds in the US, or a fire big enough to call the fire department every 60 seconds.  Firefighters in the U.S. respond to 374,000 residential fires every year, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Sadly, about 13,000 people lose their lives in home blazes every year, or one every three hours. The monetary damage incurred from house fires is an alarming 11.7 billion dollars a year.

A large number of home fires get started when residents fall asleep with lit cigarettes, from accidental kitchen fires, or shorts in faulty electrical wiring.

5. Water damage

Water damage that seeps into the home is a serious threat that can cause major damage. Of course, burst pipes or broken sewage lines are disastrous and can be exorbitantly expensive to fix. But smaller, slow leaks and water intrusions can enter through faulty rooflines, unsealed windows and doors, or pool up under sink cabinets, in basements, and in crawl spaces. Even small drips can rapidly cause wood rot and provide a perfect breeding ground for termites and other wood-eating pests as well as an ideal place for dangerous mold to sprout.

6. Carbon monoxide

High levels of carbon monoxide gas are a silent and invisible danger in any interior space. Even short-term exposure to carbon monoxide can cause serious health problems. Once breathed, it essentially replaces oxygen in the blood, killing off cells and starving vital organs of oxygen flow. The scary thing is that carbon monoxide can come from a variety of common household items and appliances. It's also totally odorless, colorless, and can incapacitate or kill within minutes in some cases. Many states have laws requiring landlords to put in carbon monoxide detectors, so homeowners would be wise to do the same. 

7. Lawsuits

Unfortunately, we live in one of the most litigious societies in the world, and that means virtually anyone can sue anyone whether it's reasonable or not. Visitors, delivery employees, and service workers who come on your property and then get hurt can sue you, and most people would rather have major surgery than go through a lawsuit. Slip and falls, dog bites (about 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year!), accidents involving children and pools or trampolines, even falling tree branches are common sources of lawsuits against property owners.

8. Thefts and home invasions

According to the FBI, there are approximately 2.5 million home thefts and forced entries every year, or about 1 in every 30 households. The average loss for each home burglary is $2,230, which adds up to about $4.7 billion every year. But the damage goes beyond the material, often having lasting consequences for the residents. The psychological toll and feelings of violation can remain far after the monetary damages are forgotten, often making a house no longer feel like a home.

9. Natural disasters

Referred to as "Acts of God” by insurance companies, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, hailstorms, sinkholes, mudslides, and forest fires are just some of the natural disasters that can befall a home. In California, the fear of a sizable earthquake is a valid concern, and recently, the damaged spillway in Oroville Dam forced 80,000 residents to evacuate. Of course, no one can predict when a natural disaster will hit – or prevent it – but homeowners are often woefully underprepared.

According to United Policyholders, about two-thirds of U.S. homeowners would be underinsured if some sort of adverse weather or geological event struck. It’s advisable to have evacuation supplies ready, extra food stored in your garage, batteries for flashlights and a family plan should some catastrophic event occur.

10. Cyber crime

Does identity theft really count as a danger to homeowners? In fact, identity theft and other types of online fraud are on the rise in the United States – and the stats are staggering. Approximately 15.4 million people have their identities or financial data compromised and exploited, costing them upwards of $50 billion dollars. To compare cyber theft, it amounts to three times more than the combined losses from all other types of theft like personal, burglary, motor vehicle, or property theft.

Whether it’s malware that infiltrates your computer and corrupts your data, hackers who steal your passwords and commandeer your financial information, or cyber criminals who assume your identity and open new accounts under your name, the damage could cost consumers tens of thousands of dollars and take years to clean up – without the thieves ever physically entering the home.

The top 5 causes of accident, injury and death at home (and how to prevent them!)

No matter who we are, where we live, how much money we make or what our lifestyle looks like, we all have on priority: to keep our family safe. The moment an accident, robbery, natural disaster or any other harm threatens your a family member, everything else falls to a distant second on your list of priorities. Yet the unfortunately reality is that accidents and other bad things around the home happen every day, so it’s best to be prepared to handle any emergency – or even better, prevent them from happening.

Unintentional home injuries cause about 21 million visits to emergency rooms, hospitals and doctors every year, costing us $220 billion. In fact, more than 18,000 Americans die every year from in the home, which makes it the second most common location for such deaths.

Tragically, children often are the most at risk for injuries and accidents in the home. Every year, more than 3.4 million children suffer an unintentional injury, causing 2,300 childhood fatalities in those under 15 years of age.

The good news is that with some basic awareness, precautions and preparedness as a family, you can drastically reduce the instance and severity of an accident or injury at home, ensuring that your family and children are as safe as possible.

In this blog we’ll cover the top five causes of accidents, injuries and death around the home. In part two of this blog we’ll cover simple safety precautions and measures you can take to keep your family safe!

So what are the major and most common threats to your family around the home?

1. Falling

Slip-and-falls are a surprisingly prevalent cause of injury and death around the home. In fact, the Home Safety Council reveals that falling is the leading cause of unintentional home injury death, claiming about 6,000 lives per year.

Surprisingly, 50% of all accidental home deaths are due to falls, and most of them are from standing level – not off ladders, roofs or stairways.

Seniors and elderly family members are especially susceptible to falling, since 33% of people over the age of 65 will experience a fall every single year! Falling can often be seriously damaging for older people, often setting off a chain of medical problems that are hard to recover from. In fact, 50% of all elderly adults hospitalized for a fall will be unable to return to home after the injury.

2. Poisoning

You might be shocked to hear that poisoning is not far behind, taking nearly 5,000 lives each year, which makes it the second-most common cause of unnatural death around the house. The vast majority of these are caused by prescription and/or illegal drug overdose, or mixing different substances with alcohol and prescriptions that cause an adverse medical reaction. The U.S. poison control centers answer about 2.2 million calls for human poison exposure every year, or an average of once every 15 seconds. Studies show that children younger than 6 years comprise a huge portion of poisoning accident victims, with one and two-year olds in the most danger. 

3. Home fires

With all of our awareness, safety protocols, and modern technology, home fires are still a significant danger.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), firefighters still respond to about 374,000 residential fires every year in the U.S.  At that rate, we have a home fire every 10 seconds, and every 60 seconds a fire serious enough to call the fire department.  Even more sobering, every three hours, someone loses their life to a fire in their home, about 13,000 a year on average.

Here are some other statistics about home fires:

374,000     Average number of residential home fires each year. 

2,600         Average number of deaths each year from home fires.

12,975       Average number of injuries due to home fires each year.

$7.32 billion   Average annual dollar loss due to home fires.

The most common causes of home fires are:

56%      Cooking.

16%      Heating.

9%        Electrical malfunction.

8%        Other unintentional or careless (cigarettes are a major factor)

6%        Open flame.

5%        Intentional.

4. Airway obstruction

You might be shocked to hear that airway obstructions - such as choking, suffocation, and strangulation—cause about 1,000 deaths around the home every year. That makes airway obstructions the fourth-leading cause of accidental home injury death. Unfortunately, children are far more likely to be seriously hurt or even killed by these accidents – especially young children.

In fact, 88 percent of children who die from airway obstruction injuries were children ages 4 and under, and there are nearly 19,000 emergency room visits every year due to airway obstructions. The common causes of choking or airway obstruction include choking on food, choking on balloons they swallow or toys, strangulation by window blinds or cords or drawstrings from clothing.

It’s worth noting that many deaths that were first attributed to sudden infant death syndrome have now been reclassified as airway-obstruction fatalities.         

5. Drowning

Accidental drowning and other submersions in water are the fifth leading cause of injury around the house, accounting for about 800 deaths every year. In fact, drowning is the overall leading cause of death and injury in children ages 1-4! Of course if a homeowner owns a backyard pool or hot tub the possibility of drowning is exponentially higher, but children can drown or become injured in as little as two inches of water.

While swimming pools can offer countless hours of enjoyment and fun for the family, there is no denying that they should be treated with extreme caution when it comes to your children. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that an average of 4,900 people receive emergency care for injuries suffered in a swimming pools or spas each year. According to the CDC, every year an average of 390 people die from drowning in a swimming pool.

Look for part two of this blog, where we’ll cover simple safety precautions and measures you can take to keep your family safe!

How to handle the 10 most common home emergencies

Imagine coming home after a nice dinner at your favorite restaurant and movie only to find three inches of water covering the whole first floor of your house; or on the coldest winter night, strange noises coming from beneath the floor before the pipes burst; or even a short circuit behind the walls starting to smoke and eventually causing a fire. These are all nightmares for homeowners, but the simple truth is that the potential exists for a whole lot to go wrong no matter where you live, what kind of home you own, or even if you rent.

You’ll notice that most of these involve water (which causes flooding and MAJOR damage that requires walls, flooring, and ceilings to be torn out), and electricity (which can cause a home fire or even electrocute someone).

But the good news is that homeowners can be prepared for any home emergency by knowing what they are, why they happen, and most importantly – how to react if disaster strikes. Knowing these can literally help you prevent catastrophes, keep your family safe, and save tens of thousands of dollars in damages. Afraid that you’re not up to speed on the technical aspects of home maintenance and engineering? Don’t worry, because insurance adjusters estimate that at least 30 percent of their service calls could have been prevented or handled with a simple flip of a switch or push of a button.

1. Clogged dryer vents are fire hazards

Did you know that outside of the kitchen, most home fires start in or around the dryer? Hopefully by now you know to clean out the lint trip inside the dryer after each and every use, but homeowners often neglect to properly clean the dryer vents and inside the unit as well. Twice a year, unplug the dryer, pry off the access panel and vacuum out the inside of the dryer mechanism itself (you’ll notice a lot of lint in there!). Next, unscrew or disassemble the ducting that comes off the dryer vent and stick a vacuum in there, clean by hand, or use a vent brush. You should also find out where that vent exits the house and clean it from the outside in.

2. A toilet that won’t stop running

Ok so running toilets may not always wreak havoc on a home, but they sure are annoying – and can cost you a lot in wasted water. But it is possible for running toilets to overflow, and since water damage is so devastating, we’ll include it on the list. Running toilets are usually caused by a worn flapper that isn’t sealing properly anymore, which lets water seep into the bowl, never allowing the tank to fill up.

To remedy this, press the flapper lightly with a yardstick. If the sound of running water ceases, you know that the flapper is indeed the culprit. You could easily replace it (without calling a plumber) but first, also try running your finger along the rim of the hole where the flapper rests. Sometimes mineral deposits or debris build up there, preventing the flapper from sealing.

3. Mold in the home

Mold is one of the most dangerous health hazards around the house, with certain types of mold spores causing major medical issues or even hospitalization or death if left untreated. Unlike flooding or fires where the issue is immediately apparent, mold can fester and grow in unseen places like below carpets and floorboards or behind walls and ceilings. To check for mold, look for any browning or discoloration in the sheet rock and keep an eye out for steady leaks or areas that never seem to dry. You can usually smell a wet or overly humid room that may be a good host for mold, but you can also buy detection kits at your neighborhood hardware store. If a room is particularly damp, use a dehumidifier or set up an additional venting system to make sure mold doesn’t grow.

4. Kitchen grease fire

Kitchen fires are a fairly common occurrence, yet homeowners sometimes panic or do the absolutely wrong thing in the heat of the moment, making the situation much worse and even causing injury.

If an appliance is on fire, make sure to pull its plug out of the outlet first. Instead of pouring water on it, take out the box of baking soda from the freezer and pour it on/into the appliance.

If you notice a grease fire or blaze inside the over DON’T open the oven door! That can cause the fire to spread or even explode as it’s fed renewed oxygen. Calmly turn off the over and keep the door closed and the fire will soon burn out safely.

For grease fires on the stove, DON’T pour water on them or even blow foam on them with a fire extinguisher, as that will spread the dangerous flames. If the fire is in a pot or pan, turn off the stove or the heat source then carefully put the lid or pan on top using an oven mitt, which will extinguish the source of oxygen and quickly extinguish the flames. Never try to carry the fiery pot to the sink or outdoors.

You should have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen or a nearby supply closet. It’s a good idea to buy a few extra and practice using them in the backyard or a safe place with your entire family so they’ll feel comfortable and confident using them in case of a live fire.

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Look for part 2 of this blog where we cover the remainder of the 10 home emergencies

The 10 most common causes of home fires.

With all of our awareness, safety protocols, and modern technology, home fires are still a significant danger.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), firefighters still respond to about 374,000 residential fires every year in the U.S.  At that rate, we have a home fire every 10 seconds, and every 60 seconds a fire serious enough to call the fire department.  Even more sobering, every three hours, someone loses their life to a fire in their home, about 13,000 a year on average.

The price tag on fire damage is startling as well – about seven billion dollars a year.  So where do home fires start?  The statistics show that the usual suspects are to blame – falling asleep with cigarettes, kitchen fires, and faulty wiring.  But there are also some unexpected culprits when it comes to home fires, so we’ll examine them all here.

Home fires by the numbers:

374,000     Average number of residential home fires each year. 

2,600           Average number of deaths each year from home fires.

12,975         Average number of injuries due to home fires each year.

$7.32 billion      Average annual dollar loss due to home fires.

Causes of home fires:

56%      Cooking.

16%      Heating.

9%        Electrical malfunction.

8%        Other unintentional or careless.

6%        Open flame.

5%        Intentional.

1. Cigarettes:

Smokers who fall asleep with lit cigarettes or fail to put them out adequately is a common cause of home fires.  

2. Fireplaces:

In places where traditional wood fires are still aloud, sparks or embers flying out of fireplaces not covered by a screen can easily travel all the way across a room, often unnoticed, and smolder until a fire ignites.

3. Portable heaters:

Portable heating appliances can be very dangerous in the home, especially when people leave them on when they are not in the room.  If they are too close to furniture, curtains, or even catch dust balls, they can easily ignite and cause fires.   

4. Screws into the wall:

Homeowners almost never think twice about putting a hammer or screw into the wall to hang a picture, mirror, or other decoration.  But those can easily pass through the sheetrock and pierce exposed wires, especially in older homes who didn’t have protective wall plates built into their building codes.  Once a wire is frayed or pierced, you have a nonstop electric current running among insulation behind a closed wall – a recipe for a blaze.  Twice as many electrical fires are started by old or faulty wiring than by the appliances themselves!

5. In the kitchen.

The kitchen is where most home fires occur, but interestingly enough, not where the highest fatality rates occur.  That’s because people are usually present when they cook and can put it out or escape quickly.  Most fires start with items too close to an open flame or hot burner on the stove – like paper towels, pot holders, aprons, aerosol cans, recipe cards, etc., as well as build ups of grease.  It’s recommended you keep a three foot buffer around a hot stove, never leave a hot stove unattended, and keep a small fire extinguisher in plain sight in the kitchen.

6. The clothes dryer.

Many house fires start in the clothes dryer.  When people don’t adequately clean out the lint filter, the dryer has to overwork to push hot air through a combustible clump of flammable lint, with a predictable outcome.  But even if you’re diligent about cleaning it, debris can still collect in the dryer cabinet where the heating element sits, at the bottom or in the back of the machine where it’s not easily detected.  The venting system is another place materials can spark or combust with heat.  It’s recommended you hire a professional to clean the dryer and venting thoroughly every 18-24 months.

7. Garage debris.

Sawdust, oily rags, paint thinner, combustible aerosols, and gasoline cans sit unattended in your hot garage.  A quick spark or electrical short can set them ablaze, or even spontaneously combust if the temperature rises enough. 

8. Electronics.

Computers, televisions sets, video games systems, and stereos often work hard and heat up to an alarming level.  They are supposed to have internal fans to cool them down but Apple computers and video game systems like Xbox or PlayStation are notorious for heating up past the point of safety, especially if they are not properly ventilated or partially obstructed by papers, a blanket or bedding, a cabinet or wall, etc.

With all of these electronics, power cords are another danger.  Phone chargers that short out from electrical surges are now a growing threat of home fires.  Laptop chargers that get way too hot can easily set off a flammable material like lint or papers.

In sum, electrical fires account for more than 50,000 home blazes a year, causing $1.5 billion in property damage. 

9. Dust and lint.

No matter what room of the house, even small build-ups of dust and lint are a fire hazard.  They can easily be kicked up or blown around into heating vents, portable heaters, open flames, cooking services, or ignite next to hot electronics.  

10. Children setting fires.

Children are naturally curious and it's common for them to go through a phase when they experiment with flame and fire, whether it's lighting things with a magnifying glass or messing around with matches.  Once they see a flame, they often panic or run because they're scared of getting in trouble or don't know safety measures.  5% of all home fires are intentionally set (like from deep-fryers, back yard barbecues, etc.) and very few of those are arson - leaving curious children as a significant cause.

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Look for our next blog that breaks down how to prepare your house, plan, and keep your family safe in the event of a home fire!