Safety First: Keeping Kids and Pets Safe During Remodeling

Remodeling a house requires careful planning. While homeowners tend to focus on things such as materials, placement, colors, and what’s next, they often forget about the logistics. In order to keep everyone safe during a remodel with kids and pets around, it’s important to think ahead and prevent accidents.

Here are some suggestions for kid safety and pet safety during remodeling:

Know What Dangers Are Lurking

If you’re remodeling an older home, there may be dangers present that you’re unaware of. Once these are exposed during the remodel, however, they can put the health of everyone in your home at risk, children and pets included. A few potential dangers are:

• Lead paint
• Lead plumbing
• Polybutylene pipes
• Asbestos
• Outdated wiring
• Balloon framing
• Radon
• Carbon monoxide
• VOCs

Prior to starting your remodel, have your home inspected for these specific dangers. Keep in mind that some can arise during the remodeling process, whether because they’re hidden behind newer upgrades or due to accidental damage. Be sure to have the steps in place to protect you and your family from any issues that could arise while remodeling your home.

Prepare for Pets who Escape

When people are working on your home, doors are going to open and close a lot more often. This itself is a chance for pets to escape. If you’re getting new doors or new windows, you can expect there to be even larger places for pets to get out during remodeling. While crating your pets or otherwise securing them mostly eliminates the risk, sometimes the unexpected happens. Microchip all pets in case they get loose, and always make sure they have their identification collar on. This way, if they do escape, it will be easier for them to make their way back home.

Maintain Your Regular Schedule

For both pets and children, changes in routine can be stressful, which can lead to acting out and other upsetting behaviors. While your home may be changing, it’s possible to keep your routine relatively normal. With the understanding that some things will need to be adjusted, find ways to keep life moving along as usual—with walk times, bedtimes, toys, playtimes, etc. at the same time, if possible. The more routine the experience, the more secure both children and pets will feel.

Be Mindful of Tool Storage

Tools are helpful, nifty little items. Unfortunately, they can also be incredibly dangerous, shiny, new, and exciting for the children and pets in your home. As such, they are very tempting to play with. The risk of injury due to tools just laying around is quite high. Set up a specific area for tool storage and speak with your contractors about being mindful of where they leave theirs as they work—especially the more dangerous items like saws and utility knives.

Monitor the Air Quality

During a renovation, you can expect dirt and debris to be everywhere in your home. If there are other issues such as mold, mildew, or rodent problems, all of that is bound to go airborne as well—making the air in your home unsafe to breathe. Speak with your contractor about options for monitoring air quality and consider investing in several air filtration systems for your home. If this is impossible or simply doesn’t work, it may be time to stay in a hotel for a few days and have everyone wear a mask while inside the home gathering their belongings.

Have Pet-Proof and Kid-Proof Trash Removal

It might be costly to have a dumpster brought in, but these large containers are made to handle the serious mess that’s about to come. When it comes to safety, these dumpsters are nearly impossible for children and most pets to access. The debris and chemicals used in the remodeling process can be hazardous, so storing them out of reach where they can’t cause harm is vital. If a dumpster isn’t a viable option, look into other safe garbage removal methods that may work for you—such as hauling loads to the local dump and recycling centers.

Talk to Your Kids About the Renovation

Talk to your kids about the remodeling of your home and what will take place. Also explain why you’re making the changes and how your home will be better once all the work is complete. While this suggestion doesn’t work for pets, it can be a great way to get children to be more cooperative while you’re remodeling. As an added perk for the kids, seek out rewarding items for them during the remodeling of your home—ways they can participate. If the renovation is for the kitchen, for example, you could include a chalkboard wall for them to get excited about.

Pay Attention at All Times

Finally, there’s only so much you can do to prepare. In the end, the best way to ensure everyone is safe throughout the remodel is to be alert at all times. Keep children and pets as close to you as possible in order to prevent accidents and respond in case something should go wrong. Always have a first aid kit on hand and emergency numbers programmed into your phone—just in case.

Move Out, if Needed

While nobody wants to leave their home voluntarily, if the renovation is going to be too extensive to be comfortable or safe for children and pets, look for a temporary place to live until the work is complete. It can be difficult to find pet-friendly housing, but many places accept pets nowadays. Otherwise, your pets may need to be boarded at your favorite local kennel. When looking for a location that works for children, be sure to look for places that have a playground or are near a park, in order to make things exciting while you’re all away from home.

As you gear up for your remodel with your family, kids, and pets, be sure to check us out at the Window Depot for many of the supplies you’ll need. We’ve got the absolute best prices for windows, doors, countertops, skylights, cabinets, moulding, and more! Wew can’t wait to hear about the exciting work you’ll be doing.