Hey, y’all!

An electric space heater can be just the thing to warm up a particularly cool spot in your home when it’s not quite cold enough to crank up the central heating system.

Keep space heaters far away from water and flammables like drapes.

Wherever you place it, though, use caution.

Space heaters are the culprits in around 25 percent of home-heating fires—and 74 percent of them kill someone, says the National Fire Protection Association.

Here are some space-heater safety tips:

• Buy a new one. Older models don’t have safety features that prevent them from tipping over and automatically turn themselves off if they do.
• Plug your bathroom space heater into a ground-fault circuit interrupter. Keep it as far away from the tub, toilet and sink as possible.
• Don’t hide the electric cord under a rug or carpet. The cord could overheat and cause a fire.
• Leave three feet of space between the heater and furniture and even walls. Keep it away from anything flammable—including the drapes.
• Never plug a space heater into an extension cord. It can overheat the cord.

Want to talk home improvement? Give me a call on the radio this Saturday between 8-11 a.m. The number is 888-ROSIE-4-U. Tune in to KNST to hear the Rosie on the House show.

’Til next time, pass yourself a good dose of joie de vivre!

Next blog: Escape!