In honor of National Home Safety Month in June, Merry Maids offers these ideas to ensure your clean and safe home.

<b>Watch Where You Step: </b>Falls are one of the leading causes of unintentional home injury and are often the result of damp or slick floors and cluttered pathways. They can happen anywhere, but are most common in doorways, corridors, areas with heavy traffic, places prone to wetness or spills and stairs. By keeping these danger zones dry and clutter-free, you are reducing your family’s risk. Make sure to clean up “track-ins” and spills (wet or dry) as soon as they happen and always thoroughly dry your floors after washing. Keep pathways — especially hallways, stairs and around doors — completely clear at all times, and use a microfiber cloth to capture floor dust.

<b>The Right Boost For the Job:</b> We’ve all done it. Stood on a chair or a counter to reach a high item, leaned just a little too far or even tried to reach something above our heads. It may seem like a quick fix, but the fact is that uneven surfaces, unguarded heights and unstable work surfaces are another major contributor to household falls. Add to that the perils of something falling on top of you when you’re trying to get it down from a high space and you will go for the ladder every time. Make sure the ladder you use also has a non-slick, slip resistant coating on the surface.

<b>Food Rules:</b> Every time there’s a new outbreak of food borne illness, officials remind us that the first rule of safe food preparation in the home is to keep everything clean. Wash food-contact surfaces (cutting boards, dishes, utensils, countertops) with hot, soapy water after preparing each food item and before going on to the next item.

<b>Substance Control:</b> For good home safety, keep all potentially harmful substances secured, well-labeled and out of reach of children, putting them away after each use and making sure child safety lids are on tightly. Merry Maids recommends you also consult each product’s manufacturer’s recommended instructions, directions and storage practices.

For more information on house cleaning, please call Merry Maids of Beaufort at 843-522-2777.