Cold Weather Safety Tips

Protect Yourself:

-Dress in several layers of lightweight clothing, which will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat.
-Mittens provide more warmth to your hands than gloves. Wear a hat, preferably one that covers your ears.
-Wear waterproof, insulated boots to keep your feet warm and dry and to maintain your footing in ice and snow.
-Take frequent breaks and stay hydrated.
-Seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms of hypothermia including confusion, dizziness, exhaustion and severe shivering.
-Seek medical attention immediately if you have symptoms of frostbite including numbness, flushed gray, white, blue or yellow skin discoloration, numbness, or waxy feeling skin.

Protect Yourself at Home:

-Be careful with candles – do not use candles for lighting if the power goes out. Use flashlights only.
-Prevent frozen pipes - when the weather is very cold outside, open cabinet doors to let warm air circulate around water pipes. Keep the thermostat set to a consistent temperature.
-Check smoke alarms once a month by pressing the test button and replace batteries as necessary.
-Don’t overload your electrical outlets.
-Don’t forget your pets – bring them indoors. If you can’t bring them inside, provide adequate shelter to keep them warm and make sure they can get to unfrozen water.
-If you plan on using an alternate heating source, never use a stove or oven to heat your home.
Keep a glass or metal fire screen around the fireplace and never leave a fireplace fire unattended.
-If using a space heater, follow the manufacturer’s instructions on how to safely use the heater. Place it on a level, hard, nonflammable surface. Turn the space heater off when you leave the room or go to sleep. Keep children and pets away from your space heater and do not use it to dry wet clothing.

Hints from the Red Cross

Household Hints and Tips

- To get burned on food off of baking dishes soak over night with warm water and a little fabric softner, rinse the following morning and it will just wash away.

- To improve the look of a scratch on wooden surfaces rub it with a brazil nut.

- To help keep drains flowing properly try 2 tbsp of Bicarbonate Soda and half a cup of vinegar it bubbles up but removes minor blockages, always make sure the pipes are toghtly screwed together first!

Household Hints and Tips

- Don’t put Daffodils in with other cut flowers they release a toxin which kills them.

- Marks left inside cups and mugs from metal cutlery can be removed using either nappy powdered cleaner or toothpaste.

- To bring back the fluffyness in pillows put them in the tuble drier with a new tennis ball on cool for a few minutes.

Household Hints and Tips

- To get rid of cooking smells from your hands rub your hands over a stainless steel spoon under warm running water.

- To get crayon off of walls either warm with a hairdrier and wipe with a damp cloth or spray with WD40 and then wipe over with a damp cloth.

- You can clean your kitchen surfaces with equal parts cider vinegar and water in a spray bottle, it works just as well as cleaners and has no chemicals in.