There is nothing better than a Saturday on the deck with friends and plates of great smelling food all around to make a weekend complete. The only thing that’s makes these days better is to make sure everyone is safe.

At Humboldt, we not only move families that might be moving because of a new job or maybe they are buying a larger home. We also work with families that have experienced a tragedy such as a house fire and need our help immediately. While the causes of these fire vary, in some cases, it can be from outdoor activities.

Grilling is fun and we want to keep it that way but we have to keep safety in mind so we don’t experience an event that could change our lives so here are a number of tips to keep in mind about grilling safety.

outdoor cookout

Grill Ten Feet Away:
Always keep your grill at least ten feet away from any structure. In many cities and towns, the code for grilling outside is set. It can vary from each town but the standard from safety experts is ten feet. But a good rule of thumb is to keep it as far away as you can. If you have your grill on your deck, keep it at the opposite end from the house. For the most part you can control a grill but take into consideration flare ups and wind, and you could end up in trouble.

Clean Your Grill:
Most fires start because an outdoor grilled has not been cleaned in some time. And one of the biggest culprits is grease at the bottom of the grill that has built up over time. Once that fire starts, it is very difficult to stop it. While you don’t need to clean out the entire grill every time you use it, you should clean it at least once a month. If you grill several times a week, you should clean it more often. Maybe once a week. Keep in mind, grease fires don’t just occur inside the home.

Keep Children Away:
The outside of a grill is very hot as we’re sure you are aware of. But small children may not be aware of that. And if you leave that grill unattended and you have kids nearby, you could be setting yourself up for a trip to the emergency room. If you need to leave the grill to go indoors to get something, makes sure someone is keeping an eye on it. Children get severely burned all the time by grills left unattended. And so do pets so keep an eye on your grill when it’s hot.

Buy a Fire Extinguisher:
If you are going to be grilling either with propane or charcoal, you need to keep a fire extinguisher nearby. You never know when you might need one. Flare ups can happen suddenly and a gust of wind could take an ember to a dry piece of wood or leaves nearby. And in very hot and dry weather, this can happen often. You can find a fire extinguisher at your local hardware store and they last a year or two before they need to be serviced.

We see families each and every week that have had to leave their home either because of a flood or fire and we can tell you, it’s not a nice position to be in. You can have a ton of fun this summer, grill and enjoy the season while being safe at the same time.

Are you ready for your next relaxing moving experience? If you’re moving soon, give our team a call today and let’s get started!