Our Spring Cleaning graphics are designed to raise awareness of various ways your residents can prepare their home for Spring. You can download and share these tips with your residents on Neighbors.
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Double Check Your Smoke Alarms!
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Test your smoke alarms every month and replace the battery at least once a year. If the alarm makes a "chirping" sound, replace the battery immediately.
Smoke alarms should be in every bedroom and in the common areas on each floor of a home. Mount them at least 10 feet from the stove to reduce false alarms, less than 12 inches from the ceiling and away from windows, doors and ducts.
Smoke alarms can be interconnected wirelessly. That means, when one sounds, they all sound. A Consumer Product Safety Commission survey found this is the best way to notify everyone in a home if there is a fire. Be sure to purchase smoke alarms with the label of a reputable testing agency, like Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
Source: CrimeStoppers
Invest in Carbon Monoxide Detectors
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Anything that burns fuel can potentially become a source of carbon monoxide, an invisible, odorless gas that can kill. CO alarms should be installed in a central location outside each bedroom and on every level of the home. The safety tips for CO detectors mirror those of smoke alarms: change the batteries, test them and interconnect them, if possible. Also, make sure vents for your gas appliances (fireplace, dryer, stove and furnace) are free and clear of snow or debris.
Source: US Fire Administration
If You Can Plan for a Trip, You Can Plan for an Emergency.
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We recommend every family have an emergency plan in place in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophic event. Spring is a great time to review that plan with family members. Have a home and car emergency kit. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says an emergency kit should include one gallon of water per day for each person, at least a three-day supply of food, flashlight and batteries, first aid kit, filter mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape, and medicines. Visit the FEMA website for a complete list. The emergency plan also should include:
- A communications plan to outline how your family members will contact one another and where to meet if it's safe to go outside
- A shelter-in-place plan if outside air is contaminated; FEMA recommends sealing windows, doors and air vents with plastic sheeting
- A getaway plan including various routes and destinations in different directions
Also, make sure your first aid kit is updated.
Source: Washington Emergency Management Division
Start Spring Cleaning in your Medicine Cabinet!
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We recommend you take unwanted or expired medicines to a prescription drop box or take-back event near you. Or, learn how you can use Stericycle Seal & Send envelopes to send your unwanted medication to be safely destroyed.
Source: Food and Drug Administration
5 Reasons to Look for the EPA Safer Choice Label on Cleaning Products
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Did you know children and pets are more vulnerable to chemicals and pollutants? Help protect them by using cleaning products with safer ingredients. It's easy — just look for the EPA Safer Choice label!
5 reasons to look for the #EPASaferChoice label on cleaning products:
-Safer ingredients for people and the planet
-Performance tested and shown to work well
-Better for the environment
-More sustainable packaging
-Reviewed by EPA scientists
Source: Environmental Protection Agency
5 Razones para Buscar la Etiqueta de EPA Safer Choice en los Productos de Limpieza
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¿Sabía que los niños y las mascotas son más vulnerables a los productos químicos y contaminantes? Ayuda a protegerlos usando productos de limpieza con ingredientes más seguros. Es fácil: ¡solo busque la etiqueta de EPA Safer Choice!
5 razones para buscar la etiqueta de #EPASaferChoice en los productos de limpieza:
-Ingredientes más seguros para las personas y el planeta
-Rendimiento probado y demostrado que funciona bien
-Mejor para el medioambiente
-En paquetes más sostenibles
-Revisado por científicos de la EPA
Source: Environmental Protection Agency