Tip of the week: How to prevent house fires
Hire an expert; Monitor appliance recalls; Live clean
Hire an expert. Have an electrician inspect your home’s wiring. In an older house, you might choose to add arc-fault circuit interrupters, which detect electrical arcs caused by damaged wires or faulty appliances and cut power before an arc ignites a fire. Though a comprehensive upgrade “might cost several hundred dollars,” remember that 30,000 fires a year are caused by arcing faults.
Monitor appliance recalls. Register appliances when you buy them so you’ll be notified of any safety recalls. For older products, look for your appliance at Recalls.gov and SaferProducts.gov. You may be able to sign up to be alerted about recalls.
Live clean. Clean your dryer’s exhaust duct regularly to prevent lint buildup. “Grease buildup in range hoods is another fire hazard,” as are wires hidden under carpets or rugs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Source: Consumer Reports
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Should you add your child to your credit card?
The Explainer You can make them an authorized user on your account in order to help them build credit
-
Cracker Barrel crackup: How the culture wars are upending corporate branding
In the Spotlight Is it 'woke' to leave nostalgia behind?
-
'It's hard to discern what it actually means'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day