Top Niche Ideas

Candles are no longer just source of fragrance or illumination, but they have become more of home décor item. Candles are designed in order to elevate certain moods and trends. The designs and fragrance are meant to match the home décor. Candles are used to make an atmosphere special at times of special occasions. As the love of candles is increases so is the risk associated with it. Statistics states that candles are becoming the growing fire cause. Just because of carelessness while handling candles is leading to injury and even death of innumerous people every year.  Candles are bringing fire inside the homes of people.

Therefore, it is very important to take extra precautions when handling burning candles. Not burning candles is not a precaution, although it might seem perfect but not practical. The best thing to do is to put the candle in a heat resistance environment. You need to be extra careful while handling tea lights and night lights because they prone to get very hot, hot enough to heat and melt plastic. Usually television is considered as the best candle stand. But the truth is that the material out of which television is made is not fire resistance. Therefore, it is important to have a proper candle holder.
The candle holder must be designed such that it doesn’t fall over and must be stable. It should hold the candle upright firmly.

Another  point which people mostly miss out and which is the major reason of fire due to candles is presence of curtains or loose fabric of a furniture or clothing. Curtains and loose fabric fly around the place and have a high probability of catching fire. Also the candle shouldn’t be in a reachable distance so that if a person leans over he may tip the candle over. This could be dangerous as it could put the clothes or hair on fire. A very important point is to keep the burning candle out of the reach of pets and children. They could tip the candle over while playing.

It is a good idea to never put a burning candle under shelves. That is a very easy place to forget. Because of the high amount of heat generated it is very easy for the surface above it to catch fire. Putting the burning candle under any other surface is also not recommended. There should be a distance of at least one meter or three feet between the burning candle and the surface above it. If not a greater damage, close by surface can get deposited by candle smoke. Two burning candles should also be kept at apart at a distance of at least ten centimeters of four inches.

Scented and votive candles change their state to liquid in order to release the fragrance. Therefore, these scented and votive candles must be placed in a metal or glass holder cup so the melted liquid is captured in the cup. Also, care must be taken that nothing should fall into the hot wax such as a match stick. The candles shouldn’t be moved while they are burning. Before being moved the candles must be extinguished as there can be chance of the burning candle being dropped. Instead of blowing the candle out a spoon can be used to put the flame off. Because blowing can send hot wax and sparks flying, which can result in a fire.

Burning candles should never be left unattended. They should be extinguished before the room is left. Never sleep while the candles are still burning. And oil burner or burning candle should never be left in a kid’s bedroom. Double check candles whether they are extinguished or not. Sometimes the candle which have been put out can be smoldering which can also start a fire. So the candles should be put off completely.

Candles can make an occasion extra special but if proper care isn’t taken they can make the special event into a disaster.

Basic Fire Prevention According to the estimates of USFA in the year 2004 alone the number of fires that took place in the United States was 1.5 million. The estimated loss in dollars stood at staggering 9.8 billion dollars. More horrific figures reveal loss of death of about 3,900 approximately and about 18,000 injuries the same year. The USFA also said that during the same year the fatalities due to fires surpassed fatalities due to all sources combined. And the USFA also adds that even this number could be small in actuality as many small fires are not reported. The statistics also reveals that more than eighty three percent of all fatalities and eighty percent of the total injuries due to fires took place in homes. These figures come as a bitter surprise as most of the fires are pretty much preventable if adequate precautions are taken. Following certain basic fire safety guidelines could greatly reduce the chances of fires and protect the homes and people from this disaster from striking. One of the best ways to prevent home fires is to install smoke detectors at every floor of the home and also fire alarms. But, installing the smoke detectors alone would not serve the purpose. Some people think that “once installed forever installed” after installing smoke detectors. But, the fact is many a time the smoke detectors don’t work and do not detect smoke due to mere negligence on behalf of the house owner. The smoke detectors batteries should be tested and checked on a regular basis and in fact the smoke detector should also be tested in whole. Make it a point to replace the battery every year. Do not smoke at home. It is one of the biggest causes of home fires. The next big cause is electrical short circuit. Use properly rated wires for house wiring and so does other components. Also when plugging in electrical gadgets check the voltage rating to avoid shot circuits. Also, keep cords at a distance from rugs and carpet. Disconnect any appliance when done using. Replace old appliances or fix them before they become an electrical fire hazard. Also, use circuit breakers in the house wiring and also for plugging outlets to prevent fires due to overloading. In recent years a lot of fires have been experienced due to electrical heaters to supplement home heating. Care should be taken to keep portable heaters at a distance from combustible materials to prevent fires. Also, go for heaters that have auto shutoff in case of overloading or overheating. Fire places are also one of the biggest fire hazards in houses with fireplaces. Use screens to prevent fire spark from flying off to the outside of the fireplace. Keep combustible material at a distance from the fireplace to prevent them from catching fire. Also, do not overload the fireplace with excessive wood, which may cause sudden outburst of fire within few seconds and unexpectedly. Clean the chimneys periodically to help smoke escape freely into the air and also to clean bird nests which can catch fire. Have an escape plan ready for the home. It is a good idea to be also prepared for a fire. Practicing an escape from time to time also increases response during the times of actual fire. Have a plan for every room in the house. Educating the house inmates especially children would make evacuation plan easier in the event of an emergency. Children are especially fascinated about fires and like to create fires, about a hundred thousand fires a year are started by children while playing. People have a negligent attitude towards fire safety especially during the holidays. They relax every rule just for fun and end up paying huge price for that. Care should be taken even while selecting a Christmas tree, see that it’s not too big so as to make it difficult to manage and which can catch fire easily. Decorations which are non-flammable in nature should be used to decorate homes.