Fires And The Smoke Point of Oil

If you cook a lot at home and with oil, then you are probably at least somewhat aware of what a smoke point refers to. Even some of us who do cook fried or stir fried foods often are not fully aware of what a smoke point is and what it might be for the particular kind of oil that we are cooking with. It is something that every cook should be familiar with, since not knowing the smoke point of the oil that you are cooking with can cause it to catch on fire. Some of the worst house fires ever have been started by cooking with oil in the kitchen and by knowing the smoke point of what you are cooking with, you can reduce the chances of having an oil fire greatly.

Unrefined oils that have been harvested using what is called cold extraction tend to have a lower smoke point than other kinds of oil. These unrefined oils usually have better flavor than refined oils and are usually used in sautéing, baking, and for salad dressings. Unrefined oils tend to include avocado oil, some nut oils, and olive oils. Oils that have high smoke points are generally peanut oil, canola, soy, and safflower oil.

A pan containing oil that has reached its smoke point needs to be removed immediately and let to cool. After it cools, it should be thrown out for a number of reasons. Oil that reaches its smoke point starts to break down and will taste very bad, which is why any kind of oil that has reached its smoke point should be thrown out. It will make the food taste bad and the smoke should not be breathed in or the oil consumed, since it can form carcinogens.

You should heat oils gradually because they will perform better than if you just pour them into a very hot pan. As long as they are heated up and cooled off slowly, you can reuse most oils, but you should throw them away as soon as they start to discolor or smell rancid.

One of the worst things that you can do is leave oil to heat in the kitchen on its own. A home catching on fire and burning down completely is not an uncommon occurrence when there is unattended oil heating in the kitchen. What makes this another very bad situation is that oil and electrical fires cannot be put out with water, no matter how much of it you throw on it. If your oil or stove catches on fire and it is fairly small, you can put it out effectively by using baking soda or using your fire extinguisher. Anyone who cooks with oil on a regular basis should have both of these items close by, just in case.

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Water Damage and Interior Paint

Using waterproof paint to help prevent water damage to the walls and ceilings of your home is an option for most of us. The everyday wear and tear on the interior of our homes comes from all the areas in the home that are moist by nature such as the bathroom, the laundry room, kitchen, and basement. Showering, washing dishes, hot baths, and the steam from cooking all cause the water damage and discoloration of our walls and ceilings, but with waterproof paint, this does not have to be so.

Not only does water discolor the ceiling and cause the paint on your walls to peel, but it can also cause mold to grow in these areas, which introduces a new health risk to the indoor environment. Moisture becomes trapped under a layer of paint that allows it to seep in and mold begins to grow underneath it.

The best places for you to apply waterproof paint if you cannot apply it to the entire home are the areas that are most subject to the exposure of water vapor and steam. These are typically the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, and your basement. Your bathroom and kitchen are the ones that you should concentrate on first, since every member of your household will have to go into these rooms at least once or twice every single day.

Using a primer that is waterproof and mold resistant is also good to use in these areas. The primer that you use does not have to be mold resistant, but it is definitely a plus. Finding one that is stain resistant is also good, since you will not have to repaint very often.

When it comes to just what kind of paint you need to apply to different things in your home, it depends on what kind of surface you intent on applying it to. A high-gloss paint is typically easy to clean, but if there are any flaws in the surface that you paint with it, they will all show up in perfect detail. Semi-gloss paints have less shine than high-gloss paints do, but these are easier to clean than high-gloss. Eggshell and flat finishes are the easiest to cleanse and these paints are starting to become more widely used since higher quality paints are becoming available in these no-gloss finishes.

Water damage, mold, and stains are all common household problems, but applying waterproof, stain resistant, and mold resistant paints to the moist areas of your home should help prevent a good bit of it.


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Areas in the Bathroom Prone to Water Damage

Since your bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house, you need to be aware of the different areas of it that are the most at risk for water damage. These are the water junctions in your bathroom and this means that these are the areas that water comes out of the plumbing and into the room at some point, whether it is at the shower, the sink, or the toilet.

Having tile down in your bathroom to protect the floor underneath from water is an absolute must. While you can put down carpet in the bathroom, this is not advised, since mold will eventually start to grow in it or under it, especially in the bathroom closet where you are likely to throw wet towels and clothes. These wet items are usually forgotten about and dry clothing is thrown on top of them.

Do an inspection of your bathroom when you go in it every now and then to make sure that there are no real signs of water damage occurring.

The tiles on the floor and on the walls around the shower and bath tub can become cracked over time and when they do become cracked, you need to replace them to keep water from seeping under them. Water that gets under these tiles will damage the surface underneath and if they become very damaged, tearing up the tile and replacing this surface is the only option to maintain structural integrity.

The plumbing under the sink should be inspected for leaks on a regular basis and you should replace the pipes if they are cracked or loose at all.

You should also pay attention to the area around the base of the toilet and cracked tile around it needs to be replaced. Toilets overflow all the time from clogging and you can prevent this most of the time by just not putting too much toilet paper in the toilet. Also avoid putting hanging toilet bowl cleansers in it, because these also tend to cause clogging.

The plumbing inside the walls can be checked out, but this is the most difficult area of the bathroom to keep an eye on, since the pipes are located inside the walls. Watch for moisture on the drywall or leaking into the floor from any part of the wall. Either of these signs should be a giveaway that there is a problem in the wall.

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