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When you live alone as a teenager and young adult, you don’t much care for personal safety and hygiene. We’ve all been through those years of living on pizza and beer, showering only a couple times a week and sleeping where we fall. As we age, we become more conscious about the dangers around us and when we start a family, those reckless traits disappear entirely and are replaced by a protective nature.
If you’re anything like me, this is the point where you suddenly become obsessed with keeping everyone safe and healthy, which is where these tried and tested inventions come into play.
Dehumidifier
If you live in a damp or humid climate, then this is essential, especially if you don’t have a new house. Older homes are more prone to damp and in the winter this can be a serious problem, looking like the black death has infected your walls. This is a problem I have encountered many times myself here in the UK and in all cases, it has been cured by a simple dehumidifier.
Check one of the favorites on Dehumidifier Web to see which one works best for your budget. You don’t have to go big or bust here. A smaller, more compact model can work wonders if placed in a problem area and allowed to do its job.
Humidifier
If you have the opposite problem and live in an arid region, then consider a humidifier. It’s not just something that floods your home with hot steam, not anymore, anyway. These days there are advanced and portable devices that can work wonders, removing dust, purifying the air and stopping it from drying out. The Lemon Mini Humidifier is one such device and it’s the size of a cup, so it’s not going to take up much space.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Known as the “Silver killer” carbon monoxide can be expelled by broken or malfunctioning appliances and as we let more of these into our homes, the risk is increasing. You can’t smell it and the early symptoms may be dismissed as the flu, which is why it’s so dangerous. Between 1999 and 2010, over 5,000 deaths were recorded in the US, as well as many more near-misses.
All it takes is a simple detector and you can eradicate that risk. It will warn you when you have a leak and could save your life. And once it does, then you can set about suing the manufacturers of the malfunctioning appliance in a product liability case! You live and you earn, it’s a win-win.
Lid, Fridge, and Window Locks
If you have mischievous kids or pets, then these locks can make sure they don’t climb out of windows and into fridges and medicine cabinets. There are also smaller locks known as “Lid-Locks” that you can attach to bottles of alcohol, tubs of candies and anything else you don’t want your kids to access.
The same goes for pets. Candy can damage a kid’s teeth and put them off their dinner, but chocolate can actually be fatal to cats and dogs, as can a host of other foods. So if your pet won’t stop putting their paws where they don’t belong, consider one of these.
Smart Pill Bottles
These have been in production for a number of years, but some of them, including the AdhereTech Smart Bottle, are out there right now. They are pill bottles that remind you when you have taken a tablet and when you need another, and they can also send a warning to a doctor or pharmacists when the bottle is running low, which means you never need to stress about running out again.
Personal Care Alarm
Slips and falls account for a significant number of hospital visits in the elderly. The bones become brittle, the skin thin, and as a result, it just takes a simple fall for a cut, break, or serious bruise to appear. If you have an elderly person in your family that you are worried about, get them a personal care alarm, which will alert you and others when they are in need.
In the UK, such an alarm is offered for just £29.99 by Lloyds Pharmacy. It clips to the wearer’s belt and at the press of a button, it alerts the Lloyds Monitoring Center, who can then respond accordingly. Devices like these can also connect to smartphones owned by family members and there are many budget conscious options out there.
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Photo credit: Getty Images