5 things every home should have in 2020
As highlighted in our article ‘10 Things Your Home Should Have for the Winter’, homes are sanctuaries that protect us from the outside world and the weather.
It only makes sense that we would want to make living in them safer and more comfortable. In this article, we’ve listed five things every home should have in order to give the homeowners peace of mind.
Home Insurance
With how unpredictable the weather is, due to climate change, it’s good practice to have insurance for your home in case it gets damaged by natural or man-made disasters. Bright Blue, an independent think tank and pressure group with over 200 Parliamentary supporters, recently found that 70,000 homes built since 2009 are at a high risk of getting flooded. With home insurance, your house will be protected from various damage relating to fire, smoke, weather, flooding and even theft.
Your home insurance might cover a lot of damage due to various causes, but it isn’t likely to cover repairs to your appliances like your heaters and boilers. Boilers are extremely important for keeping homes warm and comfortable, and they can be a pain to fix and maintain, which is why it’s important to have insurance for them. HomeServe service 1.8 million people in the UK every year, and explain that most boiler insurance policies come with free on-call servicing and parts replacement, so you won’t have to worry about being without hot water or heating for a long time. The last thing you want is the hassle and cost of having to sort out your boiler in the middle of winter by yourself.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Known as the ‘invisible killer’, carbon monoxide (CO) is a toxic gas that you can neither see nor smell. The NHS notes that around 60 deaths are caused by CO poisoning every year. To keep your family from inhaling such a harmful substance, install a carbon monoxide detector on every level of your home.
Vacuum Cleaner
A versatile vacuum cleaner is essential in keeping your home clean and comfortable. After all, the more people living in a home, the faster the floor gets dirty. A good vacuum cleaner is an investment and should last you many years. If you are living with kids and/or pets, make sure to buy one that can stand up to regular use. A brush and dustpan just isn’t enough to keep a home clean and free of dust.
Fire Extinguisher
Home fires occur more often than you think. Statistics from the Home Office showed that despite the number of fires attended by fire and rescue services going down by 10%, there was a 9% increase in the number of fatalities associated with dwelling fires in 2019. A fire is one of those things that you really can’t prepare enough for, so having a fire extinguisher handy in the kitchen, the garage, and upstairs may be the thing that saves you and your family.
First Aid Kit
You will always have emergencies no matter how careful you are, and it’s always better to be prepared. To do this, keep a well-equipped first aid kit in your home and to include medications like aspirin and paracetamol. Fill up your first aid kit with bandages, alcohol, betadine. And other things needed for the immediate treatment of scrapes and wounds. You may also want to keep a list of emergency contacts in your first aid kit.
Homes are extensions of ourselves. Fill it with the right items, and you and your home can be prepared for anything unexpected. Whether it be a last-minute guest or an unprecedented accident. For more information on how to have the perfect home do look through Title Sussex.
Collaborative post written with our partner Cyrus Bailey many thanks!