The boiler room, or the room where the boiler is located, usually ranks low on a homeowner’s maintenance list. Many times the room is located in the basement and is rarely used. However, to keep your oven working properly, you will need to regularly clean and maintain the room where the oven is located.
There are many reasons for this. First of all, cleaning will reduce the risk of fire. Second, a clean boiler room will make it easier to repair the boiler in the event that any repairs need to be made.
The good news is that keeping your boiler room clean and tidy isn’t a lot of work in the long run. Of course, if you’ve used the boiler room as a storage area, it may take some time to clean the area and make sure it’s safe.
Here is a simple list of things to do to keep your furnace room clean to minimize the risk of fire and keep your family safe.
- Make sure there is enough space around the heater for it to work safely. Some families tend to pack the room full of unused items or use the room for storage. This can create a fire hazard and may interfere with the operation of the oven.
- Do not hang clotheslines or clothing from the oven to dry. Although clothes can dry quickly, this is definitely a fire hazard. If you place clothes on a drying rack in the oven room, make sure the rack is a safe distance from the oven.
- Do not place your cat’s litter box near the oven. The ammonia in cat urine can corrode parts of the oven. Also, litter box odors can get trapped in the ventilation system and circulate through the house.
- Do not store chemicals, cleaning products or laundry soaps near the heater. If you must store items in the room with the oven, make sure the items are in an airtight container.
- Never store flammable products such as gasoline, pool chemicals, kerosene, or paint thinner near the heater. These items can easily cause a dangerous fire.
- Keep the area clean. Don’t leave your old dusty furnace filters or broken furnace parts in the furnace room. Not only does this clutter the area, but it can also create a fire hazard.
- Be sure to dust and vacuum your oven and oven room regularly. This means dusting the area and vacuuming around the heater and floor to keep dust buildup to a minimum.
Once you’ve given the area a good cleaning, you only need to spend a few minutes a week making sure the area is clean. Even if it takes a lot of work to clean the area at first, the peace of mind you gain is well worth it.