Spring Cleaning your Florida Home – Safety First

Spring Cleaning your Florida Home – Safety First

As spring approaches, it’s a great time to start thinking about spring cleaning – and not just in a wash the curtains or scrub the baseboards kind of way. You can spring clean for safety and help reduce common household risks.

Check for Potential Water Leaks

While you are cleaning, check for damp spots or discoloration in walls, ceilings, or floors where water leaks are most likely to occur – bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms are the most likely places for a leak. If you see signs of damage, you should call your insurance company immediately. Leakage and seepage water damage is one of the most common reasons for a homeowners insurance claim; in fact, 19% of all claims are due to non-weather related water damage.

Check for Fire Safety

Your family should have an emergency exit strategy in case a fire starts in the home, and it should be reviewed annually – so spring is a perfect time. Check all smoke and carbon monoxide monitors and replace batteries if needed (Sixty-five percent of home fire deaths result from fires in homes with no working smoke detectors.) Pull your kitchen stove out from the wall and inspect the cord and plug for signs of scorching.

Check your fire extinguishers (you should have a minimum of one per floor) and have them inspected if needed. If extension cords are in use in your home, double check them for signs of fraying, cord wear, or scorch marks in either the base or the wall plug. Also take a quick peek inside your breaker box to check for any signs of excessive heat.

Check your Security System

Make sure your home security system is properly maintained, and that your contract with the monitoring company is up to date. Review your garage door practices – does everyone remember not only to shut the main garage door, but to lock the door between the garage and the home? If you plan on going out of town at any time, ask a neighbor to keep an eye on your house – and don’t post about your vacation on social media until you are safely back home.

Your spring cleaning can help keep you and your Florida home safer all year round. Prevention is the best way to avoid many common dangers in the home, and a few hours each year is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

About Olympus Insurance Company 

Headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, FL and founded in 2007, Olympus Insurance Company specializes in Florida property insurance. Through its independent agency force, Olympus insures $40 billion worth of residential and investment property including homes, condos, rental property, and valuable personal property, with umbrella coverage and Spartan Enhanced Coverage available. Coverage for individual risks up to $5 million in total insured value is provided on one of the most comprehensive coverage forms in the industry.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not form a part of, replace, change or amend any terms, conditions, provisions or language within your Olympus Insurance policy. We encourage you to read your entire policy.