I'm about to start uni, wanted some basic home safety tips

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wob182
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08 Sep 2009, 8:12 pm

I'm about to start uni, wanted some basic home safety tips when your not under your parents roof anymore
I was wondering about really basic tips for preventing fires, floods, or even just tips that dont involve safety. Things that people usually go "well duh! its common sense"

eg like:
if lighting a candle dont put it near a curtain or material

dont overload plug sockets (im not quite sure with a plug extention what is overload?)

make sure to lock on the toilet when you use it or at least knock 1st if the door is closed

etc

any tips are good :)


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Shebakoby
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08 Sep 2009, 10:35 pm

here's some more:
-if you have a sundeck/sliding glass door, use a length of broomstick or other similar piece of wood to put in the track as a safety feature to keep someone from jimmying open the door and getting in.
-the same can be done with windows that you need to leave open, if they are the sliding horizontally variety and you need air but dont' want someone climbing in.



sgrannel
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08 Sep 2009, 11:35 pm

Don't use any candles at all. They are sooty and the strong scents are irritating anyway. It's just another material you're burning, and then breathing, can't be too good for you.


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TouchVanDerBoom
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09 Sep 2009, 1:48 pm

- Don't leave cooking food unattended and if you must put a timer on
- Don't leave the bath running unattended
- Make sure you empty the bins regularly or you will get flies and such
- If you're living in a secure dorm or halls of residence I recommend you don't lock your bedroom door as, should an accident happen, this will make it easier to be rescued. Please make sure there's an outer that is always locked though.
- If a light bulb goes out or something similar, don't try to sort it yourself, contact security

And some personal safety tips:

- Never leave a drink unattended
- Don't invite people back to your room unless you have met them at least once before and know someone else who knows them
- If you go away from campus at night stay with a friend at all times

Hope all that helps :)



wigglyspider
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10 Sep 2009, 1:12 am

I think those plug extension things have safety features now, so you can fill all the plugs. Just don't, like, start a chain of them.. I think that's when problems might start.

Hmmm...

Keep things clean, (especially bathroom, dishes, fridge, desk area..) take out the trash, vacuum, (get a GOOD vacuum, cheap ones won't work and will break soon) clean up spills right away. Otherwise you can get mold and bugs and bacteria and stuff, and the air becomes unhealthy to breathe. And watch out for fruit flies in Summer. If they start to gather, find what's attracting them and do something about it or they'll start to breed there.
Open windows regularly for good ventilation and to keep moisture from... moistening your room. Also prevents mold.
Eat vegetables.
Try not to lock yourself out.

Uuuuh....

I dunno. It's really not that hard to survive. I was surprised. It was basically the same as living at home, except I had to start doing my own cleaning. It's easiest to do if you just clean a bit here and there every day as you go about your business.


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Sati
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10 Sep 2009, 1:31 am

Go through your fridge regularly and throw out anything that's getting old.
Wash your pillowcases whenever you wash your clothes.
If you're in a dorm, bring shower shoes.
Always lock your door when in a dorm, or else things may get stolen.



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10 Sep 2009, 1:42 am

I keep a small flashlight within arms' reach from bed, in case of power outage, fire, black hole, etc. Also a small fire extinguisher under the bed, and another in the kitchen.


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Sati
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10 Sep 2009, 1:43 am

Oh and get a first aid kit!



Shebakoby
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10 Sep 2009, 3:47 am

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
I keep a small flashlight within arms' reach from bed, in case of power outage, fire, black hole, etc. Also a small fire extinguisher under the bed, and another in the kitchen.

If you get a Mag Light with a big long heavy handle like the cops use, you can also use it for self defence if necessary.



Janissy
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10 Sep 2009, 7:16 am

Everybody else has given excellent tips so I will just give an organizational tip to put this all together.

Print out all the tips people have given you so far.

All the tips fall into some broad categories:

Home Safety

Personal Safety

Food Safety

Housekeeping

Now look at all the tips you have been given and decide which category they fall into. Re-organize them so you have a booklet of all the tips organized by category. It will be easier to follow them that way.



Woodpecker
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10 Sep 2009, 2:27 pm

My advice,

1. Eat a sensible diet, do not try any nonsense diets. Drink some fruit juice each day for the vitamins. Maybe force yourself to eat two items of fruit for breakfast each day.

2. Keep some anti flu medicine in your room, the chances are that you will catch a bad cold or flu at the start of the first term.

3. Learn to cook some cheap food, keep packets of long life food in your food store. When you can not face shopping or the shops are shut you can still have a meal.


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10 Sep 2009, 5:52 pm

For things in the fridge that might be there a long time, write the date you got them in marker on the label. Clean the fridge out once each term.

Never leave the kitchen with a burner on. Turn it of, do what you have to, come back, and turn it back on.

Never leave a room with water running. It's easy to get distracted and forget.

Lock your door with your key when you leave, if possible. That way you will know that you have your key. If your door doesn't lock with a key that way, pretend it does, and touch your key to the lock when you leave.

Don't let go of a key when it is in the lock. Keep your hand on it. I pretend it's a lathe, because I learned that safety rule in metal shop, and it keeps me from leaving my key in the door.

Make checklists. After awhile, you will memorize them and be able to go through them in your head.


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Callista
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11 Sep 2009, 12:01 am

Put safety into your routine. For example, always checking the door when you turn off the lights at night should keep you from leaving it unlocked by mistake.

If you're going to uni, people really have a fondness for stealing each others' things there... think about it, five hundred students in a dormitory, and only one of them has to be a bad apple for things to go missing. Always lock up when you leave. Depending on social protocol, it may be expected to leave the door open when you are in and awake.

Keep an extra key with a friend in case you lock yourself out. Or put one in your mailbox, if your mailbox has a combination on it and you remember your combination easily.


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11 Sep 2009, 12:42 am

Close the toilet lid whenever you flush. Studies show that with each flush, particles of toilet water, urine, and fecal matter find their way into the air and can cover an entire bathroom. And also if any of it lands on a wet serface, (i.e. a toothbrush) it provides the potential for an entire bacterial colony, and not the good kind like in yogurt.



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11 Sep 2009, 2:53 am

Don't drop the Soap :lol:

Carry Mace :?:


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