The top three causes of house fires in the US are cooking, faulty heating equipment, and electrical malfunctions. As you can probably guess, that means that home appliances are responsible, either directly or indirectly, for a significant amount of property damage annually.

Cut the risk of a fire happening in your home by following our appliance safety tips. Keep reading to learn how to prevent your range, dryer, microwave, and more from becoming potential fire hazards.

General Appliance Fire Safety Tips

• Make sure you have a smoke detector in each level of your home, including the basement. Check the batteries monthly. They usually need to be replaced annually.
• Get a fire extinguisher, learn how to use it, and make sure it’s stored in an easily accessible location.
• Come up with a fire escape plan – a set of steps to get out of the house and to safety in the event of a fire – and share it with your family and any house guests you may have.
• Keep your appliances clean. Removing lint from dryers, food debris from cooktops, and dust from exhaust vents on all appliances goes a long way toward reducing fire risk. Want help with that? We’ve got tons of cleaning guides for specific appliances on our blog!
• Inspect your appliances regularly and perform maintenance as necessary. Don’t leave a major appliance with broken components for longer than absolutely necessary!
• Check power cords annually and be prepared to replace any if they are wearing out, scorched, cracked, fraying, or have been damaged by pests.
• If you are consistently getting a shock whenever you touch an appliance – even when the air isn’t dry – whether it’s running or not, or if you notice sparking from the appliance, you might have a wiring issue that will need to be addressed ASAP.
• Check recall lists, especially if you’re noticing consistent issues with one of your appliances.
• Don’t force a three-pronged plug into a two-prong socket. Major appliances should always be plugged into grounded sockets.
• Even if an outlet has space for two plugs, plug only one heat-producing appliance (like a coffee maker or microwave) into it at a time. In general, never overload outlets, power strips, or surge protectors.
• Never use extension cords with appliances – that’s a quick way to start a fire. If your appliance can’t reach a plug, either it needs to be moved or a new wall outlet must be installed.
• Unplug small appliances when they aren’t in use.
• If a fire does occur, get out of the house, stay out of the house, and call your local emergency phone number for help.

What to do when you smell gas coming from an appliance

When you’re running a gas-powered appliance like a range or dryer, a little bit of natural gas smell isn’t unusual. If that smell is particularly strong, or if it lingers after the appliance has turned on, you may have a leak.

If this is the case, shut your appliance off immediately. If you suspect you have a serious gas leak, you need to shut off the gas in your home, call the utility company, and leave your house immediately. Staying in a home with a gas leak can be dangerous.

How to make a home fire escape plan

In the event of a fire, it can be difficult to think clearly. Creating a fire escape plan for you and your family ensures that you’re all better prepared in the event that a fire does spark. Here’s what you should consider when putting a fire escape plan together:

• Make sure that your entire family is included in the plan, and that everyone knows all potential exits, what to do, and where to go.
• Do a walkthrough of your home and make note of all possible escape routes – through doors and windows. Ensure that such routes are unobstructed, and anything with security bars has an interior release.
• Ideally, you should be able to create at least two escape routes out of each room. Obviously this isn’t possible for some rooms – like those with one door and no windows.
• Establish an outdoor meeting place for everyone to gather once they’re out of the house, like a mailbox, street sign, or neighbor’s house.
• Closing doors on your way out of rooms can slow the spread of fire, so be sure to incorporate that into the plan.
• Do a test run of your plan with everyone in your household at least once a year.

Getting Specific with Appliance Fire Safety

Next up, let’s review specific tips that will help you to stave off fire hazards with each type of major appliance.

Microwaves & Microwave Ovens

• Only use microwave-safe containers in your microwave, and never use aluminum foil or metal. In a microwave, aluminum foil can start a fire that will, at minimum, damage your microwave beyond use. If you have kids, make sure they know that, too – there are plenty of “pranks” circulating online suggesting you stick aluminum foil in your microwave for five minutes.
• Recycled paper products can potentially contain small flecks of metal, which can spark and start fires. Always check and verify that a paper product is microwave safe before using it in a microwave. If you can’t verify it, especially if it’s recycled material, don’t put it in the microwave.
• When cooking in the microwave, start with the minimum required time based on the food prep instructions. Even everyday foods like popcorn can burn if left in just a minute or two too long.
• Keep your microwave clean, making sure to remove food debris and grease from the interior, the door, and the seam around the door.
• Your microwave is not equipped to sterilize jars or dry blankets. Do not put anything that isn’t food in a microwave.

Dryers

• Clean your lint filter between uses. Check the filter before you run a load of laundry through the dryer, and don’t run the dryer if your lint filter is missing.
• Keep the area around your dryer clear of anything flammable.
• Make sure your dryer is properly vented to the outside. The vent pipes should not be blocked, kinked, or otherwise obstructed, and the outside vent flap should open easily and not be blocked. Keep an eye on this in autumn and winter if you live in an area that sees a lot of fallen leaves or snow.
• Clean the vent pipe at least once a year. If you notice your clothes are taking longer than usual to dry, cleaning the vent pipe may also help this, while also eliminating a potential fire hazard.
• Don’t overload your dryer when using it. Check your manual to see optimal laundry load size.
• If you have clothes that have come in contact with flammable substances like paint thinner or gasoline, let them dry out completely before washing and drying them. Do not immediately toss clothes soiled with these flammable substances into the dryer.

Electric and Gas-Powered Ranges

• Keep your cooktop and oven clean. Food debris and grease stains can catch fire while the range is in use.
• We don’t reccomend using the self-cleaning feature, but if you do, then run it according to manufacturer instructions and never longer than your manual advises.
• Never leave the range unattended while something is cooking.
• Keep flammable or combustible items like potholders, paper, and dish towels away from the stove.
• When cooking, particularly on the stovetop, make sure you aren’t wearing loose, billowy, or flowy clothing. Roll your sleeves up while cooking.
• If you find yourself with a grease fire, do not pour water on it! That will only make it worse. Don’t move it, either. Try to smother it with the lid of the pan if you can, or use a fire extinguisher, salt, or baking soda to smother it.
• If you have pets, don’t allow them on countertops where they could knock something into an active burner.
• While cooking, turn pot and pan handles toward the back of the stove so that they aren’t accidentally knocked by someone passing by or grabbed by curious children.
• Do not use your stove or oven to heat your home.

Dishwasher

• Make sure everything you load into your dishwasher is dishwasher safe.
• Don’t run your dishwasher if you’re going to be out of the house.
• As part of cleaning and maintenance, check the door thoroughly. If you notice any damage on or around the dispenser or cracks in the inner door panel, repair them as soon as possible. Many of the dishwasher’s electrical components are found in the door, and exposing them to water through cracks or gaps in the panel could cause an electrical fire.

Refrigerator

• Depending on the size and style of your fridge, it should have a gap at least an inch and a half to two inches or more on all sides to ensure proper airflow. If your refrigerator fits snugly in its space in the kitchen, it may be too big for the space, which could lead to overheating.
• Never block the vents, interior or exterior, on your refrigerator. Keep them clear and clean.
• Make sure the power cord is not left stuck under the appliance when installing it.
• Clean the back of the fridge at least once a year. Use a condenser coil brush to remove dust, pet hair, and other debris from the condenser coils to prevent overheating and damage to your appliance (and potentially lower your power bill).
• If you have any damage in the ice maker or dispenser assembly, fix it ASAP. Leaking water can reach electrical components, which can potentially spark a fire.

Wrapping Up

Follow the tips we’ve outlined in this guide, and you can rest a little easier knowing you’re taking steps to protect your family and your home. Looking for more tips, tutorials, or maybe some genuine OEM replacement appliance parts? Check out AppliancePartsPros.com, our friendly experts are always on hand to help you out with DIY home appliance repairs!