Home Security

Stay Healthy, Safe, and Warm With These Winter Safety Tips

By Ring on December 30, 2022

Whether you’re the type of person who gets excited when you see a snowflake in the forecast or someone who prefers to hunker down away from the cold, there’s no denying that winter weather brings its own set of joys and challenges. From slippery streets to drafty windows, there are a few things you need to prepare for as the temperature drops. Here are a few winter safety tips we gathered to make sure your home and family stay safe (and cozy) during this chilly season.

Take These Cold Weather Precautions at Home

You’re not the only one who needs to brace for brisk temperatures. While you pull your sweaters and puffy coats out of storage, don’t forget that your home will also need a little help to get through the winter. Here are a few tips from the CDC to help winterize your home:

Insulate water lines that run along your exterior walls since they can freeze in extreme cold. The American Red Cross also recommends opening cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms to allow warm air to reach your plumbing. You can also let water trickle out of your faucets on extremely cold days to prevent pipes from freezing.

If you have a Ring Alarm system, consider placing Flood & Freeze Sensors on flat surfaces near exposed pipes, so you can get an alert if there’s a leak or the temperature drops below 40° Fahrenheit.

Add weather stripping or caulk around windows and doors. Consider adding storm windows to prevent drafts.

Clean out your gutters and call a roofing professional to repair any leaks in your roof. While you’re pulling leaves and branches out of the gutters, take the opportunity to trim any branches that could fall on your house during a storm (or call a professional to help!).

Add insulation to your walls and attic to make your home more energy efficient (and retain more heat).

Follow These Cold Weather Safety Tips for Your Family (and Furry Friends)

When the temperature starts to creep towards the single digits (or worse — the negatives), you can do a few things to help protect your family in the cold. Here are a few winter safety tips we collected:

The CDC recommends having an alternative heating source available, like a wood-burning stove or portable gas heater, and stocking up on fuel.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), you should create a “kid-free zone” within three feet of heat sources like wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. (If they need extra help warming up after a sledding session, be sure to have plenty of hot cocoa at the ready!)

Have a snow shovel and ice melt or sand on hand to clear your steps, walkways, and driveways after it snows. Teach your children the Mayo Clinic’s tips on preventing falls in icy conditions, including wearing supportive footwear, walking slowly, taking small steps, and using handrails. If you don’t have to go anywhere during winter weather, the CDC recommends staying inside when possible.

According to the ASPCA, some ice melts can make your pets sick. To protect Fido or Bella, wipe their paws when they come inside to prevent accidental ingestion or skin irritation.

Avoid Heating Mishaps With These Winter Home Safety Tips

Once your pipes, windows, walls, and loved ones are equipped to make it through winter storms, it’s time to turn your home into a warm, cozy haven for those frosty days. But before you pull out the space heater or light a roaring fire, be sure to follow these safety guidelines from the NFPA:

Test your smoke detectors once a month to make sure they work properly. You should also install carbon monoxide detectors if you don’t already have them in your home to help avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

If you want to know if your smoke or carbon monoxide alarms go off when you’re not at home, you can add Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Listeners to your Ring Alarm. When you place these devices within six inches of your detectors, they’ll send a notification to your phone after hearing sirens.

Call a professional to inspect your heating equipment and chimney. The Chimney Safety Institute of America explains that skipping your yearly chimney sweep could leave you with creosote buildup or blockages, which can cause flue fires or release carbon monoxide into your home.

Keep flammable items at least three feet away from your furnace, fireplace, space heater, and other heating equipment.

Follow these space heater safety tips:

Only buy space heaters that come with a seal from a third-party testing lab.

Choose a device with a thermostat, overheat protection, and auto shut-off feature, so it turns off when the indoor air temperature is warm enough, the components inside get too hot, or it tips over.

Put the heater on a flat and solid surface and plug it directly into an outlet.

Always unplug space heaters when you leave the room or go to sleep.

Focus on Winter Driving Preparedness

Whether you’ve been driving in snow and ice for decades or are about to take your first spin in winter weather, it’s important to make sure you (and your car) are prepared.

Winterize Your Car

Before you head out to the grocery store or leave for your holiday road trip, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends checking your windshield wipers and wiper fluid. In a snowstorm, you might spray your windshield every few minutes, so be sure your reservoir is filled with de-icer fluid rated for winter weather. You should also ensure your car will be visible to other drivers by checking your headlights, turn signals, brake lights, hazards, and interior lights.

Since cold weather can also affect your batteries and tires, you should have an expert test your battery during winter and keep an eye on your tire pressure. If your tire pressure gets too low, fill it to your manufacturer’s recommended PSI.

If you’re planning a winter road trip, there’s more to do than topping off your wiper fluid. Learn how to prepare your home and car before you hit the highway. Read Our Travel Safety Tips

Be Prepared for Emergencies

Once your car is ready to hit the road, it’s time to focus on you. You never know when you’ll slow to a crawl in snowy traffic or get stuck in an icy patch on the road, so it’s best to have everything you might need on hand. According to the NHTSA, you should stock your car with these essentials:

A snow shovel and scraper

Sand or kitty litter to give your tires extra traction

Jumper cables

Flashlights

Blankets

A cell phone charger

Food, water, and medicine

Drive Cautiously

Driving on a slush-covered road requires a little more caution than cruising down the highway on a sunny summer day. To help avoid slipping, sliding, and fender benders, you should always drive more slowly and lay off the gas and brake pedals in icy conditions, according to AAA. And even if your foot gets tired several hours into your winter road trip, you shouldn’t turn on cruise control — you need to be prepared to slow down gradually if you skid.

Download the Neighbors App for Real-Time Safety Updates

One of the easiest ways to get the most relevant safety information — from local weather alerts to tips about preparing your home for freezing temperatures — is to download the Neighbors App by Ring. Neighbors provides one convenient place for people in your neighborhood and local agencies to come together and connect about safety.

Whether you capture footage of a tree crashing down during a winter storm or need help making sure your family member is safe in inclement weather, you can make a post and share it instantly with people around your community. If a storm hits, you can also access real-time updates from the Neighbors Team and learn how to prepare for severe weather.

The Neighbors App played a key role in keeping people connected and informed during the Texas winter storms in 2021. Two kind neighbors named Kathryn and Dax even made a warm meal and delivered it to an elderly couple in response to a post from the couples’ daughter-in-law. Kathryn and Dax had been using the App to stay up-to-date as the storm hit their community, and when they saw the post asking for help, they wanted to do their part. Armed with a pot of spaghetti and a wagon, they made a mile-and-a-half trek to ensure their neighbors didn’t go hungry.

Download the Neighbors App today to stay in the know about safety in your neighborhood and get even more helpful winter safety tips.