One of the things I often hear when it comes to emergency preparedness, is that it costs too much money - and takes up too much space - to be prepared. Not true, I say! There are plenty of things you can do that costs little to nothing, and over the next few weeks, I'd like to share some ideas with you.
Today though, I'd like to talk about one of the most important things you can do to be ready for an emergency - from a possible house fire to an earthquake to a hurricane. Hidden throughout your home, garage, and storage sheds are an assortment of dangerous substances that can make a small disaster become a total nightmare - hazardous materials from half empty paint cans to bug sprays to toxic cleaning products. Any of these items, if spilled, can make the ground poisoned, if it gets into flood waters can make your water supplies undrinkable, and can cause your home to burn much faster as they are all mostly accelerants.
If it's been awhile since you've checked your home for these items, you're not alone. The average family has about 100 pounds of household hazardous waste! Most of these items have been sitting around for years, and it's time to get rid of them.
Your local county should have a household hazardous waste dump where they will take all of your old hazardous materials for free, such paints, cleaners, and pest killers. The majority of these dumps are open all year round, although they may only be open several days a week to keep costs down. Some counties may also have a curbside day set aside each year where they will come to you and pick them up, or have a drop off area somewhere in town. Contact your local community waste disposal office for more information.
To bring these hazardous items to your waste facility, keep each item in it's original container. It might be tempting to combine some of them, but the ingredients can be different, and the way they are disposed of (incinerated, etc) can be different. They could even possibly mix together and cause an explosion!!! Make sure all lids are tightened, and place your containers in a sturdy box or bag to help prevent them from leaking in your vehicle or truck bed.
Any household cleaner that has been sitting there for more than a year, needs to go. Do NOT dump them down the drain!!
Car related items such as brake fluids, oils, and other items should go as well. You can contact a local garage, or check with your nearest recycling facilities, as many of them will take those.
Paint, wood stains, and roof sealants that have been sitting there more than two years should be disposed of properly. You might tell yourself you are keeping those nearly empty paint cans around to fix the scratches on your wall, but the truth is, just like the paint on your walls begin to fade after a year, the paint in the cans also change coloring - and not the same way the paint is on the walls. You're going to end up with patchwork, and it's not going to look pretty. Look at it this way, getting rid of the paint gives you an excuse to brighten up the room with a brand new color when the time comes.
Don't forget dead batteries and burnt out light bulbs! Those CFL's contain mercury, and are considered hazardous. They'll take those too when you are bringing in other items. (Again, many recycling areas will take both of these)
For items such as ammunition or explosives, you'll want to contact your local police or fire department to help you dispose of these, as they are usually unable to take them at the hazardous facilities.
By getting rid of these unneeded items, you'll not only make your home a lot safer, but you'll score yourself a little bit of extra room for other important items - like maybe being able to park your car in your garage for the first time in a few months. ;) If you think this isn't important, look around you and ask yourself: do I want to wade through a garage full of toxins if it collapses or there is flood?
Is it really June? So much for it being almost summer - we've had rain, rain, and more rain on the horizon. I'd love to plan more summer-y foods, but it's still chilly enough here that we want stews and filling foods!
