As you may know, we’re currently living in a difficult and confusing time. The global pandemic has impacted everyone’s daily lives. And being quarantined forced us to make adjustments and lifestyle changes, including how we celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, or just a simple date night with our loved one.

Surely, it takes some creativity to plan the perfect date night at home in order to keep that romantic flame alive. But whatever you’re planning, remember to plan to keep you and your loved one safe.

Here’s how to avoid fire risk, no matter what your romantic plans at home entail.

Be Careful With Your Candles

Firstly, let’s talk about candles. They’re a severe fire risk, and you don’t want to have them ruin the special night. However, they’re so romantic that you can’t be without them. Whether you’re using them for a candle lit dinner for two, or even placing them around the bathtub for an even more romantic night in, you’ve got to be safe with your candles.

If you’re using candles, ensure that you’re placing them in the right spots. For example, keep them in areas where they can’t reach soft furnishings like sofas and drapes. Having a naked flame so close to these areas is dangerous, as it only takes two seconds for them to be set aflame.

If you’re about to leave the room, then you’ll need to ensure that you’re blowing the candles out. Never leave a candle unattended, as again it only takes few seconds for them to set items in your home on fire.

If you’re really worried about the risk of candles, but still want the romantic ambiance, why not try LED candles instead? These candles are designed to look just like the real thing, giving you the flickering glow you’d expect, but they’re totally safe.

As LED lights are cool to use, there’s no risk of fire. Use these instead and you’ll be able to enjoy the evening, without having to worry about flames.

Be Safe in the Kitchen

Planning to cook a romantic, spicy meal? There’s nothing better than a home cooked meal with just the two of you. When cooking at home though, there are steps you need to take to ensure you’re safe from fire.

Firstly, it’s worth noting that you should save the bottle of wine to share until after you’ve completed cooking. Even a little alcohol can impair judgement, and that’s the last thing you want to happen when you’re working around a hot stove.

When cooking, ensure that you’re keeping everything away from the stove. Open flames can catch a dish rag or packaging on fire, which then can cause real damage to your kitchen, and danger to you and your loved one. When you’re done, ensure everything is switched off.

While cooking, it’s a good idea to use a timer. It’s so easy to forget that you have something in the oven when you’re deep in conversation with someone else. With a timer on, you’ll be reminded when your food is ready. You won’t have the risk of food catching fire, and your dinner will be bound to be delicious.

As a final note, it’s a good idea to keep a fire blanket in your kitchen. Oil fires are dangerous as they can’t be put out with water. If you have a fire blanket, you can simply throw it over the fire to smother the flames.

Keep Your Fireplace Safe

What’s more romantic than spending the evening by a roaring fire with your loved one? There’s nothing better than being able to snuggle up and stay warm at night. Fireplaces do pose a fire hazard though, so take some precautionary steps.

Firstly, arrange for your chimney to be swept. When a chimney is clean, it’s much safer and more pleasant to use. Plus, you’ll avoid accidentally knocking soot onto yourself or your loved one as you attend to the fire.

Next, remove any flammable items that are near the fire. This includes soft furnishings such as rugs and sofas. A stray spark could easily fall onto them and cause a blaze. Removing them now will stop that from happening.

If you’re feeling festive or are celebrating a special occasion, you’ll want to ensure you’re not hanging paper decorations around the fireplace, as these also pose a hazard.

At the end of the night, ensure the fire is totally out. Don’t let it burn while you’re not there to keep an eye on it.

Watch Your Electronics

If you’re spending the night at home, then you can watch a movie together, or even simply sit watching funny YouTube videos together on your laptop. Either way, you’re going to be using electronics, so remember to stay safe.

If you have lights or any electronic decorations plugged in, ensure that you’re turning them off or unplugging them when you leave the room. Much like candles, they are a fire risk if left on for a long time and left unattended. Lights in particular can overheat, so be sure to unplug them once they served their purpose.

If you have multiple items plugged in at once around the home, ensure that you’re not overloading your extension leads. Many home fires are caused by overloaded sockets, so buy an extension lead that has a surge protector, and try not to plug too many things in at once to it.

Conclusion

During this time of stress, all we can do is be with our loved ones and celebrate the special moments however we best can. With that said, make sure that everything goes smoothly. Thinking about fire safety doesn’t feel that romantic, but dealing with fire in the home is even less so.

Take these precautions before your next date night in, and ensure that you’re both safe no matter what your plans are.